709 RCCG parishes in the US sign controversial document

Church Times Nigeria has reliably gathered that about 709 parishes representing 98 per cent of the US parishes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God might have complied with the decision of the church to harmonise all the parishes in the country.

This is made evident by their signing of the controversial document that led to the exit of Pastor Tola Odutola and a host of others.

Those who signed the document that was intended to bring all the churches under one umbrella may not find it easy to leave the church in the future. If at all they want to leave, they won’t be able to go with the property of the church.

Sources however informed Church Times that the document signed by the pastors of the parishes may not make any much difference since many of the parishes will still have to subject themselves to the laws of the state where they are situated. Some will also have to still subject themselves to the county laws.

As it is, about 10 major parishes, many of which were provincial headquarters and regional headquarters did not comply with the new order thus necessitating their exit from the church as far back as February.

Pastor James Fadel, an Assistant to the General Overseer of the Church in an online video asked members to check the compliance status of their parishes on the RCCG North America website

From information available on the website the churches that have left include: Winners House, Dumfries Virginia, House Of David Houston Texas, Strong Tower Parish, Minneapolis Minneapolis Minnesota, Jesus City Church Morrisville North Carolina, Agape House Of Worship Roselle New Jersey and Jesus House, Baltimore Baltimore.

Other parishes that left the RCCG include Jesus House Houston Houston Texas, Winners Assembly, Dallas Texas, Jesus House Dallas Farmers Branch Texas and Chapel Of Revival And Miracles Mesquite.

But according to records available on the site about 709 other parishes are still within the RCCG fold. A pastor in the US who spoke with our correspondent said some churches have been leaving the church quietly wondering why Pastor Odutola dramatized his exit. “This is not the first time a parish will leave the church. They leave at will. And some of them don’t make issue out of it.”

He said many people did not agree with the document but even at that the church was not too fuzzy about it. “The documents are not what can easily be implemented. And it’s being subject to review. It’s only in some states where the laws are central and binding. But there are states with different laws. There are counties also that have different laws. So it may be difficult in the real sense to harmonize the churches together. What the church has done is a formality which it may not be implemented to the letter.”

While aligning with many of the claims of Odutola, the source told our correspondent that he was too dramatic about it adding that he won’t be the first person to leave the church.