INTRODUCING R.P.M.
Chapter 1
Redeemed People’s Mission has its origins in a burden and vision given to Rev. N.C. Thompson by God. This burden led to his coming as a full-time evangelist, with a call to work in Northern Nigeria in 1973.
A Brief Historical Sketch of the Mission
1. The Free Gospel Society, an evangelistic association from Lagos planned and sponsored a city-wide crusade in Jos in October 1973. The co-ordinator of the crusade was Rev. N. C. Thompson. At the end of the crusade, the new converts were discipled and this group settled down as a non-denominational fellowship under the name of Free Gospel Society. Programmes of the group were Bible Studies and Prayer meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as non-denominational services which held every Sunday afternoon. Members were also engaged in “morning cries” from street to street, witnessing for the Lord. Street-corner evangelistic meetings held mainly on Saturday evenings.
2. Following the successful crusades held in Jos, Rev. Thompson and his team held other crusades in Bukuru, Pankshin, Lafia, Bauchi, Maiduguri, Gombe and Zaria between 1974 and 1975. Some of the groups started at various cities were however taken over by other Pentecostal groups.
3. Having suffered setbacks operating mainly as a non-denominational, evangelistic group, the Free Gospel Society in Jos thereafter decided to embark on church planting efforts in order to conserve the fruits of their labour. The existing group had their first Sunday morning worship service on the 18th of April 1976 at their newly constructed hall at Laranto area of Jos.
4. City-wide crusades held in Yola and Numan in the months of June and July 1976 gave birth to the churches established in these cities. Some members who moved from Numan to Jalingo started a new group there and asked the leadership in Jos for a pastor to nurture them.
5. Following the polygamous life of the leader in Lagos that developed from a secret way of life to an open affair, the key evangelists resigned en mass in 1977. The groups established by Rev. Thompson in the Northern part of the country then became a separate entity. On the 9th of July 1977, the group adopted the name “The Redeemed People’s Gospel Mission” with Rev. Thompson as the founder and General Superintendent. During the process of registration and incorporation of the ministry, the name of the Mission was modified to “Redeemed People’s Mission”, being its present name.
6. Under the new name, the Mission continued to organise crusades and plant churches in various towns and villages in Nigeria. The period 1978 to 1990 brought about the spread of Redeemed People’s Mission churches to several villages, towns and cities in many States of the Federation, mainly: Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Rivers States. In the early 1990s, further spread of the Mission brought the establishment of branch churches to Abia, Imo and Benue States. Several members of the Mission who had moved to Lagos and Abuja in search of greener pastures brought about the need to start churches in these important cities. Now, the Mission’s presence is already registered in both Lagos and a few locations in Abuja urban areas.
7. The Federal Government of Nigeria issued a Certificate of Incorporation to the Mission on the 7th of July 1984.
THE VISION:
The vision of Redeemed People’s Mission is incorporated in her motto “THE WHOLE WORD TO THE WHOLE WORLD”. In essence this means … Teaching and Preaching the whole counsel of God to the whole world, which includes: all races, tribes, men and women from all walks of life.
(a) R.P.M. will not emphasize one aspect of the word of God more than the other, or blow a doctrine out of proportion.
(b) R.P.M. will not allow any ethnic, racial, tribal or any other sentiment to guide her mission on earth.
(c) R.P.M. will strive to create an atmosphere where men and women, big or small; rich or poor; educated or illiterate will enjoy unencumbered love and mutual fellowship.
(d) R.P.M. will strive and aim at developing every man’s fullest potential in Christ.
STRUCTURE:
At the National level there are two main bodies.
1. The General Council:
The General Council is made up of the national officers of the Mission: The General Superintendent, the Trustees of the Mission, all District Superintendents, all District Secretaries, National Men and Sisters chairpersons and Secretaries, National Youth leader, National Sunday School Superintendent, Principal of Redeemed People’s Theological College, Mission’s Auditor, Financial Secretary; and other Ex-officio members appointed by the General Superintendent. The General Council is the highest policy or decision-making body of the R.P.M. The Chairman of the Council is the General Superintendent. For the time being the Council holds her meetings once every year.
2. The Central Executive Committee:
This is the executive arm of the General Council and it carries out the policies of the General Council. The General Superintendent is the Chairman of the C.E.C. The C.E.C. is accountable to the General Council and holds meetings thrice in a year.
At the District level there are two main bodies: the District Council and the District Executive Council.
The District Council:
The District Superintendent heads the District Council. Its executive arm is the District Executive Committee. Every branch of the Mission is represented in her District Council by the Pastor, the Chairman, the Secretary, Treasurer, Chairman of the Men’s Fellowship and the Chairperson of the Sisters’ Fellowship of the local Church.
At the Local Church Level we have the Local Church Committee.
Local Church Committee:
The Pastor is the Chief Accounting Officer. The Church Committee assists in the day to day running of the Church. The life span of the Committee is normally two years. A fresh selection of a new Committee is made in accordance with the Mission’s Hand Book.
