Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, otherwise known as Winners Chapel, has responded to those questioning the church’s retirement of its two senior pastors.
Oyedepo, while delivering a sermon at the valedictory service for Bishop Aremu at Winners Chapel, Orita Bashorun in Ibadan, asks the critics to mind their business.
On October 10, reports filtered in that Bishops Thomas Aremu and David Olatunji Abioye would be retiring after serving at the church for three and four decades, respectively.
Oyedepo was criticised on social media, with some asking why the cleric was retaining his position while the bishops were retiring.
It was, however, gathered that their retirement is in line with the operational guidelines of the church, also known as The Mandate, which serves as the church’s constitution.
In response to the criticism, Oyedepo in his sermon on Tuesday, advised the critics on the importance of minding one’s affairs.
He also revealed that the Living Faith Church Administrative Policy of 1998 was reviewed in 2001, while The Mandate of 2012 was revised in 2024, stressing that the ministry operates by divine order.
The revised Mandate changed the retirement age from 60 to 55.
While the Founder, Oyedepo, retains the right to serve for life, future church leaders will be restricted to one or two terms of seven years, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
“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,” said Bishop Oyedepo.
In response, Bishop Aremum, a former accountant who transitioned into full-time ministry at the Garden of Faith Church in Kaduna in November 1999, stated that he had no intention of leaving Winners Chapel to establish his 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 stated.
Meanwhile, Oyedepo urged Aremu to remain connected for the continued flow of grace, advising him not to be distracted by baseless criticism.
He encouraged him to maintain a mindset focused on growth, saying, “There’s no such thing as the best today or tomorrow; what matters is your pursuit of God.”