- David Abioye and Thomas Aremu step down after decades of service
- Changes to the church's operational manual lower retirement age from 60 to 55
- Special ceremonies planned to honor the retiring bishops in Abuja and Ibadan
In a significant shift within the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, two of Bishop David Oyedepo's long-serving deputies, are set to retire next week after decades of dedicated service.
Sources within the church confirmed this development on Thursday, October 10, with the retirements aligned to recent changes in the church's operational manual, known as The Mandate.
The new policy, which lowers the retirement age for church leaders from 60 to 55, has prompted the upcoming departure of both bishops. Bishop Abioye, 63, and Bishop Aremu, 67, will be honored with farewell services in their respective congregations. Bishop Abioye’s service will take place on Friday, October 18, 2024, in Durumi, Abuja, while Bishop Aremu’s farewell is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at LFC Basorun in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A church member attending the headquarters in Ota remarked, “We have heard that Bishop Abioye and Bishop Aremu will leave during Bishop Oyedepo’s birthday celebration.
This is part of the new law; only Bishop Oyedepo can remain in his position for life.” The member also noted that one of the bishops had been contemplating retirement for some time.
Efforts by our correspondent to confirm the details with church media officials were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to inquiries.
Bishop Abioye has played a pivotal role in the church’s growth since meeting Bishop Oyedepo in 1979. He was instrumental in establishing one of the church’s first branches in 1987 and was consecrated as a bishop in 1993 at the age of 32. Bishop Aremu, who transitioned from a successful career in accounting to full-time ministry, was one of seven bishops consecrated in November 1999.
As part of the new operational framework, future leaders within the church will be allowed to serve one or two terms of seven years each, contingent upon approval from the Board of Trustees. This ensures that Bishop Oyedepo remains the only leader permitted to serve indefinitely.
The upcoming retirements of Bishops Abioye and Aremu mark the end of an era for the Living Faith Church and signal a notable transition in leadership as the church continues to evolve.
“Time for him to retire”: Nigerians criticise Pastor Adeboye for “spiritual solution” comment
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, came under fire on social media for saying Nigeria needed a spiritual solution to its problems.
In a video circulating on social media, Adeboye said Nigerian leaders are doing everything in their power to solve the problems of the country but according to him, Nigeria’s problems require divine intervention as the problems are more spiritual than political.
