Bishop Oyedepo Defends Church’s Retirement Decisions, Urges Critics to Focus on Their Own Affairs. Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), has called on critics to stop questioning the church’s decisions concerning the retirement of its pastors. The cleric faced backlash on social media following reports that his two vice presidents, Bishops Thomas Aremu and David Abioye, would be retiring after serving three and four decades in the ministry, respectively.
The church clarified that their retirement follows its operational guidelines, known as The Mandate, which functions as the church’s constitution. Addressing the issue during his sermon at Bishop Aremu’s valedictory service on Tuesday at Winners Chapel, Orita Bashorun, Oyedepo emphasized the need for people to focus on their personal matters.
He explained that the church’s Administrative Policy of 1998 was revised in 2001, and The Mandate of 2012 was further updated in 2024. The updated guidelines reduced the retirement age from 60 to 55. While Oyedepo retains the right to serve for life, future church leaders will be limited to one or two terms of seven years, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees.
Addressing those hoping for the ministry’s downfall, Oyedepo warned they were wasting their time. He stated, “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.”
Encouraging Bishop Aremu, Oyedepo urged him to keep God at the center of his life, stressing the spiritual risks of taking a break from ministry. Quoting Genesis 49:26, he reminded the congregation that no one has an inheritance in a teacher or pastor, and urged Aremu to stay connected for continued grace.
Earlier in the service, Aremu affirmed that he had no intention of starting 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, who transitioned into full-time ministry after a successful career as an accountant, is the last surviving bishop of the seven consecrated at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna in November 1999. Bishop Abioye’s farewell ceremony is scheduled for Friday, October 18, 2024, in Durumi, Abuja
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