Nigerian Church and Christian leaders have been charged to desire excellent performance in leadership with good characters, and integrity in order to influence the society with godly impact for well-meaning advancement.
This was general counsel issued by PFN Leaders and Nigerian Church Elders at the just concluded Christian leadership conference and workshop tagged “Value Added Life Conference.
An annual Christian leadership conference aimed at sharpening Church leadership skills and training for excellent performance. It was held at ECWA Church, Ketu, Lagos.
The insightful theme of the well-attended conference which marked its fifth edition was The Shepherd’s Tools:(Skillfulness and Integrity).
It was hosted by the Visioneer and convener, Pastor Joseph Olusegun Adeyemi and Pastor Mrs Mojisola Adeyemi of the City of Divine Grace Ministry, Shagisha Lagos.
In his keynote address, Pastor Joseph Adeyemi, who is the Zonal Vice-Chairman of the Pentecost Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, said that he was delighted that the yearly Conference is a value-added life empowerment program to Church leadership with vantage classic impartation for Pastors, Ministers and Church leaders of all cadre.
He however implored today’s Church leaders not to rest on their past glory and pressed forward for greater heights success and glory in their service to God, with emphasis on good character and integrity. He stressed that that was the key reason behind the hosting of this year’s Conference.
One may be wondering, why another conference, although this is the 5th Edition since it began in the Year 2007, but it is a focused-based conference for leaders to add value to their leadership through good and solid characters. Anointing is good but a good character is the beauty and glory of a noble life, he noted
Leaders are the people in positions of influence who led people to do the right thing. If the leaders have good characters, it will have a positive effect on the people, they are leading, he explained
Speaking on essence of the theme, Pastor Adeyemi, said, A shepherd without a tool is like a wondering voyager leading to nowhere.
A skillful shepherd will always be on top. He then task Church leaders and Christian leaders to endeavour to embrace skillful leadership trainings for better results in their callings.
In his thoughts provoking message, Apostle Professor Joshua Olaoye, the General Overseer of Triumphant Faith Global Churches incorporated, Lagos, asked general overseers to stop imitating the world and model the Church of God as business ventures, where financial income and forceful expansion have become more significant than the ultimate spiritual growth of Church members.
Apostle Olaoye, who is also the PFN Chairman for Kosofe Zone, Lagos, decried that many Pastors have been sacked because they weren’t bringing in returns like business ventures.
He declared that it is wrong and unbiblical. While citing the book of John 18:17, he pointed out from the passage that Peter failed and denied Jesus Christ three times, but Jesus didn’t sack him from his ministry.
According to him, this was the Biblical standard Our Lord Jesus laid down for Church leaders to follow and not the worldly or secular business standards. He also appeal to Church leaders to take care of their members first before embarking on projects.
It is very wrong for the Church to spend so much in physical projects while their members are suffering in hardship and abject poverty, he stated.
In his speech, a very distinguished Christian elder and leader, Rev. Dr. David Okusenogu admonished Pastors and Church leaders to be aware that we are in the perilous times as stated in the book of 2Timothy 3:1. Therefore, he boldly recommended that the only leadership tools for success is good character and integrity.
He also strictly warned Pastor and Church leaders to stay away from the temptation of undue hunger for material acquisition, as it’s one of the potent instruments the devil is using to destroy Church leaders at this end times.
Rev. Okusenogu, who is once a Lagos PFN EXCO member, and presently a member of the Advisory Council member, recounted his several encounters with agents of darkness who came to lure him out of faith with very tempting financial offers in millions, but he rejected them having been aware of such end times plot of the devil against the Church at this crucial moment.
The elderly cleric also urgent Church leaders to stand firm in faith and speak the truth always no matter the situation they found themselves. When you speak the truth, you will know those who are truly following you’, he noted.
At end of the firebrand conference the participants were refreshed, as many leadership solutions facing them and their ministries were satisfactorily attended to. Some of them such as Pastor Joseph Igbuzor of The Palace of Praise Assembly, Lagos, told ABNews in an interview that he has benefited alot from the event. He testified that it is a worthy program which has sharpened his leadership skills for better results in ministry.
Pastor Segun Faleye, of the CAC Palace of Prayer, Magodo, said the programme is a great effort to expose Church leaders to truth, which he asserted is highly lacking today in our Churches and Christian circles.
Pastor Faleye, who is also the Special Adviser on religion to Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, the House of Representatives member representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, said the conference was an excellent event, because it was able to tell Church leaders the basic truth which is seriously lacking in the ministry today.
He prayed that the seed of the program will bear the desired fruits of the convener.
