This ministry started in the first week of July 1990 with some foundational meetings in prayers and the scriptures with a few brothers and sisters in attendance. Shortly before then, the Lord had been dealing with His son and servant Rev. Emmanuel Olorundare Adedayo-Oset in visitations and clear convictions on the need to move to another phase of ministry. Up till that time, he had been involved in diverse ministrations in churches, fellowship groups from secondary school to the tertiary level.

An initial group made up of a couple of brethren had been praying in order that what God was leading his servant to do might be established on a solid spiritual footing. Soon after the prayer meetings/Bible teachings started, news filtered all around the Ilorin metropolis concerning the new move. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, Christians began to gather for fellowship at the Reverend’s apartment then located off Unity Road. By the third successive house fellowship meeting, it became clear that a bigger venue had to be sought. The Lord graciously provided a suitable location at 143, Ibrahim Taiwo Road. The first Sunday service took place on the 29th of July, 1990 with 59 people in attendance. By the second Sunday, the number had virtually doubled. From these little but profound beginnings, the good Lord has since blessed our efforts such that today Canaan Ministries has become a well established spiritual institution with impact in diverse areas ministerially and geographically.

By the leading of the Lord, Canaan Ministries was not commissioned to have a multiplicity of branches. Nevertheless there are branches in a number of cities outside Ilorin (Kwara State) and it is a formally registered ministerial entity in the state of Maryland (USA).

DOCTRINAL FOUNDATIONS

We believe:
• In one God manifested in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• That the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High is the only Redeemer whom the Father sent to be the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the whole world.
• There is salvation in no other than the Lord Jesus.
• That He came in the flesh, paid the penalty for the sins of humanity and destroyed all the works of the devil.
• That the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of God and constitutes the final authority in terms of revelation that God has given to humanity.
• In the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues as God’s device to empower His people for life and service.
• In water baptism for those who have identified with Jesus in salvation.
• In practical Biblical holiness for without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12).
• In one body of Christ made up of all the redeemed of the Lord universally.
• That Christian character and charisma combined constitutes the core of the redeemed life.
• The Holy Spirit is presently grooming and training the army of the Lord that must manifest as the glorious church in these last times.

Finally, we believe in every teaching of the scriptures that can be ratified with at least two or three references in the context of the Old and the New Testament – particularly the latter.