Benson Andrew Idahosa (11 September 1938 – 12 March 1998), was a Charismatic

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

preacher. He is the founder of Church of God Mission International, Archbishop Benson Idahosa was popularly referred to as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria. Idahosa was the founder of

Benson Idahosa University Benson Idahosa University (BIU) is a private, Christian university in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Previously named Christian Faith University (CFU), it was renamed in honor of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, a Charismatic Pentecostal minister ...

(BIU) in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

, Nigeria. His only son, Bishop F.E.B. Idahosa, is now the president of BIU, founder and president of Big Ben's Children Hospital, vice-president of All Nations for Christ Bible Institute International, among other positions.

Biography

In October 1968, Idahosa officially inaugurated the Church of God Mission International, which had started out previously, as a "small prayer group". A claim made by Idahosa that he had raised eight people from the dead was dropped when challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority, who sought evidence that the individuals concerned had in fact been dead. He was commissioned into ministry in 1971 by Pa Elton and James Gordon Lindsey. He was ordained a

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in 1981, and ordained several others, including Bishop

David Oyedepo David Olaniyi Oyedepo (born 27 September 1954) is a Nigerian preacher, Christian author, businessman, architect and the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. T ...

of the

Living Faith Church Worldwide Living Faith Church Worldwide (also known as Winners' Chapel) is an Evangelical charismatic Christian denomination and a megachurch. The headquarters is located in Ota, Nigeria. The organization has since become a global network of churches w ...

in 1989 Idahosa died on 12 March 1998. He was survived by his wife,

Margaret Idahosa Margaret Idahosa (born 29 July 1943) is a Nigerian preacher, author and the Archbishop of the Church of God Mission International. She is the first African female Archbishop. She is the wife of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa. She is the Cha ...

and four children. His wife subsequently took over as the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the Church of God Mission International (CGMI), the Christian ministry he founded, she is also the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

References

External links

Benson Idahosa video channel
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

* Founders of Church of God Mission, Worldwide. Available at https://web.archive.org/web/20080601025632/http://www.cgm-usa.org/ * Garlock, Ruthane (1982). Fire in his bones: The story of Benson Idahosa - A leader of the Christian awakening in Africa. Logos Associates,
Dictionary of African Christian
Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Idahosa, Benson 1938 births 1998 deaths Faith healers Nigerian evangelicals Nigerian Pentecostal pastors Nigerian religious leaders Nigerian television evangelists Oral Roberts University people