Joshua
TalenaKnown as Apostle Joshua Talena
Raised in army barracks in Maiduguri, Apostle Joshua Talena went on to build one of Abuja’s best-known Pentecostal churches. He founded The Shepherd’s House Assembly International in Jos in June 1997, moved it to Abuja in 2009, and now preaches to crowds in Nigeria and Ghana and to more than 570,000 followers on Facebook. This Joshua Talena biography covers his roots, his years under Abel Damina, his church, his wife Jackie, the 2021 Idahosa video row and what he has been doing in 2026.
| Nationality | Nigerian |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Pastor, Author, Televangelist |
| Birthday | January 8 |
| Birthplace | Maiduguri, Borno State |
| State of Origin | Borno State |
| Church | The Shepherd's House Assembly International (founded 1997) |
| Headquarters | Apo Resettlement, Abuja |
| TV Programme | The Shepherd's Touch |
| Wife | Rev. Jackie Talena |
Biography
Joshua Talena was born on January 8 in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, according to Believers Portal. His father was a soldier, so he grew up in army barracks among families from every part of Nigeria. “We have a way of blending in the barracks, and that was why I have a good foundation to be a good Nigerian,” he told Believers Portal.
That northern upbringing shaped his early church work. He served as Northern youth leader of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and he was one of the pioneer members of the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the North.
Ministry and Career
The call to preach
He dates his call to two days. On December 21, 1992, he says, God told him, “Feed my sheep; they are hungry.” On January 1, 1993, he says he received a second charge from Isaiah 61, but was told to stay where he was until the right time, according to ODM Daily.
Under Abel Damina in Uyo and Jos
Before starting his own church, Talena trained under Pastor Abel Damina at Power City International in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he was a resident pastor. In 1994, he moved to Jos, Plateau State, to open a branch for that ministry.
In 1996, he says, God showed him that he was “preparing me to step aside to be a front-liner, a ground breaker”, according to the church history published by Believers Portal.
Founding The Shepherd’s House
In June 1997, he started his own church in Jos. It was first called Agape Power Assembly, but the second name soon took over. “Shepherd’s House became a dominant name which swallowed the Agape Power Assembly,” the church history says. The church stayed in Jos until 2009, when it moved its international headquarters to Abuja.
Today, the headquarters sits in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja, with branches in several other states. The church’s motto is “Reaching the Unreached, Building the Reached”, and its main services hold on Sundays at 8 a.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Talena hosts The Shepherd’s Touch on television and has written several Christian books.
Preaching in Ghana
Talena has become a regular guest at Peace Keepers Assembly in Accra. He spoke at its “Apostolic Invasion” on August 4, 2023, according to MyJoyOnline. He returned for the church’s SOAR 2024 meeting on August 22 and 23, 2024, and headlined a one-night revival called “The Father’s Blessing” in Accra on February 13, 2025, according to Modern Ghana.
Sermons on Nigeria’s hardship
In January 2024, he warned his Abuja congregation to pray hard about the year ahead. “We need help from God; your income and expertise are not enough for what I see ahead for Nigeria,” he said, according to Peoples Gazette on January 21, 2024. He pointed to kidnappings in Abuja and told members that “the oil of God” would give them “the capacity to overcome”.
In one widely shared sermon clip, he told his church about a robbery at his office. “About 11 of them, four guns on my head,” he said. He said he refused to lie down when they ordered him to, and that after an hour they gave up, telling him, “Okay pastor, we respect you.”
2025 and 2026
The church hosted an eight-day Apostolic Invasion in Abuja from November 16 to 23, 2025, with gospel singers Sinach and Chioma Jesus at a concert on November 22, according to ODM Daily.
On August 2, 2026, the church hosted a Sunday service themed “Voice of Influence” with Talena and Pastor Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, the church said on Instagram. On October 28, 2026, the church opened registration for its Apostolic Invasion and Leadership Summit 2026. “He is the God who moves you from limitation to enlargement,” the church wrote in the announcement.
