Our History — From Genesis to Exodus
Drawn from founding accounts published in The Drill Magazine, Vol. 2.
Founded 2007 · First commissioning August 3, 2007
RCI's story began at Redemption City of God, where a small team of cadets gathered under an early chaplaincy training initiative. On 3 August 2007, sixty-seven cadet officers were commissioned — under a torrential downpour that became something of a tradition at RCI commissioning ceremonies.
Shortly after that first commissioning, the founding team discovered the organization that had facilitated their training was not formally registered. Rather than align with an outside chaplaincy group, officers petitioned RCCG leadership for permission to register a chaplaincy organization within the Mission itself. After roughly six months, approval came — and with it the name The Redemption Chaplaincy International, chosen to include every RCCG member who might wish to join, in Nigeria or abroad.
Volunteer officers handled registration, formed an operational executive council, and took on the harmonisation of pastors who had trained in other chaplaincy organizations — work approved and supported by Mission leadership. Early growth involved investing in senior pastors across Nigeria to build wide acceptability, funded largely by personal sacrifice from founding commanders.
Growth was not without scrutiny — including a formal audit from RCCG's Mission Audit department. The audit team concluded they were impressed by RCI's record-keeping despite having been given no funding to review.
A youth wing — the "Yankees" — was introduced through private sponsorship that funded the first cohorts. An internal disciplinary and protocol arm, the "Chapol," was also established, functioning much like a military police unit within the corps.
Today, RCI operates across national divisions with memberships on record — organized into brigades, battalions, and wings that mirror RCCG's regional map. The organization is working toward an academy offering Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma certificates in Chaplaincy, alongside online training. Training fees are synced from Admin → Payment Config and published on the Programs and Joining pages.