Mountain of Fire and Miracles
Encyclopedia
The Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) ministries is a Pentecostal organisation founded in Yaba
, Lagos
, Nigeria
in 1989, now with churches in several English-speaking and non-English speaking countries.
. As a church, it seeks to convert lost souls and reconcile them with their Creator by instilling in them a sense of prophecy
. By reminding mankind of their obligation to honor the Word and Power of God, MFM wishes to guide people with the aid of the Holy Spirit
.
After that meeting, the voice of providence kept calling for subsequent meetings. At these meetings, the power of God came down and verifiable miracles began to happen in the lives of the attending brethren. The power of God began to evangelise the prayer meetings and a spiritual explosion began with people coming from far and wide to seek the face of God.
With more and more people attending the prayer meetings, a larger location was required. The prayer meetings moved to #60, Old Yaba Road, Yaba, Lagos. Here, the teeming crowd of believers grew in even more amazing proportion necessitating yet another relocation.
The prayer group was offered and purchased an abandoned slum located at 13 Olasimbo Street, Onike, Yaba. It was a fairly large piece of land near the second gate of the University of Lagos. That slum has now been transformed into the International Headquarters of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries of which Dr. Olukoya is the General Overseer. The name “Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministries” was revealed to Daniel Olukoya during normal prayer and the church had its first service on April 24, 1994.
Even at the new location, believers and those seeking help kept coming leading to a very large congregation. This situation posed a challenge of crowd, growth and expansion management to the leadership of the church. Thus, under the direction of the Lord, MFM evolved a strategy of a network of branches in every state capital, local government headquarters, senatorial district and locality. Till this day and across the world, MFM branches spring up as one of the fastest growing churches of this generation. International church branches first started in London before spreading to the United States, Canada, the rest of Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. On every continent, MFM is profoundly visible and greatly impactful.
The General overseer, Daniel Olukoya describes MFM as "a do-it-yourself Gospel ministry where your hands are trained to wage war and your fingers to do battle, in prayers and supplication". This militant tone is reflected throughout the teachings of MFM, where it calls upon members to become "aggressive Christians,"and some of the groups founded by MFM such as the Prayer Warriors, Territorial Intercessors and God's Violent Army.
MFM Headquarters in Lagos claims to be the largest church in Africa, with "attendance of over 200,000 in single meetings."
Even in its US branches the group uses a worship style typical of a Nigerian church. Most women wear long skirts and everyone wears a hat or other head covers. The congregation often prays aloud together, all standing and using a voice louder than what most North American Christians are used to. Prayers tend to be repetitions of faith based claims, spiritual decrees, and commanding prayers often directly from scripture and with an emphasis on safety found in Jesus
. The practices are based on the same Biblical ideals advocated by traditional American Churches.
Yaba (Lagos)
Yaba is a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. Institutions of higher learning in the area include Queen's College, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, the Yaba College of Technology, Igbobi College, the University of Lagos, the Federal School Science and Technical College, and the Federal College of...
, Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 1989, now with churches in several English-speaking and non-English speaking countries.
Mission
The mission of MFM is to propagate the message of the Christian Scriptures around the world and to proclaim the salvation found in ChristChrist
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. As a church, it seeks to convert lost souls and reconcile them with their Creator by instilling in them a sense of prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
. By reminding mankind of their obligation to honor the Word and Power of God, MFM wishes to guide people with the aid of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
.
Foundation
Soon after completing his Ph.D. in the United Kingdom, and while working at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya (DKO) summoned a prayer meeting. This was on a Wednesday in 1989. Twenty-three brethren showed up at the meeting. The venue of that meeting was in the living room of Daniel Olukoya.After that meeting, the voice of providence kept calling for subsequent meetings. At these meetings, the power of God came down and verifiable miracles began to happen in the lives of the attending brethren. The power of God began to evangelise the prayer meetings and a spiritual explosion began with people coming from far and wide to seek the face of God.
With more and more people attending the prayer meetings, a larger location was required. The prayer meetings moved to #60, Old Yaba Road, Yaba, Lagos. Here, the teeming crowd of believers grew in even more amazing proportion necessitating yet another relocation.
The prayer group was offered and purchased an abandoned slum located at 13 Olasimbo Street, Onike, Yaba. It was a fairly large piece of land near the second gate of the University of Lagos. That slum has now been transformed into the International Headquarters of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries of which Dr. Olukoya is the General Overseer. The name “Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministries” was revealed to Daniel Olukoya during normal prayer and the church had its first service on April 24, 1994.
Even at the new location, believers and those seeking help kept coming leading to a very large congregation. This situation posed a challenge of crowd, growth and expansion management to the leadership of the church. Thus, under the direction of the Lord, MFM evolved a strategy of a network of branches in every state capital, local government headquarters, senatorial district and locality. Till this day and across the world, MFM branches spring up as one of the fastest growing churches of this generation. International church branches first started in London before spreading to the United States, Canada, the rest of Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. On every continent, MFM is profoundly visible and greatly impactful.
Beliefs
MFM is a Christian church. According to the group's literature, it is committed to "the Revival of Apostolic Signs, Holy Ghost fireworks and the unlimited demonstration of the power of God to deliver to the uttermost". As the name would imply, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries places a great emphasis on wonders, miracles and other Apostolic acts.The General overseer, Daniel Olukoya describes MFM as "a do-it-yourself Gospel ministry where your hands are trained to wage war and your fingers to do battle, in prayers and supplication". This militant tone is reflected throughout the teachings of MFM, where it calls upon members to become "aggressive Christians,"and some of the groups founded by MFM such as the Prayer Warriors, Territorial Intercessors and God's Violent Army.
MFM Headquarters in Lagos claims to be the largest church in Africa, with "attendance of over 200,000 in single meetings."
Even in its US branches the group uses a worship style typical of a Nigerian church. Most women wear long skirts and everyone wears a hat or other head covers. The congregation often prays aloud together, all standing and using a voice louder than what most North American Christians are used to. Prayers tend to be repetitions of faith based claims, spiritual decrees, and commanding prayers often directly from scripture and with an emphasis on safety found in Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. The practices are based on the same Biblical ideals advocated by traditional American Churches.