Akakan Umoh
Christianity in Nigeria is growing in population and buildings with churches springing up and waxing stronger at every nook and cranny while others remain at diminutive stage.
Recent estimates by the Pew Research Center show that about 107 million Christians in the country or 46.4% of Nigeria’s population identify as Christians.
A source from the Open Doors “World Watch List 2022” country dossier on Nigeria shows that Christians make up “98,006,000 or 46.4%” of Nigerians. In its 2015-based estimate, the Christian proportion was about 48.1% of the population.
Of Churches in Nigeria, “There are 37,543 Churches in Nigeria as of September 2025,” according to an unofficial source. Another reports “There are a total of 16,146 Churches in Nigeria as of May 5, 2025.”
However, Straightnews has picked 20 large churches in Nigeria listed by prominence and large congregations, with their founders, years founded, and approximate membership/size (where available).
| Church | Founder | Year Founded | Approximate Size / Notes | |
| 1. | .Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) | Rev Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi | 1952 | 9.9 million worldwide; ~5-7 million in Nigeria. |
| 2. | Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel) | Bishop David Oyedepo | 1981 | Estimated ~3-5 million. |
| 3. | Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) | Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya | 1989 | ~2-3 million. |
| 4. | Deeper Christian Life Ministry | Pastor William Kumuyi | 1973 | 800,000 in Nigeria (church claims) |
| 5. | Dunamis International Gospel Centre | Dr. Paul Enenche | 1996 | Estimated “over 2 million” by one source. |
| 6. | Word of Life Bible Church | Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor | 1987 | Weekly attendance ~30,000 at main campus. |
| 7 | Salvation. Ministries | Pastor David Ibiyeomie | April 1997 | Auditorium capacity ~120,000; membership figure not clearly published. |
| 8. | The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement | Pastor Lazarus Muoka | December 2002 | Estimated ~650,000 baptized members. |
| 9 | Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) | Pastor T. B. Joshua | 1987 | Weekly attendance ~50,000 at headquarters. |
| 10. | The Apostolic Church Nigeria | Samuel E. Akande | (1931-32) | ~1-2 million estimated. |
| 11 | Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) | Joseph Ayo Babalola & others | 1941 formalised | 1-2 million estimated. |
| 12 | Daystar Christian Centre | Pastor Sam Adeyemi | ~1995 | ~500,000 members reported. |
| 13 | House on the Rock | Pastor Paul Adefarasin | 1995-98 | ~495,000 members. |
| 14 | Foursquare Gospel Church Nigeria | Rev. Harold Curtis | 1955 | ~500,000-1 million estimated. |
| 15 | Assemblies of God Nigeria | American missionaries- Rev. Augustus (A.W.) Rowlands and Rev. Thomas F. Zimmerman | 1939 | ~400,000-800,000 estimated. |
| 16 | Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) | Rev. Thomas Jefferson Bowen | 1914 | 3 million baptized + ~6.5 million other members. |
| 17 | Champions Royal Assembly | Pastor Joshua Iginla | 2015 | Auditorium capacity ~80,000; membership numbers unclear. |
| 18 | Omega Power Ministries (OPM) | Dr Chibuzor Gift Chinyere | 2006 | Auditorium capacity ~70,000. |
| 19 | Christ Embassy (Believers’ Loveworld) | Pastor Chris Oyakhilome | 1990 | Global presence; Nigerian membership unclear. |
| 20 | Household of God Church | Pastor Chris Okotie | February 1987 | Auditorium capacity ~8,000 (smaller than mega-churches) but listed among large Nigerian churches. |
Important caveats:
- Catholic Church in Nigeria is not considered among the largest churches in that particular list of “biggest individual churches,” likely because such lists often focus on individual congregations with mega church‑type auditoriums rather than denominations.
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A “Top 15 biggest churches in Nigeria” list includes mostly large Pentecostal congregations (e.g., Redeemed Christian Church of God, The Synagogue Church of All Nations) but does not list the Catholic Church in Nigeria.
- Data from Open Doors International (September 2024) report lists approximately 27.94 million Catholics in Nigeria — corresponding to about 26.2% of the Christian‑population in Nigeria.
- According to the 2025 edition of the Pontifical Yearbook (via Nigerian‑press summary), Nigeria was estimated to have about 35 million Catholics.
- The Catholic Church in Nigeria is a large denomination, but the criteria for being “among the 30 largest churches” in those lists may revolve around physical attendance, building capacity, or weekly service size — categories where Pentecostal megachurches tend to dominate.
These figures show that the Catholic Church in Nigeria is numerically very large within the Christian population in Nigeria.
- Membership/size figures are often estimates, vary widely, and many are not independently verified.
- For some churches the founder or exact year founded is not clearly documented.
- Some numbers refer to auditorium capacities or weekly attendance rather than total membership.
- Denominations (like NBC, Assemblies of God) span many congregations and might not exactly match “mega-church” individual congregations
