'I Didn't Plan To Lead A Church, I Wanted To Be A Lawyer...'

It’s been an unexpected journey from law to church leadership for Agu Irukwu, but the Nigerian is rapidly establishing himself as one of Britain’s most influential pastors. Peter Wooding met him

- Agu Irukwu

Less than 65 years old, the Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of the fastest growing denominations in the world with a remarkable 600+ churches in the UK alone.

Their Festival of Life prayer gathering attracts a whopping 45,000 Christians every year and even caught the attention of a Prime Minister, David Cameron, who was a guest speaker in 2015.

But that is dwarfed by the movement’s monthly all-night miracle services in Nigeria, which attract an average congregation of half a million people!

The man in charge of the British operation of RCCG is someone who had no intention of being in Christian ministry. In fact, when Agu Irukwu first came to the UK from his home country, Nigeria, he dreamed of becoming a top lawyer.

But today, as well as leading a thriving church at Brent Cross, Jesus House, whose glamorous glass building just off junction One of the M1 is hard to miss – Pastor Agu is one of Britain’s most recognised leaders.

“Leading Jesus House in London didn’t happen in such a planned way,” he says, smiling.

“I trained as a lawyer primarily because 90 per cent of my family are lawyers, so it was the kind of thing you just went ahead and did.”

A seminal moment in Agu’s life came when he gave his life to Christ at a RCCG service in Lagos in 1991. He had grown up in a Christian family but knew this was the moment he had to take God seriously. And while trying to run a law practice he found himself feeling a stronger call to church ministry.

“When I became a serious Christian I got very involved in church,” he says. “I found that I was spending more and more time doing things related to the church and less and less time doing the legal stuff and chasing after briefs.”