Oyedepo Defends Leadership Retirements, Urges Critics to Mind Themselves

Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), has defended the church’s decision to retire its pastors, specifically Vice Presidents Bishops Thomas Aremu and David Abioye, who served for three and four decades, respectively.

The retirement is in line with the church’s operational guidelines, known as The Mandate, which serves as its constitution. Oyedepo faced criticism on social media after reports emerged last week about the retirement plans.

Reacting during 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.

“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 said.

Oyedepo revealed that the church’s Administrative Policy of 1998 was reviewed in 2001, while The Mandate of 2012 was revised in 2024. The revised Mandate has changed the retirement age from 60 to 55.

The Bishop warned critics that the ministry operates by divine order and that those wishing for its downfall are wasting their lives.

He advised Bishop Aremu to keep God at the center of his life, adding that taking a spiritual break is risky. Oyedepo also encouraged Aremu to maintain a growth-focused mindset, saying, “There’s no such thing as the best today or tomorrow; what matters is your pursuit of God.”

Earlier, 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, October 18, 2024, at Durumi, Abuja.