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7 Famous Nigerian Pastors Who Were Born Into a Muslim Family
A number of widely recognized pastors were once Muslims by birth In Nigeria. These individuals chose to adopt Christianity and subsequently rose to positions of significance in the country’s religious domain.
In this article, RNN explores the stories of these notable figures, tracing their paths from their Islamic family to their present-day roles as prominent leaders within the Christian community.
Table Of Contents
| NAME | CHURCH FOUNDED |
|
New Covenant Church |
|
Champions Royal Assembly |
|
The Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC) |
|
Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) |
|
Rhema Chapel International Church |
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Omega Fire Ministries |
|
Living Faith Church (Winners’ Chapel) |
7. Rev Dr. Paul Jinadu
Dr. Paul Jinadu, initially a Muslim in Lagos, Nigeria, embraced Christianity after a divine encounter with Jesus. He left his pursuit of medical education in the UK and joined The Bible College of Wales, Swansea, in 1962. He further studied theology at The London Bible College, graduating in 1972.
Founding and overseeing New Covenant Church in Nigeria and the UK, Dr. Paul received a vision of the Church’s pattern promised by Jesus. He shared this vision with members and disciples in Nigeria. Despite challenges and church authority’s disagreement, some of his disciples established a fellowship in Ibadan, Nigeria, and invited him back as their pastor.
In 1985, the New Covenant Church was inaugurated in Samonda, Ibadan, Nigeria. The first UK branch began in London in 1986. The seed sown years ago has flourished, with New Covenant Church now spanning 500+ branches across 32 countries.
Paul served as the second President of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance in the UK. He acts as an Apostle, spiritual father, and mentor to pastors worldwide, conducting Leadership Seminars and Training globally.
6. Pastor Joshua Iginla
Pastor Iginla was born on 21 May 1969 to Muslim parents in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, who converted to Christianity. He then became a Pentecostal pastor and televangelist. Pastor Joshua is a Nigerian pastor, televangelist, and prosperity gospel preacher, seen by some as a prophet. He founded and leads the Champions Royal Assembly, a megachurch gathering in an 80,000-seat auditorium in Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria.
5. Pastor Tunde Bakare
Pastor Tunde Bakare, born into a Muslim family, later embraced Christianity in 1974. Born on November 11, 1954, he is a Nigerian pastor with a prophetic-apostolic calling. Initially practicing law and owning his firm, he transitioned to ministry, leaving his legal career behind. After being a legal adviser at the Deeper Life Bible Church, he joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God. He became a Pastor there and established the Model Parish.
In May 1988, amid his legal success, he answered the call to ministry. He established The Latter Rain Assembly (now The Citadel Global Community Church) on April 1, 1989, where he currently serves as Overseer. He leads the Global Apostolic Impact Network (GAIN), a network of churches, ministries, and kingdom businesses dedicated to advancing the Kingdom of God. Dr. Bakare also presides over Latter Rain Ministries, Inc. in Atlanta, GA, USA, committed to restoring the church to a scriptural pattern.
4. Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo
He used to be called Ahmed Ashimolowo and was born in Kaduna to Muslim parents. At the age of 20, after his father’s death, Ashimolowo switched from Islam to Christianity and then attended a Bible school.
Matthew Ashimolowo, born on 17 March 1952, is a Nigerian clergyman. He serves as the senior pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) in London.
His program, Winning Ways, airs daily on Premier Radio (London) and Spirit FM (Amsterdam), and it’s also broadcast on television in Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, FaithAfrica (DSTV 341), the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Europe on The God Channel, and the Inspirational Network.
3. Rev George Adegboye
Rev. George Olawale Adegboye grew up as a Muslim, but his father later converted to Christianity. He now leads Ever Increasing Word Ministries, also known as Rhema Chapel International Churches. The headquarters is in Ilorin, Kwara State, with branches worldwide. He supervises the Word of Victory Bible Training Institute and the Young Ministers Teaching School. George Olawale Adegboye, a Nigerian gospel minister and religious scholar, earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology. He was born on December 7, 1958.
Before joining the ministry, George Adegboye worked as a lecturer at Kwara State Polytechnic. His church currently runs a Bible training institute, a nursery, and a primary school.
2. Apostle Johnson Suleman
Apostle Johnson Suleman, a well-known Nigerian pastor, was born into a Muslim family. He was born Johnson Sule on March 24, 1971, to Mrs. Esther Sule and Hon. Imoudu Sule.
He is a televangelist and serves as the senior pastor and general overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International. The church’s headquarters is located in Auchi, Edo State. He began his ministry journey by assisting in the Armor of God Church in Lagos in 1998. Later, in 2004, he established Omega Fire Ministries. He acknowledges Nigerian pastor Enoch Adeboye as his ‘spiritual father.’
1. Bishop David Oyedepo
Bishop Oyedepo tops the list of well-known Nigerian pastors born into a Muslim family. His father, Ibrahim, practiced Muslim healing, while his mother, Dorcas, was a member of the Holy Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (C&S), a branch of the Aladura movement in Nigeria. Raised by his grandmother in Osogbo, she introduced him to Christian life’s virtues through early morning prayers and taught him about the importance of tithing.
David Olaniyi Oyedepo, born on 27 September 1954, is a Nigerian preacher, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and presides over the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, also known as Winners’ Chapel International.
Winners’ Chapel International’s network of churches is present in over 300 cities across Nigeria, in forty-five African nations, Dubai, the UK, Europe, Asia, the US, and Canada.
Oyedepo states he became “born again” in 1969, influenced by his teacher Betty Lasher (18 June 1930 – 26 August 2022) during high school. He claims to have received a mandate from God through an 18-hour vision in May 1981, instructing him to liberate the world from the devil’s oppression through preaching the word of faith. This led to the founding of the Living Faith Church World Wide (LFCWW), initially called Liberation Faith Hour Ministries, in 1981.