Role Model for 3rd Quarter of 2013

Our role model for the 3rd Quarter of 2013 is Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.

 

Pastor Adeboye was born in Ifewara, a small town in Osun State of western part of the Nigeria. He is the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

 

He has a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos, and worked as lecturer in mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin. After joining the RCCG, he began working to translate the sermons of his then Pastor and founder, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English.

 

In 1981, Pastor Adeboye was appointed General Overseer of RCCG, taking over from Papa Akindayomi, who had died the previous year. For three years he filled the role part-time, still lecturing at University of Ilorin, until giving up his university position to preach full-time.

 

The church, which was just growing up with few branches before Pastor Adeboye took charge, now has branches in over a hundred countries, including thousands of parishes in Nigeria.

 

The RCCG’s Mission Statement is:

1. to make it to heaven
2. to take as many people as possible with them
3. to have a member of RCCG in every family in every nation

To get to heaven, they say, "holiness will be our lifestyle". To accomplish the other two, they will "plant churches within five minutes walking distance in every city and town of developing countries and within five minutes driving distance in every city and town of developed countries". The church intends to pursue these objectives "until every Nation in the world is reached for the Lord Jesus Christ".

Pastor Adeboye is the national president of RCF (an interdenominational fellowship in all the campuses in Nigeria).

In 2008, Newsweek magazine named Adeboye one of the fifty most powerful people in the world. He is married to Pastor Foluke Adeboye with whom he has children.