Controversies and Disputes
The Idahosa video (June 2021)
In June 2021, a clip of a Talena sermon went viral. In it, he told the story of a man of God who said his dead mother could not die “because God didn’t tell me”, kept her body on his bed for ten days and raised her on his return. “That man raises dead like drinking coke,” Talena said in the clip. Many viewers took the story to be about Archbishop Benson Idahosa.
Church of God Mission International, the church Idahosa founded, quickly put out a disclaimer. It said Idahosa never told such a story “not to his close allies nor his family members”, and that it was not in any of his books or messages, according to WithinNigeria on June 25, 2021.
Talena answered the same day. “I DID NOT say it was Benson Idahosa,” he said in a statement. “The video of it that was earlier publicised was edited to damage my integrity.” He said he had heard the testimony “from a credible and trusted source” and asked the public to “disregard the publication against my person”.
Wife and Children
Talena is married to Rev. Jackie Talena, who also pastors at The Shepherd’s House. In March 2024, she opened a bakery on the church premises in Abuja called Shepherd’s Sure Bread, with its products listed by NAFDAC, according to The Eagle Online on March 4, 2024.
“Though this is a business venture, the proceeds of the bread will be used to actualise the vision of the ministry,” she said. She said the bakery would train church members in baking and business skills, and thanked her husband for “the quality investment and other sacrifices” behind it.
Timeline
January 8: Joshua Talena is born in Maiduguri, Borno State, to a military family.
1980s: He grows up in army barracks and later serves as Northern youth leader of the PFN.
December 21, 1992: He says God tells him, “Feed my sheep; they are hungry.”
January 1, 1993: He says he receives a second charge from Isaiah 61.
Before 1994: He serves as a resident pastor under Abel Damina at Power City International, Uyo.
1994: He moves to Jos to open a branch for Power City.
1996: He says God shows him he will become “a front-liner, a ground breaker”.
June 1997: He founds Agape Power Assembly, later The Shepherd’s House, in Jos.
2009: The church moves its international headquarters to Abuja.
June 2021: Church of God Mission disowns a viral clip linked to Benson Idahosa.
June 25, 2021: Talena says the video was edited and that he did not name Idahosa.
August 4, 2023: He speaks at Peace Keepers Assembly’s Apostolic Invasion in Accra.
January 2024: He warns Nigerians to pray about the hardship ahead.
March 2024: His wife opens the Shepherd’s Sure Bread bakery in Abuja.
August 22 to 23, 2024: He preaches at SOAR 2024 in Accra.
February 13, 2025: He headlines “The Father’s Blessing” revival in Accra.
November 16 to 23, 2025: The church holds Apostolic Invasion 2025 in Abuja.
August 2, 2026: Akwa Ibom governor Umo Eno joins him for a Sunday service.
October 28, 2026: The church opens registration for its Apostolic Invasion and Leadership Summit 2026.
Net Worth
Talena’s income comes from close to 30 years of ministry: his pastor’s role at a large Abuja church, book sales, television and paid speaking trips such as his visits to Ghana. The church also runs its own business now, the Shepherd’s Sure Bread bakery, but its profits go to the ministry, not to him.
His church, its land and its bakery belong to the ministry, so his personal fortune is far smaller than the church’s assets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Joshua Talena?
He is the founder and senior pastor of The Shepherd’s House Assembly International in Abuja. He started the church in Jos in June 1997 and moved it to Abuja in 2009.
Where is Joshua Talena from?
He was born in Maiduguri, Borno State, and grew up in army barracks because his father was a soldier.
What is the name of Joshua Talena’s church?
The Shepherd’s House Assembly International, first known as Agape Power Assembly. Its headquarters is in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja.
Who is Joshua Talena’s wife?
His wife is Rev. Jackie Talena. She pastors with him and runs the church’s Shepherd’s Sure Bread bakery.
When is Joshua Talena’s birthday?
He celebrates his birthday on January 8. His birth year has not been made public.
