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He was born in a church and has spent all his life in the church premises working with God and for the good of humanity

He may not be Jack Hyles who is described as the greatest preacher of the 20th century. But he will certainly qualify as one of the 21st century greatest and powerful preachers. And he is also an embodiment of Hyles wise saying that “The man who gets ahead is the man who works while others sleep. The people who do great works for God are those who are content and stay at their job.” Bishop David Oyedepo has been steady at his ministry for the past 30 years and has garnered many accomplishments which have created a larger than life image for him, especially to those who are not familiar with his self effacing nature. He radiates a very friendly mien - the wining smile and a warm welcoming handshake that puts one at ease and gives the impression that he is somebody you can trust with your worst life’s secret.

He was in resplendent white Guinea brocade kaftan the day Newswatch interviewed him, and wore an infectious smile that welcomed the interview team. He cut the image of the humble servant of God who is working in the Lord’s vineyard to win souls and convert the world to Christianity. This in a nutshell, sums up the entire mission of Oyedepo, the president of the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel, who on May 2, 1981, at an obscure International Hotel in Ilesha, Osun State, received God’s calling to become a fisher of men.

According to him, God gave him “the mandate to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith”. This is the 18- hour inaugural vision that led to the founding of the Liberation Faith Hour Ministries in 1981. Two years later, on September 17, 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained him and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano (now known as Faith Abiola Oyedepo) to become pastors and also officially commissioned the newly started church of Oyedepo. Five years after, Oyedepo was ordained a Bishop.

Over the years, his rapid rise and achievements have been so stupendous that many people describe it as the miracle of our time. His ability to build a 50,000-capacity Faith Tabernacle in 12 months and which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records, a project that ordinarily would have been completed in three years is one of such accomplishments. And the Canaanland, the land of signs and wonders, which houses the Tabernacle and Covenant University is another testimony to the good work God has used Oyedepo to do. 

Canaanland is in Ota, a suburb of Lagos, and is the 5,000-acre  estate and campus, which also houses the church secretariat, the church’s youth chapel, a primary school called Kingdom Heritage Model School; a full boarding mission secondary school called Faith Academy, with more than 1,500 students and the University facilities which accommodate more than 7,000 students, fully resident in ultra-modern hostel facilities, with fully equipped faculty buildings and numerous staff housing facilities. Canaanland campus also has for profit establishments operated by the church such as a bakery, a bottled water processing plant, a petrol station, various restaurants and shopping stores, several residential houses that provide for the more than 2,000 church employees, and guest houses. Four banks are also present on this estate, three of which are branches of external commercial banks and one which is a community and micro-finance bank and operated by the Church.

Oyedepo said Canaanland was built without borrowing any money from the bank and the church is not indebted to anybody. This revelation, no doubt, shows that Oyedepo is a prudent manager who uses his resources judiciously and enjoys hard work. This is an attribute he inherited from his father whom he described as a workaholic and a successful businessman who believed in working his way out of impossibilities.  “He told me before he died, in our family, work is our identity. That is, you don’t believe in impossibilities, you work your way out of situations,” Oyedepo said.

Initially, Abraham Oyedepo, his father, formerly a muslim, was not in support of Oyedepo’s addiction to the gospel. He felt he was wasting his time. “But somehow, we began wasting our time together. Even at 90, he was attending night vigils. When we started the construction of Covenant University, he came down here and brought N140,000 as his own contribution. At that time, he was 98 years old. He died at 102.  What I learnt from him, from what I saw, is the value of hard work, you can work your way out of pity and penury” he said.

From Dorcas Oyedepo, his mother, he learnt other virtues like helping those in need. “I am sure my mother learnt that from her mother, that helping people is helping yourself, either now or in the future. All of that, I think constitute the background to what I’m privileged to be doing today,” Bishop Oyedepo said. But Racheal Adeyiola Odetundun, Oyedepo’s maternal grandmother, who raised him in Osogbo, was the person who had a dominant influence on him. The lessons he learnt from his grandmother include belief in the dignity of labour, the burden of indebtedness or borrowing, the danger of keeping wrong company, the principles of commitment and the dignity of integrity. “She was an old woman when I was born, but at the same time, very hard working. She never borrowed from anyone. I was there at her death bed and they were asking her, are you owing anybody, she said no, are people owing you, she said yes. Who are they, and she made a long list of them. And she said, if they pay you, take it, if they don’t I forgive them, no one rejoices with debt. Now, that made me hate the word debt. Up till now, for 30 years in the ministry, we are not owing one dime to any bank or individual or organisation,” he said.

