Largest Church Denominations in Nigeria

There are hundreds of thousands of churches across the length and breadth of Nigeria, making the country the most religious country on the face of the planet.

Aside from this, Nigeria is also home to the most popular televangelists in Africa and some of the world’s most notable televangelists.

Our focus in this post is to list the top largest church denominations in Nigeria. Please note that this post is in no particular order and not arranged based on their popularity.

1. Catholic

The Catholic church is the largest Christian denomination in Nigeria today. Although its presence is in every region of the country, Catholicism is predominant in the South East, South-South and the Middle Belt. Across the Southwestern part of the country, the Catholic church is present.

Currently, there are over 20 million Catholics in Nigeria.

2. Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)

The RCCG is perhaps the second-largest Christian denomination after the Catholic church and the largest Pentecostal Christian denomination in Nigeria with over 15 million members and about 32,000 parishes across Nigeria. As of 2008, the population of the church stood at 5 million, with about 14,000 parishes nationwide.

The RCCG is headquartered in Ebute Metta, Lagos and the current General Overseer is Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.

3. Anglican Church of Nigeria

The Anglican Church of Nigeria is supposed to be the second-largest Christian denomination in Nigeria but the majority of those born in the church are no longer active members. The Anglican Church is said to have over 18 million members in Nigeria with only about 3 million active and practising.

Ecclesiastical provinces of the Anglican Church of Nigeria can be found in Jos, Abuja, Kaduna, South-South, Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Ibadan.

4. Assemblies of God Church

The Assemblies of God Church is one of the largest Christian denominations in Nigeria with about 17,000 churches nationwide and about 3.7 million members across Nigeria.

5. The Apostolic Church

Headquartered in Lagos, The Apostolic Church of Nigeria is one of the largest Christian denominations in Nigeria with over 5 million members nationwide.

6. Church of Christ in Nigeria

The Church of Christ in Nations, formerly Church of Christ in Nigeria is a Christian denomination in Nigeria that was founded in 1904. The Church is headquartered in Jos, Plateau and was formerly known as Ekklesiyar Kristi A Nigeria. The Church of Christ in Nations’ members are estimated to be 8 million across Nigeria.

7. Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA)

ECWA is one of the most popular and also one of the largest Christian denominations in Nigeria with over 6,000 congregations and 10 million members scattered across Nigeria.

ECWA was founded in 1954 when the SIM-related churches (initially in Nigeria) came together to form an indigenous body.

8. Nigerian Baptist Convention

The Nigerian Baptist Convention is a subset of the Baptist Church, with Rev. Dr Israel Adélaní Àkànjí as its President. The Church was founded in 1914, in Ibadan, and currently has about 35,000 congregations and over 8 million members across Nigeria.

9. Living Faith Church Worldwide

Living Faith Church Worldwide also known as Winners Chapel is a popular Pentecostal Christian denomination that was founded in 1981 by David Oyedepo who is still the Church’s General Overseer.

Winners, today, is one of the most notable Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria, with over 3 million members across Nigeria. The Church is headquartered in Ota, in Ogun State.