Who would you guess is the pastor of the largest church in Europe? The rector of a soaring cathedral in England, the bishop of a historic diocese in Italy, or the pastor of a solid Lutheran church in Germany? None of the above. It is the Nigerian-born pastor of the independent charismatic God's Embassy in Kiev--with 25,000 members in the capital city and 100,000 members throughout Ukraine.
His name is Pastor Sunday Adelaja, and as he focuses on expansion in the U.S., he is the newest client of Rooftop MediaWorks.
Here's more information:
• Sunday Adaleja (pronounced add-Elijah) is using the one-year mark prior to the 2008 presidential elections to challenge the evangelical church in the U.S. into more enthusiastic involvement in the political process during this election cycle. He speaks from experience: No fewer than 600 parishioners from the membership of his Ukraine church ran for public office in the last elections. One is now the mayor of Kiev, a city of four million; another is chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ukraine.
• Adaleja’s church in the Ukraine was instrumental in national transformation by helping to spearhead a peaceful political and social revolution known as the “Orange Revolution” that changed the political landscape of Ukraine. In the 2004 Revolution, more than 4,000 Embassy of God members prayed and fasted in the 12-day standoff before the first presidential runoff was judged invalid. They also donated food, clothing, and tents to the thousands of demonstrators camped in Kiev's freezing Independence Square.
• In light of his involvement in confronting the corruption of the Russian-supported candidate in Ukraine and organizing his church in the Orange Revolution, Adelaja provides an expert perspective on the Russian election in December and on the machinations of President Putin.
• Church growth experts consider Adelaja’s Embassy of God to be one of the fastest-growing and most influential churches in the world. The local church in Kiev has 30,000 members, and there are some 600 affiliated churches in 30 countries, including the U.S.
Adaleja is announcing new endeavors in the U.S., including:
• God’s Embassy currently has 22 churches in the U.S., and is planning a major expansion next year.
• The Synergize! Pastors Conference on January 29-31, 2008 at Mount Paran Church in Atlanta will feature more than 35 renowned pastors and leaders, who will teach on strategies to build churches and reach unchurched people. The organizers say there are one billion Christians on earth today and have as their goal to bring the second billion to faith in Christ.
• A new book by Sunday Adelaja, Church Shift, will be released in the U.S. on February 8, 2008. This book is accompanied by a workbook that helps local churches affect society.
--Debbie Payton
