Won’t God Do It: Glory Okoli

Glory’s parents grew up in Nigeria, and his father moved to Germany in 1993 to pursue a master’s degree in engineering. His mother joined him a few years later, and Glory was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, on February 3, 2000. They stayed in Germany until 2003, and then his family moved to Seattle, Washington, where he spent the majority of his childhood.

His parents were Christian leaders in Nigeria in a Christian organization known as Charismatic Renewal Ministries (CRM). In 2006, they planted a small church in Seattle known as Seattle Christian Center, which is still around to this day.

Glory grew up in the church. He played drums, and he was there Wednesdays for Bible study, Fridays for prayer meetings, and Sundays for service. His family would be the first to come and the last to leave.

Glory has an older sister named Miracle and a younger sister named Praise.

During his childhood, Glory didn’t feel the necessity of a holistic commitment to Christianity. He believed that if he behaved well, went to church, and eventually got a good job, he would be happy and satisfied with life. In 2020, he experienced a spiritual awakening. Glory became aware of the reality of his sin and the reality of God’s grace. During COVID, he began leading Bible studies with his friends, and that’s when he and others noticed a gift for teaching the Scriptures.

Glory attended Fresno State to major in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and a certificate in Data Analytics. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2022.

After college, Glory moved to Denver, Colorado, where he spent two years working in corporate healthcare at DaVita Kidney Care, a multinational dialysis corporation. While he was there, he also helped lead a small group at his local church, and everyone who attended the small group told him that he had a pastoral gift.

His family moved to Inglewood, California, by God’s leading in the fall of 2024, and he joined them and enrolled in seminary. Today, Glory is in the process of getting his Master of Divinity at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, and he is hoping to either take on the pastorate of a church or plant a church after he has graduated.