Bishop Oyedepo
Winners’ Chapel: Options open to Bishops Abioye, Aremu, two Oyedepo’s retiring deputies
Several options are being discussed opened to retiring Vice Presidents of Bishop David Oyedepo’s Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu.
ChurchTimes, a publication dedicated to news and stories of Christendom, reports that within the church structure, packaged in the church guidance manual called The Mandate, said to have been published in 2012, the retiring bishops, Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, have at least five options. They are:
1. They could be assigned to a local assembly, not beyond a zonal church as resident pastors.
2. They could be assigned oversight responsibility over a given location within or outside Nigeria.
3. They could be appointed to serve in any of the church’s educational institutions or any department where they may choose to apply for such vacancies.
4. They may also be appointed to serve in any of the departments in the headquarters where they have expertise.
5. They could be appointed revivalists, or as pastors in the Revival Mission Initiative Department.
However, ChurchTimes reports that these options are not permanent as they must be renewed annually.
However, sources in the church have confirmed that certainly the two bishops are retiring, with the valedictory services for the two bishops slated for October 15 and 18, 2024.
While Bishop Aremu will be honoured in Ibadan, Oyo State, Bishop Abioye will havr his own in Abuja.
Indeed, both Bishops have passed the church’s mandatory retirement age of 60, with Abioye at 63 and Aremu at 67.
However, beyond their retirement, Church Times indicated that it’s uncertain whether the bishops will pursue these opportunities itemised above, especially since both have held supervisory roles for mission work before their retirement.
Abioye first met Bishop David Oyedepo in 1979 and rose steadily in years through the church hierarchy, today, he is the Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Goshen City, Abuja, Specifically, in 1987, he led one of the church’s five pioneer branches and was consecrated in 1993 at the age of 32.
Also, Aremu, after a career in accounting, veered into full-time ministry and was among the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999 at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna. He is the only one remaining of the seven pastors consecrated same day.
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