Resurrection stories are not new to the pulpit, but few are quite as theatrical as Pastor Idowu Iluyomade’s. Just months after his dramatic exit from the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the controversial clergyman (fondly called Pastor ID) has returned to centre stage with The Family Fellowship, a ministry that blends high society sparkle with Sunday morning solemnity.
Once the face of RCCG’s gilded City of David—its so-called “wealthiest parish”—Iluyomade was unceremoniously suspended in June 2024. The sin was timing.
His wife, Pastor (and style doyenne) Siju Iluyomade, celebrated her diamond jubilee in full Lagos splendour—live music, glitz, high-profile guests—barely a week after the tragic helicopter crash that claimed RCCG stalwart Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and a close friend. The optics were catastrophic. Condemnation was swift. Invitations to Wigwe’s funeral were conspicuously withheld. And soon after, the RCCG Governing Council took action.
Fast forward to 2025: the Iluyomades are not sulking in exile, they’re flourishing. The Family Fellowship, now housed at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, began as a modest gathering of 40 souls. Today, it boasts over 200 regulars and swells to 300 on good Sundays. The ministry’s pitch is clear: modern relevance meets timeless faith. Think powerful worship, celebrity gospel acts, and sermons that pepper Scripture with savvy references to LinkedIn, therapy, and tech startups.
Meanwhile, Pastor ID’s style is slick, personable, and punchy, particularly magnetic to the upwardly mobile crowd. His wife helms the outreach to women and families, leaning into her years as a voice for faith-based empowerment.
Is this merely reinvention or an audacious redemption arc? Perhaps both. Either way, the Iluyomades have done what many in Nigerian Christendom struggle to do: turn controversy into currency. Their new congregation is young, attentive, and, crucially, growing.
As the choir swells and the faithful rise, one thing is clear—Pastor ID hasn’t just bounced back. He’s bounced forward.
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