Pastor Idowu Iluyomade Talks About The RCCG Dating Site – ConnectNow

Dating sites are controversial enough.
Now, imagine a dating site  being powered by a church and sanctioned by a pastor.

That was indeed the case for the Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG) when Pastor Idowu Iluyomade launched a website to connect the singles in the Christendom to each other.

Who is Pastor Idowu Iluyomade?

Pastor Idowu is a senior pastor in charge of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Region 20. He also serves as a special assistant to the RCCG general overseer. Besides his pastoral duties, he is a lawyer by profession and a philanthropist.

He is also married to fellow lawyer and pastor Siju Iluyomade.

In 2021, the news broke out that a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the City of David Parish were set to create a website so that some single members of his church can connect and interact with each other easily more importantly because they share the same faith, morals and ideals.

The App which was officially launched and open in 2022 is called ConnectNow.

The app is not for people who aren’t ready to get married. This is not an app for people who are dating for dating sake. You have to be intentional about getting married to the person if you find out that they are your match. This is more like a “courtship app” because it speeds up the normal process of dating.

The church also reported that they will not be held responsible for the background of the intended suitor or partner you meet in the dating app. As a single Christian joining the platform, it’s on you to do a thorough background check on the person you meet on the dating app before physically seeing them.

In their now words, they boldly stated on the website

“The Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David Parish, makes no representation or warranty and expressly disclaims any and all liability concerning damages sustained by any registrant as a result of connecting with anyone on this platform.”

Requirements to become a participant of this dating App includes your personal phone number, your email address, the names of your pastors and their churches. These are all information that will be made extremely private.

Pastor Idowu’s Take On The Dating App

The news of this dating all was received with equal parts acceptance and defiance. Some religious extremists felt it was a deviation for the high moral grounds of Christianity and because of that Pastor Idowu received some backlash:

He however explained that the main aim of the site was to help Christians who have been single for a while find fellow Christian’s and make them their life partners.

It is a form of support and help to them so that they can make the right decisions when choosing a partner they want to spend the rest of their lives with.

He said

“It is not a dating site as the world knows it, but a faith-driven interactive community of mature believers, who are connecting with one another with a view to building enduring and fruitful Christian relationships.“

The church also has provision for pre marriage counseling to help indecisive partners make permanent decisions.

The final take form the church is that if the people who come on the dating site and serious minded people and already know what they’re looking out for in a partner, then the probability of finding a successful match and having a great marital life is greatly enhanced. This is what the ConnectNow Dating site wishes to fill.