The Divine Journey of Benson Andrew Idahosa and the Birth of Church of God Mission International narrated with inspiration.
Every significant ministry on Earth begins with God's interaction with an individual. The Church of God Mission International (CGMI) was founded through divine guidance given to Benson Andrew Idahosa, a revered man of God. The Holy Spirit instructed him to "Raise an army for me, to go with the gospel to all nations. Gather together those whom I have called and I will send them with the fire of my Spirit. Give my word and your example to many who will go to teach, preach and heal."
Benson Andrew Idahosa was born in Benin City on September 11, 1938, into the Idahosa – Ezomo family. As a sickly child who frequently fainted, his father instructed his mother to discard him, and at eighteen months old, he was abandoned on a rubbish heap to die. Rejected by his father, young Benson was sent to work on a farm and denied formal education until he was fourteen. Despite these hardships, he pursued correspondence courses from Britain and the United States while working as a salesman at Bata Shoe Company.
On January 1, 1960, Benson Idahosa experienced a life-changing moment when he was born again at an Assemblies of God Church in Benin City, Nigeria. Fueled by his newfound faith and desire to serve God, he founded a prayer group named Calvary Fellowship in 1962. This fellowship, which began with passionate young believers meeting for prayer and Bible study, eventually evolved into the Church of God Mission International. Meetings were initially held at a shop on Ivbizua Street, Benin City. The fellowship was officially inaugurated in 1965 by Rev. Edgar Perkins, a missionary to Nigeria.
On October 26, 1968, Rev. Perkins requested that the Assemblies of God release Benson Idahosa to lead the prayer ministry as an autonomous entity. Following his release, Pastor Benson Idahosa was anointed by Rev. Perkins, and the Church of God Mission International was officially established. Starting with just seven adults and five children at No. 26 Forestry Road in Benin City, the church's membership rapidly grew. This growth led to the construction of the first church building, the Iyaro Church, a 500-capacity auditorium completed in 1972. This building, rare among Pentecostal churches at the time, was dedicated by Rev. Gordon Lindsay and Pa S.G. Elton. The Iyaro Church, also known as 'The Mother Church,' still stands today and was renovated and rededicated by Archbishop Margaret Idahosa in June 2019.
As the church continued to expand, another headquarters was built to accommodate the increasing number of converts. The Historic (Faith) Miracle Centre on Airport Road, with a seating capacity of 4,000, was completed in 1975. In 1983, while in Australia, Archbishop Benson Idahosa felt called by God to construct a building that would bring honor and glory to His name. This led to the creation of Faith Arena, a dome-shaped auditorium with a seating capacity between 7,000 and 10,000. Upon its dedication on November 2, 1986, Faith Arena was the largest church building in Africa.
Coinciding with the growth of CGMI Churches in Benin City was the planting of branches across Nigeria. Evangelism is the primary ministry of the Church of God Mission International, her motto is ‘Evangelism, Our Supreme Task.’ Church of God Mission International engaged in street evangelism and open-air crusades. Through these activities, several souls were added to the Church and other branches were planted across Nigeria. Church of God Mission International was the first Church to plant branches in every state in Nigeria. A powerful crusade in Ghana in 1977 saw the Church expand outside the shores of Nigeria. By the time of Archbishop Benson Idahosa’s consecration as the first Pentecostal Archbishop in Africa in 1981, CGMI had planted over 650 branches within ten African countries with 11 of those branches in Benin City alone. At the time of the Archbishop’s coronation in 1998, the Church of God Mission had over 6,000 branches across the world. In 2018 at the 50th Anniversary of the Church, it was announced that Church of God Mission International had over one thousand branches.
Church of God Mission International led by Archbishop Benson Idahosa started the trend of ‘Reverse Missions’ which is Churches from Nigeria sending missionaries to countries which had brought the gospel to Africa originally. Today, Church of God Mission International (CGMI) still has presence in at least three continents outside Africa – Asia, Europe and North America.
Sources:
Church of God Mission International Global Website
The All Nations For Christ Bible Institute International (ANFCBII) Website
Church Gist Archives (churchgist.org)
The Man of Fire: The Life Story of Benson Idahosa by Oke Joshua O.
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