Sacked Pastors Were ‘Blatant Failures’ – Oyedepo Denies Dismissing Ministers For Not Generating Income

The presiding bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, has responded to allegations that the church laid off some of its pastors over their inability to generate income at their respective local churches.

Recall that an online video had captured one Peter Godwin, alleging that he was sacked as a cleric with the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel International) over his failure to generate income at an Ekiti branch of the church.

He also read out a release letter in the video which said: “Consequent upon the recent performance reviews which revealed that your church growth index falls below expectations.

“Please be informed that your services as a pastor in charge are no longer required from this commission with immediate effect.”

But during the church’s Covenant Hour of Prayer on Thursday, Oyedepo said that employees are sacked when they are unfruitful in the area of soul winning, not income generation.

“We have built more than 1,000 Churches in rural areas where in the next 30 years, they can never generate such fund, with each costing more than 14 Million Naira. We are hunting after souls, not income.

“People are confused about our Ministry. I learnt some fellows said, you know, they are not bringing income, that is why they asked them to go. We asked you to go because you are unfruitful. Unfruitful! Blatant failure. Doing what there? We have no patience with failure here.

“Doing what there? We have no patience with failure here,” the cleric said.

He said the church had no problem paying its staff, adding that the primary requirement issued to the pastors presiding over rural churches was soul winning.

“When we employed 7,000 people at a time, Social Media was dead.

“We have more employees in this Organisation than most of the States. No one is owed a dime salary and we don’t borrow, we don’t beg. Ask our bank whether we take overdraft.

“We have fully delivered the first phase of 1,000 plus buildings to the rural Churches. Money… Nonsense!

“We have never lacked it and yet we have never prayed for it, we are just simply obeying God and He is backing up what He is asking us to do. Awesome God.

“The only criteria: How many souls have they gotten there? Then, build for them. How many souls? Not once: “how much money do they have?” he said.