FULL LIST: Options for Oyedepo’s Two Deputies as They Step Down Next Week

As two prominent leaders of Bishop David Oyedepo’s Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, prepare for their imminent retirement, discussions have emerged about potential roles they may assume within the church’s hierarchy. Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, both long-serving Vice Presidents of the church, are set to step down next week, marking the end of an era in the ministry.

The planned retirement of both bishops was confirmed by multiple church sources, including a pastor who spoke to The PUNCH under anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media. The farewell services are scheduled for October 15 and 18, 2024, with Bishop Aremu being honoured in Ibadan, Oyo State, and Bishop Abioye in Abuja.

Having exceeded the church’s mandatory retirement age of 60, with Abioye now 63 and Aremu 67, their departure from their current roles is imminent. However, reports from ChurchTimes reveal that several roles within the church remain available to them should they wish to continue serving in a different capacity.

Outlined in the church’s operational manual, The Mandate, published in 2012, five potential roles are available for the retired bishops:

• They may serve as resident pastors in a local assembly, though not beyond a zonal church.
• They could be given oversight responsibilities over specific locations within or outside Nigeria.
• There is the option of taking up positions in the church’s educational institutions or applying for roles in any department with vacancies.
• They may be appointed to serve in departments at the church headquarters, utilizing their areas of expertise.
• They could also be appointed as revivalists or pastors within the church’s Revival Mission Initiative Department.

However, these roles are not permanent, as appointments must be renewed annually.

Both bishops have had long and distinguished careers within the church. Abioye, the current Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Goshen City, Abuja, first met Oyedepo in 1979. He played a significant role in the church’s early years, leading one of its five pioneer branches in 1987 and being consecrated as a bishop in 1993 at the age of 32. Aremu, who transitioned from a career in accounting to full-time ministry, was among the seven bishops consecrated in 1999.

While it remains uncertain whether Bishops Abioye and Aremu will pursue any of these available roles, their legacy within the Living Faith Church is indisputable, having both held key positions in the church’s mission work before their retirement.