For years, work has been ongoing on the Canaanland estate in Ota, Ogun State. Now, newly released drone footage offers the most detailed public glimpse yet of The Ark, a colossal worship auditorium being constructed by Bishop David Oyedepo’s Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel.
The footage reveals an enormous structure still taking shape in steel and concrete, a project that, once finished, will set new standards for mega-church infrastructure across Africa.
Why It Is Being Built
The Ark aims to replace the existing Faith Tabernacle, the primary worship centre at Canaanland, completed in 1999 with a seating capacity of 50,000. For over twenty years, the Faith Tabernacle was regarded as one of the largest single church auditoriums worldwide. The Ark is planned to more than double that capacity, becoming the principal worship centre for the church’s global congregation. 
Construction started in 2021. Bishop Oyedepo, leader of Living Faith Church since 1981, positions this project as the next major phase of the church’s expansion, not merely in size but also in infrastructure to support and serve a congregation of this magnitude.
SEE ALSO: Church Money! Meet the 7 Richest African Pastors
The Numbers
The Ark is designed to accommodate 109,345 worshippers in a single service. The surrounding infrastructure reflects the logistical challenges of moving, serving, and supporting such a vast crowd simultaneously.
The complex will have more than 1,200 toilets, a large dedicated children’s church section and 129 escalators, lifts and travelators on multiple floors to facilitate crowd movement efficiently. Power will be supplied by a specialised system of 32 transformers specially designed to meet the energy needs of the auditorium.
The total cost of the project is estimated at about $200 million, which is equivalent to roughly N272 billion at current exchange rates.
SEE ALSO: Sport Betting: The Strange Case of Oyedepo Arguing Against Himself
The Significance
The Faith Tabernacle, which The Ark is set to replace, gained international attention upon its completion in the late 1990s. The Ark is expected to establish a new benchmark (both in Africa and worldwide) for faith-based infrastructure financed independently of government funding.
Living Faith Church is a self-funded organisation. The project is financed entirely through the church’s own resources, adding a dimension that extends beyond architectural ambition. For members and supporters, The Ark stands as a tangible testament to what the church has cultivated over more than four decades.
About The Author
