The Apostle over this commission, Bishop David Oyedepo replied to the issue of sacks pastors that have become viral on social media:
“NONSENSE !
OUR ONLY CRITERIA IS HOW MANY SOULS WON AND NOT HOW MUCH INCOME. WHEN WE EMPLOYED 7000 PASTORS AT ONCE SOCIAL MEDIA WAS DEAD. WE HAVE MORE EMPLOYEES THAN MOST STATES IN NIGERIA AND WE HAVE NEVER OWED THEM OR TAKEN BANK OVERDRAFT ONCE.
THE PASTORS WERE ASKED TO GO BECAUSE THEY WERE UNFRUITFUL.
MANY OF THE CHURCHES BUILT CAN NEVER PAY FOR THE CHURCH BUILDING IN 30 YEARS. WE HAVE NO PATIENCE WITH FAILURE HERE. -Bishop David Oyedepo at CHoP
We have built more than 1,000 Churches in rural areas where in the next 30 years, they can never generate such fund, with each costing more than 14 Million Naira. We are hunting after souls, not income.
People are confused about our Ministry. I learnt some fellows said, “you know, they are not bringing income, that is why they asked them to go.” We asked you to go because you are unfruitful.
Unfruitful! Blatant failure. Doing what there? We have no patience with failure here.
When we employed 7,000 people at a time, Social Media was dead.
We have more employees in this Organisation than most of the States. No one is owed a dime salary and we don’t borrow, we don’t beg. Ask our bank whether we take overdraft.
We are covenant bound, working in the light of God’ Word.
Enjoying an open Heaven.
We have fully delivered the first phase of 1,000 plus buildings to the rural Churches. None of those Churches can generate that fund in the next 30 years. No, we are hunting after souls.
Money: NONSENSE!
We have never lacked it and yet we have never prayed for it, we are just simply obeying God and He is backing up what He is asking us to do. Awesome God.
Now the next set is about to be flagged off, just certifying the landed property issues, nothing else. We have no lack of anything. The world is confused.
Walking in the light of God’s Word. Please obey God to the full and watch out for His manifestations in your life.
Well, you don’t need so much Mathematics to know a thousand buildings; that is not 1000 Naira each, that is not 10 Million (Naira) each, that is not 12 Million (Naira) each, that is not 14 Million (Naira) each.
Some are 35 Million (Naira). At a go!
We have never seen it ourselves. We just watched God doing it.
The only criteria: How many souls have they gotten there? Then, build for them.
How many souls? Not once: “how much money do they have?”
Apart from individuals now investing in promoting the Kingdom of God: building 5 Churches, some building 2, some building 3 Churches.
Just obey God. Obedience will turn you to a living wonder
Have you ever seen us raise a prayer point of “O God, send us money”?
You have been here for some time, we pray every day. Now we pray 3 times a day:
Covenant Hour of Prayer;
Covenant Revival Prayer: Morning and Evening.
Going out every day on the streets.
You want to see what we see, go and do what we do. But if you are not saved, there is nothing you do that matters. There is nothing you do that matters.
Note: The Church has spent over 2 Billion naira to build over 1000 church auditoria in the first phase.”
Furthermore, Pastor Daniel also give a revealing explanation to a young man read through below and share your thoughts at the end.
WHEN A YOUNG PASTOR REFUSES TO BEAR FRUIT AND FAILS AT GOD’S BUSINESS
“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
Luke 2:49
And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shall cut it down.
John 15:7
My brother is a Nigerian intellectual in the diaspora. Yesterday, he sent me a screenshot of the purported sack letter addressed to a Living Faith Church (LFC) pastor and asked me ‘if it was true’? I glanced through the details and asked him in return, ‘Is what true…where did the letter mention low income? The letter is true but the caption you sent does not tally’. He immediately responded ‘I agree’. I then went ahead to tell him an incident that occurred a few weeks back in the LFC where I presently worship. I will repeat the incident here but will protect the name of the Pastor in question since he was wise not to go on social media to copy an act which I consider one of folly.
I have been to 33 out of Nigeria’s 36 states in my line of duty and I make it a duty to always attend Living Faith Church in any place I visit. A few months ago, I visited Baga in Borno State and what welcomed me as what was left of the only churches in that town; burnt buildings of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Deeper Life Bible Church, one other Church and then the LFC. I avoided taking pictures so as not to rouse the soldiers I was travelling with. A few weeks ago, I resumed in a community of about 5,000 people in one of the South-South States of Nigeria. The same evening I visited the LFC and met nobody in Church with the doors locked. I came early the next day and to my shock, there was no Covenant Hour of Prayer (Early morning Prayer Hour). The same repeated itself on Tuesday and it was to my angst that I came to Church on Wednesday to meet an empty Church. I began to ask the neighbours and I heard ‘Pastor no dey always come’. I was told the Pastor leaves the Community to go on other endeavours for up to 21 days at a stretch sometimes. He did not come on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the Covenant Hour of Prayer or even for the Week of Spiritual Emphasis and members too stayed at home.
Matthew 24:50
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
On Sunday morning, I came to Church and met 9 people. Living Faith??? Liberation Commission?? The Pastor did not come as usual. Instead he asked a member of the Church Council, a female student in one of the universities who was on holidays to preach on his behalf. I definitely would not pay my tithe here I told myself. Thank God for internet transfers. I asked for the number of the Pastor after service and put a call across. The moment I told him I was visiting, he got scared and I assured him that ‘it is well’. I asked him for the reason for his absence and he gave all kinds of excuses from being ‘very strong’ to ‘doing a side job’ to ‘lacking transport fare’. I was miffed. I would only see him 14 days after my resumption.
Meanwhile I started organizing the Church in his absence using my phone to connect to Canaanland every morning for the Covenant Hour of Prayer and we were glad to record 37 adults and 24 children (total 61) the next Sunday service. This man had been here for 2 years, the Church sent him to win souls but he could not operate in any kind of discomfort yet he was comfortably collecting the Forty Thousand Naira (N40,000) only monthly allowance with house rent to match. The question playing on my mind was…why not resign and pursue your other business or whatever was keeping you away?
I was still not happy and mentioned my concerns to a top Pastor of the LFC. I was however surprised to come the next week to find out that he had been given a ‘Letter of Release’ very similar to the one flying on social media. He did not leave before going on the pulpit to blast ‘Yorubas’ for trying to take over everywhere. He said on the same altar that his only joy was that a fellow tribesman and not a Yoruba man was sent to replace him. He came by me at the end of the service and told me point blank ‘I am not happy’ and left with the church offerings even after he had handed over to his replacement.
As at yesterday, some 5 weeks after that event, we did not have enough space (exactly 47 days since I arrived) in the 45 seat capacity church with some members staying outside during service. We have over 60 children (meaning over 100 now) and we had to rent a space to keep them. We have embarked on a mission to acquire 3 plots of land in the next 4 weeks and we have just paid and received a set of music instruments worth about N500,000 while transferring the older set of instruments to the LFC in the neighbouring community.
The Church is alive again!
All my brother said was the following and I quote verbatim:
“I just sent you what I saw on social media.
Even in a secular environment, he would be sacked.
If I was his boss, I would sack him”.
It is to me the height of ignorance, foolishness and wickedness for many who ignored the commendation by Bishop Oyedepo few days ago of a young LFC Pastor in Akwa Ibom who ‘engaged’ so much that he led over 100 villagers to Christ in a few months, to now take on them the role of advocate for a so called pastor who fails to deliver on his mandate. Was he forced to take the role? Was he forced to sign the bond? I am worried about young people who want to have everything and do nothing.
Bishop Oyedepo will soon be 70 yet he is still on the ‘go’ for Christ (his Father’s business). I do not know how many Pastors. Bishops and Archbishops or founders can dare what he does save perhaps his Father in the Lord, Pastor E.A Adeboye and some of his notable sons such as Pastors Enenche, Ibiyeomie, Komaiya and others. Even though he owns his own helicopter and has a private jet at his disposal, he has not left Nigeria in 4 years and is always found on the streets of Ota, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria on a weekly basis winning souls to Christ. He always celebrates the numbers just like it was done in the Acts of Apostles from 70 in the upper room to 3000 to 5000 to ‘almost the whole city’. He celebrated the numbers again yesterday as usual. We know 16,786 churches were established in the last 2 years with over 16,000 new pastors employed, we know almost 15,000 home cells have been established in Lagos alone in 6 months, we know about 70,000 souls have been led to Christ in his weekly outreaches on the road while about 19,000 have been physically present in Church in 2021 alone. We know the Church has refused to announce that money be given towards the ongoing construction of what might become the world’s largest church auditorium ‘The Ark’.
These figures are what the Church refers to as Church Growth Index and not what any disgruntled ‘pastor’ may be implying. If the multitudes now choose to ignore all these facts and want to cry over some that were ‘released’ to pursue their personal call from God, it is quite unfortunate though not unexpected and shows that bitterness against the Church is at full bloom. As I always say, The Church of Christ can never satisfy the Gates of Hell.
I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!
Matthew 16:18″
Bishop Oyedepo Addresses Issue Of SacKs Pastors Because Of Low Income
