Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), has called on critics to stop questioning the church’s decisions regarding the retirement of senior pastors. The backlash arose after reports that Bishops Thomas Aremu and David Abioye, two of the church’s vice presidents, would be retiring following decades of service. These retirements, according to the church, are in line with its operational guidelines, which are laid out in a document known as The Mandate—essentially the church’s constitution.
The Church’s Operational Guidelines
Speaking at Bishop Aremu’s valedictory service at Winners Chapel in Orita Bashorun, Ibadan, Oyedepo addressed concerns about the changes. He explained that the church’s administrative policies, established in 1998 and revised in 2001, were further updated in 2012 and again in 2024. The most recent changes to The Mandate lowered the retirement age from 60 to 55. While the church founder himself, Oyedepo, retains the right to serve for life, future church leaders will be limited to one or two terms of seven years, with approval from the Board of Trustees.
Oyedepo emphasized that the church operates under divine order and asserted that it is improper for outsiders to criticize the church’s internal decisions. 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.”
Valedictory Service for Bishop Aremu
During the service, Oyedepo gave Bishop Aremu advice as he prepared for retirement. He urged him to keep God at the center of his life and warned of the spiritual risks of taking a break from ministry. He cited Genesis 49:26, emphasizing that pastors and teachers are not meant to serve as personal inheritances but rather to guide their congregations spiritually.
He encouraged Aremu to continue pursuing spiritual growth and to ignore baseless criticism, reminding him of the importance of staying connected to the ministry for continued grace.
Bishop Aremu’s Response
In response to the event, Bishop Aremu clarified that he has no plans to start his own church after retirement, stating:
“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.”
Aremu, who was an accountant before transitioning into full-time ministry, holds a special place in the church’s history as the last surviving bishop among the seven consecrated at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna in November 1999.
Bishop Abioye’s Upcoming Retirement
Following Aremu’s retirement, Bishop David Abioye is also set to retire, with his farewell ceremony scheduled for Friday, 18th October 2024, at Winners Chapel in Durumi, Abuja.
Despite criticism, Oyedepo remains firm in defending the church’s policies, urging those who are waiting for the downfall of the ministry to reconsider, saying such efforts are in vain. He reassured the congregation that the church’s success is divinely guided and that these retirements are part of a long-established plan to ensure continuity and growth in the church.
