Lazarus Muoka Biography, Early Life, Ministry, Lord’s Chosen, Public Criticism and Legacy

Lazarus Muoka

Lazarus Muoka is a Nigerian pastor, minister, and author best known as the founder and General Overseer of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries. His church’s official site says the ministry began after what it describes as a divine call and formally started in Lagos on 23 December 2002.

Early Life and Background

Public biographies say Lazarus Muoka was born in Imo State, Nigeria, and was raised in a Catholic family. Sources differ on the exact presentation of his hometown, but they consistently link him to Mgbidi and the Orsu Orlu area of Imo State. Tribune also reported that he was born on 5 July 1952, though that specific date is not stated on the official church site.

He completed his primary and secondary education in Imo State before relocating to Lagos in 1975. Public profiles say that after moving to Lagos, he worked for a company for some time and later became a motor parts dealer before fully moving into ministry.

Call to Ministry

Public biographies say Muoka believed he received a strong spiritual call after a series of dreams and revelations, which later led him to leave the church where he had been serving and begin his own ministry. The official church history frames the beginning of The Lord’s Chosen as a response to that divine call.

Beginning of The Lord’s Chosen

According to the church’s official history, Muoka gathered followers at No. 16 Odunaike Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos, on 23 December 2002 and declared the calling of God upon his life. The church says its mission is built around a threefold vision and a 10 billion soul mandate, with emphasis on revival, apostolic Christian experience, and what it calls heavenly consciousness.

Ministry and Influence

The Lord’s Chosen presents itself as a revival ministry with a strong emphasis on salvation, holiness, healing, deliverance, and miracles. Over the years, Muoka became widely known through large crusades, revival gatherings, and the church’s public testimonies, which helped make the ministry one of the better known Pentecostal style movements in Nigeria.

Books and Teaching

Apart from preaching, Muoka is also known as an author. Public biographies list some of his books as How God Called Me, Mark My Words, And Ye Shall Receive Power, Ye Must Be Born Again, and Christianity: A Better and Pure Religion.

Personal Life

Public sources identify Joy Muoka as his wife, and church materials also referred to her as Mummy Joy Muoka. In 2023, The Guardian reported that Joy Muoka died, making her death one of the most publicly discussed personal moments in Lazarus Muoka’s life.

Public Criticism and Controversies

Muoka and The Lord’s Chosen drew major public attention in 2024 after viral videos of unusual member testimonies spread widely online. In response, the church, according to Premium Times, said it rejected any testimony that was misleading, unreasonable, or capable of bringing disrepute to Christ, which showed that even the church leadership recognized the scale of the backlash.

He also faced criticism in October 2024 after Punch reported his warning to social media critic VeryDarkMan, including the statement that “If God’s anointed gets angry with you, you are finished.” That remark deepened public debate around his church, its miracle culture, and how critics were being addressed.

Legacy

Lazarus Muoka is remembered as the man who built The Lord’s Chosen from a small Lagos gathering into a prominent Nigerian revival ministry. His legacy is tied to mass evangelism, miracle centered preaching, holiness teaching, and the large following of his church. At the same time, his public image has also been shaped by debates around controversial testimonies and the strong language sometimes associated with defending the ministry.

Sources: The Lord’s Chosen official church history, Nigerian Tribune, Punch, Premium Times, The Guardian, and the Lazarus Muoka biography page on Wikipedia.