The inside story of the UK’s fastest growing church

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has a vision to plant a church within five minutes’ walking or driving distance of every home worldwide. As part of Black History Month, George Luke looks at the church’s Nigerian origins, and reports on how it is experiencing significant growth in the UK

If you live anywhere with a sizeable Afro-Caribbean community, chances are you’re within spitting distance of a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). You certainly can’t walk far in London or Birmingham without coming across the church’s eagle logo, be it on a billboard, in a shop window or the side of a bus.

According to the second edition of Faith Survey’s UK Church Statistics report (published in 2014, but covering 2010 to 2020), RCCG planted 296 new churches in the UK in a five-year period – the largest number for any single denomination.

Often referred to simply as “the Redeemed Church” or just by its initials, the RCCG is the fastest growing Christian denomination in the UK and Ireland today, and a growing presence in British life.

I’m not a RCCG member myself, but I’ve observed the church up close for the best part of two decades when…