Christ Apostolic Church

The Christ Apostolic Church (abbreviated CAC) is a Christian church with a charismatic prophetic orientation, which emerged in 1939 in Nigeria as a splinter group from an association of the Apostolic Faith Tabernacle and the Church of England. The CAC has the world today denominations, maintains schools, its own university in Ikeji Arakeji ( JABU ) and a theological faculty in Ile- Ife ( Nigeria). According to information from the CAC now has 5 million members.

History

The history of the CAC is closely linked with the emergence of Aladura movement. Having had formed during the great influenza pandemic of 1918 different prayer groups within the mission churches in Nigeria to effect with the aim of prayer healings, there were conflicts between the circles and church leaders (especially the Anglican and Methodist churches that such activities were skeptical about ). At the same time took some of these circles, the names like Praying band and Diamond Society wore contact with the Pentecostal Faith Tabernacle from the USA. The result was that the prayer circles adopted from their churches and founded a denomination of Faith Tabernacle in Nigeria. A so-called revival that took place in 1930 under the direction of Joseph Ayo Babalola charismatic in Oke Ooye, Ilesa, led to a considerable popularity and notoriety growth of the Church in Nigeria. Thousands are during this two-month revival, which is considered the largest in the history of Nigeria, have been cured of diseases and have been converted to Christianity. In 1931, the Nigerian Faith Tabernacle associated with the Apostolic Church of England. But it soon came to conflicts that ignited again in the topic spiritual healing. After a split in a pro-European and a purely Nigerian group called this charismatic group, who was also Babalola, from 1942 Christ Apostolic Church. In the following years the church had to suffer from various staffing and finance. The death of the founding fathers and Pastor Babalola Odubanjo in 1959, however, indicated no incision. With the onset of the 1960s oil boom in Nigeria even more money came into the church and they could significantly expand their activities. Your membership increased from 100,000 in 1960 to millions of dollars in the 1980s. Outside Nigeria, the CAC was first established in Ghana, today it is also common in Europe and the U.S., there mainly in immigrant communities.

Doctrine and practice

As with all Aladura - churches, the focus of practice is on the prayer. From this, the followers hope to achieve both improvement in their material circumstances as well as the resolving personal conflicts, curing diseases and spiritual growth. Accordingly, the congregation prayer also takes a large part of the worship services. The belief in spiritual healing, prophecy and daydreams play associated with practices such as fasting also an important role. Alone among the Aladura churches join the CAC, the trailer is not with a white cassock in the church services. These are also not as strong liturgically oriented, as with most Aladura churches, but the practice of Pentecostal churches have adapted. Although the CAC has historically different roots, it sees itself as the first Pentecostal church in Nigeria. The strong emphasis on charisms offers indeed in fact a point of contact between the Aladura and the Pentecostal movement. Organizationally the church is called " apostles ", " prophets " and " evangelists " directed on the lower level by pastors, deacons and deaconesses.