Chairman of RCCG UK, Pastor Agu Irukwu resigns

Chairman of The Redeemed Christian Church of God in the United Kingdom, Pastor Agu Irukwu has stepped down from the position.

Irukwu has also ceased from being the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Executive Council of the RCCG in the UK and the Deputy Continental Overseer- Europe.

The RCCG pastor made this known in a meeting with parish pastors and national officers of the Church in the UK on Thursday between 7 and 9 pm.

The meeting held on zoom and had in attendance about 750 pastors of the RCCG in the UK.

At the meeting, Irukwu said his decision to step down from the position was personal but that he would still maintain his pastoral role at the Jesus House as the Senior Pastor.

He said the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye was aware of his decision and that he and Pastor Adeboye had reached an agreement on the issue.

Church Times sources informed that Pastor Adeboye who initially did not welcome Irukwu’s decision saw reason with him and asked him to choose his successor.

Irukwu at the meeting announced Pastor Leke Sanusi as the man who will henceforth step into his shoes as the chairman of RCCG, UK.

Our source informed that Pastor Irukwu’s decision to step down was devoid of acrimony adding however that he perhaps wanted to have a freer atmosphere to carry out his pastoral duty.

Incidentally, Pastor Sanusi, his choice of successor according to the source, is a man who is loved by Pastor Adeboye.

The decision of Irukwu to step down as Chairman of RCCG, UK may also affect his membership of RCCG’s World Advisory Council.

Agu Irukwu, still pastor of Jesus House

Pastor Irukwu however maintains his position as Senior Pastor of Jesus House for all the Nations, London.

The parish was established in April 1994. It is acknowledged to be one of the fastest-growing Black Majority Churches in England, with about 3000 people attending its several services on Sundays.

The website of the church informed that Irukwu was conferred with the inaugural Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness by the Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby at Lambeth Palace in 2016

The award was after St. Alphege the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1006 to 1012 reputed for his simplicity, wise and holy counsel, as well as care for the poor.

Pastor Irukwu was elected Churches Together in England (CTE) Pentecostal President in 2017, making him one of six CTE Presidents.

A graduate of the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, Pastor Irukwu was a former Investment Banker prior to his decision to go into full-time Christian ministry.

In his various roles in the RCCG mission, Irukwu is said to have been committed to the promotion of good governance for the church.

He is described as a “very practical and down-to-earth preacher, his ministry is characterised by a desire to see revival in the UK and help build men and women of faith who will achieve their God-given purposes in life.”
Irukwu who is the son of Prof Joe Irukwu, a foremost insurance expert is married to Pastor Shola Irukwu.

Leke Sanusi takes over

Pastor Leke Sanusi

Pastor Sanusi who takes over from him is a Barrister and Solicitor who practiced law for over a decade before he answered God’s call to preach the gospel in 1997. He was at a time, Special Assistant to the late Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, the constitutional lawyer when he was Minister for Justice during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha. He had also worked with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi,

He is the pastor of Victory House, London, a parish of the RCCG. He is described on the church’s website as “a committed student and teacher of spiritual warfare, his passion is to see people liberated from every form of oppression. He is also the author of the bestselling book None Shall Be Barren, which has now been made into a movie. Pastor Leke is happily married to Bolanle Eniola”

Pastor Sanusi is currently one of the SATGOS and Assistant Continental Overseers in Charge of Europe.

 By Our reporter