Pastor Agu Irukwu becomes new Churches Together in England Pentecostal President

02 November 2017

Pentecostal members of Churches Together in England have elected Pastor Agu Irukwu as the next Pentecostal President. A law graduate of the University of Warwick, a barrister and former investment banker, Pastor Agu is national leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the UK, and Senior Pastor of Jesus House, London. Pastor Agu becomes only the second person to serve in this position following Bishop Eric Brown who was first elected Pentecostal President in 2013.

CTE Presidents provide spiritual leadership to the national ecumenical movement that facilitates closer working together by the churches in England. The Pentecostal President is part of a six-member presidium representing the breadth of English Christianity, these are: Bishop Angaelos, the Revd Canon Billy Kennedy, the Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Justin Welby.

In welcoming the new President, the Revd Dr David Cornick, General Secretary of CTE said, 'We are delighted to welcome Pastor Agu as our Pentecostal President and look forward to working with him to build on the foundations so ably laid by our first Pentecostal President, Bishop Eric Brown.'

The new Pentecostal President signed a joint covenant at a meeting of CTE presidents and national church leaders on 24 October 2017 at Lambeth Palace. The covenant commits the presidents to 'pray to God to lead us, with all our sisters and brothers in Christ, towards communion in faith, life and witness; so that, united in one body by the one Spirit, we may together witness to the perfect unity of his love'.

Commenting on his appointment Pastor Agu said, 'I consider it an honour and a privilege to serve as one of the six presidents of Churches Together in England. As the Pentecostal President, I have tremendous regard for the five other presidents most of them I know personally and are people whose ministries and lives I have admired. I am hoping that I can bring whatever graces God has given to me to bear as we serve the church in what I consider exciting times. Exciting because in spite of negative news that all abounds, I see tremendous opportunity for the church. I am believing that as we serve we will play our part in bringing to pass the revival that we so earnestly desire for this nation'.

The Pentecostal President’s term will run from October 2017 to September 2021.