CHURCH OF THE LORD (ALADURA): WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW

 Introduction

The Church of the Lord (C. L.) started with only ten people who attended its inauguration at Ogere on July 30, 1930. The group has grown into an International organization with the expansion of the Church beyond Nigeria since 1947 to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, London, United States and Europe. The members who constituted themselves into this fellowship followed a catechist, Oshitelu who parted company with the Anglican Church over the accusation that he was engaging in unorthodox practices like relying on healing through prayer alone, use of consecrated water and holy names. When Oshitelu could not be persuaded to desist from these practices, he was shown the way out of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Anglican Church.

About the Founder: Josiah Oshitelu

Ifakoya Dawodu Oshitelu was born at Ogere to Pagan parents in 1902. He renounced his first two names at his baptism and took the names: Josiah Oluwalowo (God deserves honour). As a boy, Oshitelu demonstrated much zeal for the things of the Lord and after his elementary education he continued in the service of the Anglican Church as a pupil teacher and catechist.

His Call

Oshitelu was preparing to go to St. Andrew’s College, Oyo to become a trained teacher when on the night of May 17, 1925; he started having series of intense visionary experiences which haunted him and made him to become restless. On investigation, an old Prophet Somoye explained these encounters to mean that Oshitelu had been called to work in God’s vineyard as a prophet. Papa Somoye counseled Oshitelu to desist from the use of traditional medicine, put his faith in God and use the book of Psalms for his daily devotion. On the instructions of Pa Somoye, Oshitelu commenced fasting with prayer.

Not long afterwards, Oshitelu began to hear voices which confirmed Prophet Somoye’s predictions. From that point in time, Oshitelu grew in spiritual development through disciplines of prayer and fasting. Within a short time, some elders in the Anglican Church noticed the new dimensions which Oshitelu was introducing into the accepted practices of the Church and cautioned him to desist from the so -called erroneous beliefs, practices and teaching.

When Oshitelu was adamant, he was dismissed from the Anglican Church. He went back to Pa Somoye for a two-year stay of apprenticeship as a disciple until in 1929 when he emerged as a public and prophetic preacher. He organized his first revival in his hometown on the 9th of June at Ogere. He inaugurated his Church the following year, July 1930 at the same place.

The Expansion of the Ministry

Oshitelu’s fame spread quickly as did those of the leaders of the indigenous Churches like Orimolade, Captain Abiodun, Joseph Babalola and J. B. Sadare. The Faith Terbanacle  leaders expressed interest in knowing more about the energetic young man from Ogere. However, disagreements over Oshitelu’s use of holy names and what he called “sealed words” kept the two groups apart. Some of the strange words reveled to him include holy names such as AWOBISILLAL (Healer), ARRABABLALHUS, ANOMONOMOLLAHHUJAH. Oshitelu insisted on using these holy names quoting Ezekiel 33:7, “So will I make my holy name known in the midst of people…” in support of his convictions. He advised that henceforth, the leaders of the Faith Terbanacle should mind their own business while he minds his.

With promptitude, Oshitelu and his disciples embarked on mass evangelistic campaigns which yielded fruitful results. The Church of the Lord (C. L.) spread quickly starting from Oyo and Ijebu towns. Further expansion took the Church into the Ondo and Ekiti lands. Subsequent major awaited the advent of a gifted evangelist Adeleke Adejobi who joined the ministry in 1940. He has resigned his appointment as a teacher to become Primate Oshitelu’s disciple. 

 In the mid-1940s, Adejobi managed to establish branches in Lagos where earlier emissaries had failed. From here, the Church spread rapidly into the Edo speaking Areas. Expansion into the other regions of Nigeria also followed.

In 1945, Primate Oshitelu had a vision about the expansion of his Church beyond Nigeria. He commissioned Apostles Adejobi and Oduwole to launch out to the other African countries. Adejobi was dispatched to Sierra Leone while Oduwole went to Liberia. The two Apostles later converged to establish the Church in Ghana. Later, the Church was established in some other West African countries. While Adejobi was on a two-year course at the Glasgow Bible Training Institute in 1961, he inaugurated the first branch of the Church of the Lord (C. L.) outside Africa, thus fulfilling Primate Oshitelu’s prophecy that the Church would go beyond the African continent. 

Notes: 

H. Turner, History of An African Independent Church - Church of the Lord (Aladura) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967): 35.

TO BE CONTINUED...