Bishop David Oyedepo, President and Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, has described claims that the church sacked pastors because of poor income as ‘nonsense’.
Recall that on Sunday, the media was abuzz after a pastor from the church, identified as Peter Godwin, came out to say that he and 39 other pastors were sacked for not yielding returns for the church.
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The report had been polarizing, with many Nigerians lambasting the megachurch for being greedy. Others justified the church’s actions, saying it was in line with Biblical precedence.
Speaking during the church’s Covenant Hour of Prayer (CHOP) on Thursday, Oyedepo clarified that the criterion for the pastors’ sacking was based on how many souls had been won in the church.
According to the preacher, the pastors were asked to leave because they were unfruitful.
Oyedepo then criticized the media’s silence when the church reportedly created thousands of churches, employing new pastors to handle them. The wealthy clergyman claimed that the church had employed 7,000 pastors.
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He said, “When we employed 7000 pastors at once social media was dead. We have more employees than most states in Nigeria and we have not 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 for failure here.
“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.
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“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’s Word. Enjoying an open Heaven.
“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.
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“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 criterion: How many souls have they gotten there? Then, build for them. How many souls? Not once: ‘how much money do they have?”.
“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,” he said.
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