The Ark
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The Ark at Canaanland in late afternoon light, its roof rising over the trees of Ota.

The Ark

A house of worship for 109,000 people, beside Faith Tabernacle at Canaanland, Ota.

Dedication expected on Saturday 27 November 2027

The Ark beside Faith Tabernacle at Canaanland, seen from the air in late afternoon light.

Beside Faith Tabernacle

Faith Tabernacle has seated 50,000 people since 1999. The Ark, rising beside it at Canaanland, seats 109,000.

The oval Ark construction site beside the red-roofed Faith Tabernacle.
The two buildings before the Ark had its roof. Photo: WSDG
The entrance mast rising over a boat-shaped garden in front of the Ark.

“This is a Tabernacle of rescue after the order of Noah, to preserve the generation of believers.”

Bishop David Oyedepo, on the name, March 2021

Bishop David Oyedepo preaching, microphone in hand.
Bishop David Oyedepo. Photo: Living Faith Media

A mast at the entrance

At the entrance, the 2021 design sets a tall white mast over a garden shaped like a boat.

Close view of the diamond lattice of blue and green glass on the outside wall.

A woven skin

In the 2021 design, the walls are a lattice of diamonds filled with blue and green glass. From the plaza it reads like basketwork around the bowl.

The 2021 design render of the Ark: an oval wall of blue, green and white diamond panels, a panelled roof lettered THE ARK, the entrance mast and gardens, marked © Living Faith Church Worldwide 2021.
The 2021 design render, marked © Living Faith Church Worldwide 2021.
The two round Mission Towers on one side of the oval, with helipads on top.

Two Mission Towers

Two round towers stand near the middle of the oval's long east side, joined to the bowl, with a gap between them.

Twin concrete Mission Towers with horizontal slab bands and a central gap.
The towers in concrete. Photo: WSDG

Rising floor by floor

The church's film of the build marks the sixth tower floor in June 2022, the eighth in January 2023 and the twelfth, the roof slab, in October 2023.

The two round Mission Towers in this site's 3D model, their glass floors stacked one above another beside the lattice wall.
The two Mission Towers.

Twelve floors and a helipad

The 2021 plan gave each tower twelve floors, and the design puts a helipad on each roof.

One bar for each floor, two towers of twelve, as planned in 2021.
The roof from above: pale panels, a red band with THE ARK in white, and a round lantern.

318m

One roof over the whole bowl.

Open to the sky, then covered

The bowl stood open while its tiers went up. Roofing was reported under way in November 2025.

The Ark's open concrete bowl and its two towers, before the roof.
The open bowl, before the roof. Photo: @iamgbolahan on Facebook, via K24 Digital
Inside the bowl: four tiers of red seats around the floor, under a ring of screens.

Seats, not benches

Four tiers rise around an oval floor. The Bishop said in August 2026 that every place is an individual seat.

Tiered concrete seating, radial aisles and the central auditorium floor.
The tiers in concrete. Photo: WSDG

A screen all the way round

The acoustics consultant's drawings hang an oval ring of LED screens over the floor, with ribbon screens on the balconies. Its project page gives more than 7,000 square metres of screen.

A house for all nations

About 177 nations tune in to Shiloh each December. In the Ark, their flags fly all the way round.

The Ark cut in half to show its four tiers and concourse floors in section.

What moves 109,000 people

126escalators

More than one for every thousand seats.

Illustration: four escalators side by side rising to an upper concourse in a bright, curved hall, a lattice of blue and green glass behind and a few people walking.

29elevators

About one for every 3,800 seats.

Illustration: three glass lift cars at different heights on exposed rails in a tall atrium ringed by curved balconies.

20chillers

Central air conditioning for the whole bowl.

Illustration: a row of large air-cooled chiller units with round fans on a flat roof deck, insulated pipes in front and a pale curved roof beyond.
The Ark part built in concrete, with cranes on a red-earth site.

From a call to a roof

Forty-six years, from a mandate in 1981 to a dedication expected in 2027.