He also learnt early the values of paying tithe from his grandmother, who described it as “God’s portion that makes the remainder meaningful.” Oyedepo said: “That was the toughest and deepest teaching I had on tithing as a small boy. So, somehow, I grew up in an environment that was God fearing, an environment of love, an environment where you wish others well, you think good of others and you want to help where you are in a position to. That was my kind of situation,” he said.

Oyedepo has very fond memories of the Betty Lasher, his white teacher whom he met recently in Florida, Orlando, who made him to become born again on February 19, 1969.  “She was my teacher. She just said to me at the time, that you were born in the church, you’ve been around the church all your life, but it’s not equal to salvation, you need to know Jesus, and she just used her love to give me understanding of the word of God. That day I remember, I surrendered my life to Christ, and we prayed together and we’ve been in touch ever since that time,” he said.

Oyedepo, affectionately called Daddy by members of his church congregation was born September 27, 1954, in a church building in Osogbo, but he is a native of Omu Aran, Kwara State. His father, Ibrahim, was a Muslim healer and his mother, Dorcas, was a member of the Eternal Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement, a branch of the Aladura movement in Nigeria. He studied architecture at Kwara State Polytechnic and worked briefly with the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin, before resigning to concentrate on missionary work.

Oyedepo has a Ph.D in Human Development from Honolulu University, Hawaii, United States of America. He is also an author of 61 Christian and motivational books. He is also chairman/publisher of Dominion Publishing House, DPH,  a publishing arm of his ministry. DPH has more than 4 million prints in circulation to date.  His Winners Chapel network of churches are present in more then 300 cities in all states of Nigeria, as well as in more than 63 cities in 32 African Nations, Dubai, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. He is seen as one of pioneers of the Christian charismatic movement in Africa, and has been referred to as one of the most powerful preachers in Nigeria.

Oyedepo is also a strong critic of corruption in Africa as a whole and poor leadership in government. He supports the removal of fuel subsidy because of the corruption inherent in the implementation of the subsidy regime. This also explains why he established schools to mould young minds who will be conscious of the evils of corruption to be able to do away with it when they become leaders tomorrow.

 He was named in 2011 by Forbes magazine as being the richest pastor in Nigeria, worth around $150 million. Oyedepo owns four private jets and has homes in London and the United States.

 With all his leadership skills and the successful way he run his ministry, will he consider contesting for a political office some day? No was his answer. Oyedepo is averse to the idea to extending his reach to the murky waters of politics in Nigeria, where good and capable leaders are in short supply. Asked if God calls him to lead Nigeria out of the leadership wilderness, will he accept? His reply was emphatic: “never, and never, a million times never” adding: “I will beg Him….. You don’t start playing football at the age of 50.”

Bishop David Abisoye, executive vice president of Living Faith Church Worldwide Inc. and senior pastor, Abuja, who has been with him from the beginning, describes Oyedepo “as a non compromising person. He doesn’t sit on the fence. He believes that it is either done or not at all.”

T.L. Osborn of Osborn Ministries International, said that the Oyedepo Ministry is a phenomenal bulwark of national strength and of global witness. Ted Haggard, president, the National Association of Evangelicals, Washington, DC, and pastor, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO, described Oyedepo as a friend, a leader, teacher, visionary and example of godly living.

For Matthew Ashimolowo, senior pastor, KICC, the ministry of the Living Faith has given a holistic approach to the need of mankind, bringing solutions to spiritual, financial, educational, social and relational challenges confronting our generation.

“We have watched with great joy and excitement the growth of the mustard seed planted by God Himself… We have seen the seed watered by the Holy Spirit, grow into a mighty tree recognised at home and abroad. We rejoiced greatly with the living Faith family and are proud to be a member of this great phenomenon,” said Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeem Christian Church of God”.

How did Oyedepo and his ministry come this far so successfully? Adeboye provides some clue: An addiction to praise and worship of “the Most High God, a life of dedication and consecration to him; an unwavering focus with a rugged determination not to be swayed from the pursuit of our God-given goal; a life of diligence and hard work that kept us working while others are sleeping; our commitment to the application of the law of harvest; a prayer life unspoilt by success and fame and a life of transparent purity, honesty, integrity and holiness.

Oyedepo has also planned for the future succession in the ministry to avoid any discord when he is gone.

For a strategic thinker and someone who works very hard, Oyedepo finds time to unwind on Mondays after a hectic schedule on Sundays when he holds four services. He also plays lawn tennis. But how will he like to be remembered when the end comes.  After a deep pause, the man of God enthused: “A man that worked with God and for the good of humanity. When my time is gone, let them write that on my tomb”.

Reported by Demola Abimboye and  Ishaya Ibrahim