In a compact television studio nestled in the Welsh countryside, a man preaches with intense fervour to a digital congregation. His audience, hundreds of tiny faces displayed on a wall of screens, watches as he paces, touches the monitors, and delivers passionate prayers for the United Kingdom.
'Pray for a spiritual awakening,' he implores his viewers. 'Pray for the United Kingdom right now... We need a spiritual revival, a spiritual renewal.' This is Brother Chris, a 38-year-old evangelist who, despite being relatively unknown in the UK, has amassed a significant online following, with over 430,000 followers on Facebook alone.
A Complex Past Rooted in a Nigerian Compound
The origins of Brother Chris, whose real name is Christopher Tonge, trace back over two decades to West Africa. As a teenager in the 2000s, he lived in a Lagos compound run by the controversial Nigerian pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua, known as TB Joshua.
Joshua, who founded the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), died in June 2021. Since his death, he has faced a catalogue of severe allegations, including systematic physical and sexual abuse of followers, brainwashing, and faking miracles. A landmark 2024 BBC documentary, The Disciples, presented testimonies from multiple survivors detailing this abuse.
Chris, along with his parents Gary and Fiona Tonge, were devoted followers. They have since returned to the UK, but Chris continues to express support for Joshua. On the second anniversary of Joshua's death, he described it as 'a time for thanksgiving' for the pastor's 'selfless service.'
God's Heart TV: A New Digital Ministry in Wales
Today, Chris is the public face of God's Heart TV, an online church established by his parents in January 2022. Broadcasting 24/7 from a small room in north Wales, the channel streams prayer sessions, sermons, and interactive prayers to a global audience.
His monthly 'interactive' livestreams feature a wall of followers' faces. Chris prays for them, often reaching out to touch their images on screen—a style eerily reminiscent of his mentor, TB Joshua. Followers submit testimonials claiming miracles ranging from curing diseases and enabling miracle births to solving everyday problems like securing a job.
When confronted with the allegations against Joshua, Chris has dismissed them. In a video statement, he said, 'I want to emphasise that my personal experiences do not correlate with any of the allegations,' urging Christians not to be 'distracted from the Great Commission.'
Concerns for Vulnerable Followers and a Link to Tragedy
This unwavering loyalty alarms those close to survivors. A relative of one of Joshua's female victims told the Mail she fears for vulnerable people drawn to God's Heart TV. Her family member, who spent nearly two decades in the Lagos compound, remains 'still quite lost' and unaware she was in a cult.
The Tonges' influence reportedly extended to their London church, Holy Trinity Brompton in South Kensington, where they are said to have recruited for Joshua. It was there they are understood to have met Virginie De Selliers, the mother of Constance Marten.
Survivors state that after learning of Joshua from Fiona Tonge, De Selliers sent her daughter to live in the Lagos compound. Marten's time there, described by one survivor as being 'broken' by Joshua, appears to have triggered a downward spiral. Years later, Marten and her partner Mark Gordon were convicted of the gross negligence manslaughter of their baby daughter.
Several survivors told the Mail that Marten had been brought to Nigeria 'to get help' for being 'rebellious, strong-willed, disobedient.' After her return, she was a changed person, a result others attribute to being 'brainwashed' in what the BBC termed 'a place of torture.'
While Chris Tonge is the on-screen presence, his parents are the directors of the company behind God's Heart TV. The family has built a new religious movement in rural Wales, its foundations deeply intertwined with the legacy of a pastor now accused of horrific abuses. God's Heart TV and Christopher Tonge were contacted for comment.
