Editing Christ Apostolic Church

{{Short description|First Aladura Pentecostal church in Nigeria}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Use Nigerian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| name               = Christ Apostolic Church
| image              = Christ Apostolic Church.jpg
| abbreviation       = CAC
| main_classification = [[Protestantism|Protestant]]
| orientation = {{ubl|[[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]]|[[African-initiated church|African-initiated]]|[[Charismatic Christianity|Charismatic]]}}
| theology = [[Aladura]]
| governance         = [[Pastors]]
| leader_title       = President
| leader_name        = [[Pastor S.O Oladele]]
| leader_title1      = General Evangelist
| leader_name1       = Prophet Hezekiah Oladeji
| leader_title2      = General Superintendent
| leader_name2       = Pastor E.O Odejobi
| associations       = [[Christian Association of Nigeria]], [[Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria]]
| area               = [[Nigeria]] and overseas
| headquarters       = General Secretariat: Oba I.B Akinyele Memorial Complex, Bashorun, [[Ibadan]], [[Nigeria]].

International Camp Ground: Joseph Ayo Babalola International Miracle Camp, Ilesa-Akure Expressway, [[Ikeji-Arakeji]], Osun State, [[Nigeria]]
| founder            = Oba/Pastor Isaac Babalola Akinyele, Pastor David O. Odubanjo, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola
| founded_date       = 1918
| founded_place      = [[Ijebu Ode]]
| separated_from     = [[The Apostolic Church Nigeria]]
| tertiary           = [[Joseph Ayo Babalola University]]
| seminaries         = Christ Apostolic Church Theological Seminary Ile-Ife
| website            = {{URL|https://www.christapostolicchurch.org.ng/}}
| slogan             = ONE FOLD, ONE SHEPHERD
}}
'''Christ Apostolic Church''' (CAC) is the first Pentecostal church present in [[Nigeria]]. It arose in the first half of the 20th century, in the then-[[British Empire]]. It was founded in Ijebu-ode named Precious Stone Society in 1918<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christ apostolic church – Faith Chapel |url=https://cacfc.org.uk/ |access-date=2024-01-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> but was formally established in 1941 after a split from the [[Apostolic Church Nigeria|Apostolic Church]] which the original Aladura organization (Faith Tabernacle) had invited to Nigeria. Its growth was led by [[Joseph Ayo Babalola]], a road construction driver who became its first General Evangelist.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.greatrevivals.com |title=Great Revivalist |publisher=Great Revivals |accessdate=2012-03-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130043028/http://greatrevivals.com/ |archivedate=2009-01-30 }}</ref>

Christ Apostolic Church operates [[secondary school]]s and an Entrepreneurial University named after the first General Evangelist, Joseph Ayo Babalola University<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://jabu.edu.ng/ |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=Joseph Ayo Babalola University |language=en-GB}}</ref> (JABU) right in Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State in Nigeria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dacb.org/stories/nigeria/babalola1_joseph.html |title=Babalola, Joseph Ayo, Nigeria/Ghana, Christ Apostolic Church (Aladura) |publisher=Dacb.org |date= |accessdate=2012-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320030105/http://www.dacb.org/stories/nigeria/babalola1_joseph.html |archive-date=2012-03-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Norman C. Habel|author-link=Norman C. Habel|author2=Vicky Balabanski|title=The Earth Story in the New Testament|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RaaCElq1yKAC&pg=PA113|accessdate=15 May 2012|date=30 October 2002|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8264-6060-8|pages=113–}}</ref> Pastor Samuel Olusegun Oladele was inaugurated as the 8th president of Christ Apostolic Church Worldwide on 20 March 2021.

==History==
Christ Apostolic Church is an indigenous African church founded by members of Precious Stone Society (Faith Tabernacle) after separating from [[The Apostolic Church Nigeria|The Apostolic Church]] in 1940.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BRIEF HISTORY – The Apostolic Church Ghana |url=https://www.theapostolicchurch.org.gh/brief-history/ |access-date=2024-01-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> The church's history is linked to its founders, namely [[Isaac Babalola Akinyele]], [[Joseph Ayo Babalola]], David Odubanjo, Joseph Esinsinade, and Miss Sophia Odunlami.

