Brief History
The Yoruba word “Aladura” means “Prayer Fellowship” or “The Praying People”. The members of the Prayer Fellowship churches believe in the power of praying and fasting (Yoruba is a major language of the southwestern region of Nigeria).
LATE JOSIAH OLUNOWO OSITELU
How we started
The founder of the Church of the Lord Prayer Fellowship, the late prophet Dr Josiah Olunowo Ositelu, received his calling in 1925, and the independent church was officially established in 1930 in Ogere. Prophet Ositelu preached the gospel of repentance and regeneration from town to town. Right from the beginning, he started training Christians for active ministry.
How we grew
In 1937, he established the Holy Mount Tabieorar (pronounced Taborah) Festival through divine revelation, which has been celebrated every year since 22 August and has attracted thousands of believers. Despite opposition from other Christian churches and resistance from traditional African religions, the church grew steadily.
Spreading across Africa
In 1947, after spiritual inquiry, Prophet Ositelu sent two apostles to Sierra Leone and Liberia, respectively, to bring the good news to the West Coast of Africa. Today, the church is spread over the whole of West Africa, in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The church also has parishes in Europe and the United States of America. Many politicians and public servants are today members of the church. The Church of the Lord (Aladura) is one of the first three Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, and it has brought considerable revival among African Christians.
It has introduced many African cultures and customs – singing, drumming, clapping, and dancing – into its liturgy and church life. This is now becoming a common phenomenon among many churches on the African continent. The church thinks that these customs and traditions of Africans or any other peoples of the world are to serve as beautiful complements to the Christian faith and belief and is not opposed to them.
The church submits itself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is engaged in evangelical ministry and has an ecumenical outlook—it accepts all who believe and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour as brothers and sisters. The church is also biblical in pattern and Pentecostal in power. Its major concerns in the 21st century are to train more efficient church workers and expand its social contributions to society.
TCL to the World
Administratively and spiritually, the Church of the Lord is a worldwide organization with headquarters in Ogere Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria.