-Deborah Akinyosoye
Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), has urged critics to refrain from questioning the church’s decisions regarding the retirement of its pastors.
The cleric faced criticism on social media after reports emerged last week that his two vice presidents, Bishops Thomas Aremu and David Abioye, would be retiring after serving three and four decades in the ministry.
It was gathered that their retirement is in line with the operational guidelines of the church, also known as The Mandate, which serves as the church’s constitution.
Reacting while delivering his sermon at the valedictory service for Bishop Aremu at Winners Chapel, Orita Bashorun, on Tuesday, Oyedepo stressed the importance of focusing on one’s own affairs.
He revealed that the church’s Administrative Policy of 1998 was reviewed in 2001, while The Mandate of 2012 was revised in 2024, stressing that the ministry operates by divine order.
The revised Mandate has changed the retirement age from 60 to 55.
While the Founder, Oyedepo, retains the right to serve for life, future church leaders will be restricted to one or two terms of seven years, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
The Bishop, however, warned those wishing for the ministry’s downfall that they were wasting their “lives.”
He said, “My advice to commentators is to study to be quiet and mind your business. It is wisdom to learn what is working and find out what makes it work. Everything works here.”
He urged Bishop Aremu to keep God at the centre of his life, adding that taking a spiritual break is risky.
Quoting the Bible in Genesis 49:26, Bishop Oyedepo stated that no one has an inheritance in a teacher or pastor.
He encouraged him to maintain a mindset focused on growth, saying, “There’s no such thing as the best today or tomorrow; what matters is your pursuit of God.”
Oyedepo urged Aremu to remain connected for the continued flow of grace, advising him not to be distracted by baseless criticism.
Earlier in his address, Aremu stated that he had no intention of leaving Winners Chapel to establish his own church after retirement.
“I don’t have a church, and I cannot have a church because God has not infused me with the capacity to do so. This is my church,” he said.
Aremu, a former accountant, transitioned into full-time ministry following a successful career in his field.
He is distinguished as the last surviving bishop among the seven consecrated at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna in November 1999.
Meanwhile, Bishop Abioye’s farewell ceremony is set for Friday, 18th October 2024, at Durumi, Abuja.