Winners Chapel denies Oyedepo is set to retire pointing out that priesthood is for life

LIVING Faith Church Worldwide has denied rumours that its founder and leader the controversial pastorpruener Bishop David Oyedepo is set to retire from active service and hand over the baton to his son as his priesthood is for life.

 

Earlier this week, several media outlets had suggested that Bishop Oyedepo was planning to take a back seat and hand the reigns of the church to his eldest son, David Jnr, who presides over the London branch of the ministry. It was that alleged that David Jnr was to be named as the resident pastor of Canaanland, the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State on January 10.

 

Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, is one of the largest churches in Nigeria and Bishop Oyedepo attracts millions to his sermons. Fearful that rumours of David Oyedepo might affect moral of some of its followers, Pastor Yemi Nathaniel, the church's mandate secretary, said any such reports were not true.

 

Pastor Nathaniel added: “Every apostolic ministry like ours is a priestly commission and because priesthood is for a lifetime, his presidency and priesthood is for a lifetime. Moses, Joshua, Aaron ministered and his son also did, as did Elijah, Elisha and Paul, among others, therefore any online publication purporting his retirement is false.

 

“For those interested, the red book, The Mandate, explains our succession plans. The good news of generational success as promised by God for the righteous must be causing pains for the ignorant, the envious and the wicked."

 

He asked the church's faithful to refuse to be a part of propagating evil. Bishop Oyedepo is one of Nigeria's most celebrated clerics and arguably the richest clergyman in the world, valued by Forbes at about $150m.