Faith Tabernacle on 21 March 2021, the day the Ark was unveiled. Video: Living Faith Church Worldwide

1981

A call, then a church

On 2 May 1981, in a hotel room in Ilesa, David Oyedepo received a mandate to liberate people through the word of faith. The first Living Faith church opened in Ungwan Rimi, Kaduna, on 11 December 1983.

Satellite view of the land at Ota in 1987: green cover cut by a road, a few clearings beside it and small white clouds.
The land at Ota that became Canaanland, seen by Landsat in February 1987: mostly green cover, with a road and a few clearings beside it. Image: USGS, public domain

1997

Canaanland and Faith Tabernacle

The Bishop chose this land at Ota in January 1997: 530 acres. Faith Tabernacle was built here in a year and dedicated on 18 September 1999, with 50,000 seats.

One dot for each of the 530 acres

2015

Giving, then a pause

Money was set aside for a bigger auditorium. In 2017 the Bishop felt led to keep it quiet for a season and wait for God's direction.

A 2015 visualisation of an earlier design for the auditorium.
Design visualisation, 2015

25 Mar 2021

Foundation laid

The project is named the Ark.

Jun 2022

Rising in concrete

The frame climbs floor by floor.

Four tiers of seating

The bowl and both towers at full height.

The two round Mission Towers beside the concrete auditorium bowl.
WSDG, undated

Nov 2025

The roof goes on

Roofing begins over the bowl.

Sep 2026

Finishing inside

Final installations and finishing work go on inside, with all 109,000 seats bought.

2027

Dedication

Expected date, November 2027.

The Ark and Faith Tabernacle side by side from high above.

More than twice the seats

50,000 Faith Tabernacle
109,000 The Ark

One dot for every 1,000 seats.

Bishop Oyedepo preaching to a packed Faith Tabernacle, hands raised across the hall.
A full Faith Tabernacle. Photo: Living Faith Media
The Ark at golden hour.

Watch it rise

A drone tour, a documentary and site visits, from independent channels.

Canaanland from above: the Ark, Faith Tabernacle and the roads around them.

Come to Canaanland

The gate at Canaanland, with cars and people passing.
Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland
Km 10, Idiroko Road, Ota, Ogun State
  • Sunday services6:00, 7:55 and 9:50 am
  • Wednesday communion6:00 to 8:00 pm, at Lagos and Ota centres
Get directions +234 708 063 8000

Times as published by the church in 2024; check before you travel. Until the dedication, services are held in Faith Tabernacle.

The Ark at dusk, its lattice glowing from inside.

The dedication

Saturday 27 November 2027

Inside the Ark: four tiers of red seats around the floor, all empty, under a blue ring of screens lettered THE ARK.
109,000 seats, waiting for the first service.
  • 6:00 am Gates open at Canaanland
  • 10:00 am Dedication service, led by Bishop David Oyedepo
  • December Shiloh, the church's yearly convention, in the Ark

“The Ark shall remain a Sanctuary of Jesus for ever.”

Bishop David Oyedepo, 2021
The Ark at dusk, its lattice glowing from inside.

Come and see it

Canaanland, Ota. The dedication is expected on Saturday 27 November 2027.

Plan a visit

Take part

  • Worship at Canaanland

    Sunday services and Shiloh, each December, are held at Faith Tabernacle until the Ark opens.

    Plan a visit

  • Give through the church

    Use the church's own giving platform. Be wary of anyone sharing private account numbers for the Ark.

    Open the giving platform

  • Share the Ark

    Send this page to someone who should see it.

Questions

When will the Ark be dedicated?

In October 2026 the Bishop said it would be next year. This site expects Saturday 27 November 2027, the weekend before Shiloh, until the church confirms a day. The first date, 29 November 2025, was moved to finish critical installations.

How many people does it seat?

109,000 in the main bowl, every one an individual seat. With its other halls, the whole building can hold more than 150,000 people.

Can I visit the Ark?

Not yet. It is still being fitted out. Worship at Faith Tabernacle next door, and contact the church before you travel.

Who designed it?

Lead architect Gbenga Alalade, with drawings by Covenant University's Department of Architecture. WSDG advised on acoustics and the screens.

How was it paid for?

Through the church's own giving, set aside since 2015. In August 2026 the Bishop said everything on site was paid for.