HIGHLIGHT OF OPPORTUNITIES:
1. Every committed member of a local church has the opportunity of being in his Church Committee and to rise even up to the National level.
2. Every Pastor also has the opportunity of becoming a District Superintendent or higher as the offices are by appointment.
3. The Mission operates a system whereby all major segments of the church is duly represented in the Committee.
4. Ministries in the local church in R.P.M. are designed to provide for fellowship and corporate service. There are several ministries that must necessarily exit in every local Church:
Men’s Fellowship
Sisters’ Fellowship
Youth Fellowship
Sunday School Department and other specialised arms such as: Home Fellowship, Choir, Prayer groups, Children Ministry. As the need arises, each local Church can establish other ministering arms for specific purposes.
YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
This is a fellowship of all the young people in the Church. In this fellowship every one who sees himself as a youth is free to be a part. However, it is expected that people between the ages of 17 and 35 should necessarily be members.
In every Church there is need for youth fellowship and this fellowship must be a part of the National Youth Fellowship RENAYF. This fellowship provides a forum for a united, co-ordinated development of the young people for God’s service.
Their leaders are elected in close supervision of the Church Committee and run a term of not more than two years. Every youth, dedicated and committed to the Church has a chance of being a leader in the Youth Fellowship.
SISTERS’ FELLOWSHIP
This fellowship is open to every sister in the Church provided she is not below the age of 16 years. There is the need for every sister, whether married or unmarried, to belong. This fellowship provides a forum for fellowship, evangelism, social and spiritual education, thus providing our sisters with an opportunity to attain to all that God intends for them.
MEN’S FELLOWSHIP
The role of Men’s Fellowship are:
1. To mobilize the men to properly identify with the vision and mission of Redeemed People’s Mission.
2. To promote the spiritual, social and physical well being of the members.
3. To promote individual and corporate evangelism as well as missionary outreaches and supports.
4. To strengthen the faith of members in the Lord Jesus Christ and help them carry out their Christian responsibilities in their daily work, family and church life.
5. To provide an avenue for putting in their united strength and resources for effective contributions to the church.
6. To foster unity and friendliness between the fellowship and other such fellowships.
7. To explore and establish any profitable ventures for the promotion of activities of the Men’s Fellowship.
SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Sunday School Department aims at offering to every member balanced teaching of the Word of God and opportunity for service in the Body of Christ.
HOME FELLOWSHIP
Home fellowship attempts to take the church closer to the members living environment. It also creates an enabling environment for worship, exercise of love and care to every member and at the same time reaching out with the Gospel of Christ to their immediate neighbourhood.
OTHER SPECIALIZED GROUPS
These groups are groups that exist for one particular purpose or the other. Such groups include: Prayer group, Choir, Ushers, Counselling, Visitation or Follow-up groups, Evangelism group, Children Ministry, etc.
These groups are centres for the development of ministries, talents and callings apart from being ministries in themselves. Each member must seek God’s face and also enquire in order to belong to one or more of these groups. (Rom. 12:4-13; Eph.4:14,16).
This is because:
(a) We are called to be ministers and it is a privilege to be co-labourer with God.
(b) We grow by contributing, giving and serving. Eph. 4:16
(c) The groups create avenues for Christian service. Apart from these specialized groups, members of the Church are encouraged to take initiative to go into activities or duties that can enhance the co-operation and individual growth of the Church especially on personal evangelism.
Every member is expected to belong to and function in the Sunday School and the Home Fellowship.
Why does R.P.M. need all these?
1. To provide mutual fellowship based on shared expectation. Mal. 3:16-18
2. Evangelism could be carried out more successfully.
3. Issues affecting the Church and one another can be effectively handled, etc.
As part of belonging to the general fellowship or specialized ministry within the Church, members of R.P.M. are known for their love and care for one another. This love and care is demonstrated in:
(1) Visiting and praying with one another.
(2) Exchange of gifts in love.
(3) Aiding others when they are in need.
(4) Appreciative love and care for their ministers (pastors) and other leaders.
Ingredients that make for mutual fellowship and care among members include:
(1) Understanding that it was God who by his wisdom brought us together in fellowship and mission (Acts 2:47; Eph 4:1-6)
(2) Understanding that we need each other to develop the character of Christ (Eph.4:16).
(3) We have differing gifts and talents (Eph. 4:7; Rom. 12:3-5)
(4) Attitude of forgiveness (Eph. 4:32)
(5) Honesty in speech and trustworthiness in character (Eph. 4:25-29)
(6) Wholesome words or messages from the pulpit (Eph. 4:12-14) or teaching and preaching to members.
(7) Humility and discarding the spirit of inferiority complex, so that the highly placed and the lowly can meet together. (Rom. 12:13,16; 2 Tim. 1:7).
May God help us to maintain these.
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