Before then, Christ Apostolic Church and The Apostolic Church (called Diamond or Precious Stone at that time) were found in some places in Nigeria but met mainly at St Savior's Anglican Church.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-11 |title=African Indigenous Churches — Chapter Eight |url=https://irr.org/african-indigenous-churches-chapter-eight |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Institute For Religious Research |language=en}}</ref> The Anglican Church were opposed to the practices of the group and members of the group who are workers in the Anglican Church were forced to resign. When the Great Revival<ref name=":0" /> emerged in July 1930 people rejected their traditional medicines and thousands of people gave their lives to Jesus. On 23 September 1931, Pastors D.P Williams, A. Turnbull, and W.J Williams came to Nigeria <ref>{{Cite web |last=ChurchGistAdmin |date=2023-09-23 |title=TODAY IN HISTORY: 23rd September |url=https://churchgist.org/today-in-history-23rd-september/ |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Church Gist |language=en-US}}</ref> and ordained the first seven Pastors of the church. Then during the crisis that occurred in 1939–1940 in the church<ref>Retrieved from [https://grossarchive.com Gross Archive]
''Division in Christ Apostolic Church''</ref> that led to the emergence of two groups, the first is [[The Apostolic Church Nigeria]] led by [[Samuel Adegboyega|Pastor Samuel Adegboyega]] while the second is Christ Apostolic Church.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-05 |title=Samuel Adegboyega: Pioneer of Apostolic Pentecostalism in Nigeria – HistoryVille |url=https://www.thehistoryville.com/samuel-adegboyega/ |access-date=2025-08-24 |language=en}}</ref>

Baba Abiye was one of the leaders of the Christ Apostolic Church who served as the Assistant General Evangelist of the church, working closely with [[Joseph Ayo Babalola]] during his lifetime.<ref>{{Cite web |last=authority |date=2022-09-10 |title=THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE DEATH OF APOSTLE AYO BABALOLA. |url=https://lightfeatherstoriesw.home.blog/2022/09/10/the-true-story-behind-the-death-of-apostle-ayo-babalola/ |access-date=2025-08-24 |website=LFS - Light Feathers Stories |language=en}}</ref>

==Tenets==
Christ Apostolic Church adopted the 11 tenets of the Apostolic Church UK and added the 12th and 13th tenets in 1940.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Akande |first=Lydia Bosede |date=2018-12-15 |title=The impact of christ apostolic church on Yoruba diaspora in the New York District |url=https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ijrs/article/view/181085 |journal=Ilorin Journal of Religious Studies |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=15–26 |issn=2141-7040}}</ref>

==Leadership ==
*Pastor Isaac Babalola Akinyele (1943–1964) – served as the first president from incorporation until 1964.
* Pastor Jacob Soyege Bartholomew Odusona (1964–1966) – succeeded Akinyele and led for two years.
*Pastor Elijah Titus Latunde (1966–1983) – presided over the church for 17 years. Prior to his presidency, he had served as vice president under Odusona.
*Pastor John Dada Obafemi – one of the only two leaders who became president without previously serving as General Superintendent.
*Pastor Joseph Bolade Orogun (1983–1991) – succeeded Latunde. He retired following the General Executive Council's policy on age-based retirement. An interim administration headed by Pastor E.A. Faniyan was in place between 1991 and June 1993.
*Pastor John Dada Obafemi (1993–1997) – appointed president in 1993 and retired in 1997.
*Pastor Elijah Howard Lajuwomi Olusheye (1997–2011) – succeeded Obafemi and served until December 2011.
*Pastor Abraham Olukunle Akinosun (2012–2020) – became president in 2012 and held office until 2020
*Pastor Samuel Olusegun Oladele (2021–present) – the incumbent president, having assumed office in 2021 till date

==See also==
*[[Nigerian sectarian violence]]
*[[Church of the Lord (Aladura)]]
*[[Celestial Church of Christ]]
*[[Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim]]
*[[Cherubim and Seraphim Society]]
*[[New religious movement]]
*[[St John the Baptist, Kentish Town]]
*[[Redeemed Christian Church of God]]
*[[Living Faith Church Worldwide]]
*[[Deeper Christian Life Ministry]]
*[[Anglican Adam Preaching Society]]
*[[Cornelius Adam Igbudu]]
*[[Onyeka Onwenu]]
*[[Junior Pope]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://cacworldnews.com News Platform of Christ Apostolic Church]
*[https://christapostolicchurch.org.ng Current website of Christ Apostolic Church]

[[Category:Churches in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Christian denominations in Ghana]]
[[Category:African initiated churches]]
[[Category:Christian new religious movements]]
[[Category:Pentecostalism in Africa]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1941]]
[[Category:Religious organizations based in Lagos]]
[[Category:1941 establishments in Nigeria]]