Defining African Pentecostalism

Lagos is arguably the most Pentecostal city in the world. It has a long history of independent African churches emphasizing spiritual gifts, dating back to the time of the great influenza epidemic of 1918. Then, those who left the mission churches and sought God in prayer for healing became known as ‘Aladura’, a Yoruba word meaning ‘possessors of prayer’. The white-robed, often bare-footed Aladura are still found in thriving churches, but in Lagos one cannot fail to notice hundreds of churches with signboards on every street corner, as I did in May 2001 on a visit to this teeming African city. Pentecostals are everywhere: they preach in buses, at market places and in massive campgrounds, tents, stadiums, churches and auditoriums. They dominate the media. Pentecostalism has profoundly affected all forms of Christianity in Nigeria. On one Sunday we visited five different churches, including a Charismatic Anglican church, two Aladura churches (one with robes and one without) and two independent Charismatic churches. Some of the largest gatherings of Christians in the world occur in the campgrounds of these Nigerian churches, where hundreds of thousands of people attend all-night Friday prayer meetings in places with names like Redemption Ground and Canaan Land. The older churches struggle to keep pace with the jet-setting entrepreneurs who head up these new organizations. One that is managing to do so is the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), the biggest of Nigeria’s older Pentecostal churches, sitting somewhat half way between Aladura and classical Pentecostal churches.