Founder and President of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, David Oyedepo, has warned critics against interfering in the church’s operations, emphasizing that the church’s activities are governed solely by “The Mandate.”
Speaking after the third service on Sunday at the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, Oyedepo reaffirmed that the church’s mission and structure are founded on divine direction, not external opinions or personal feelings.
His comments seemed to address the ongoing speculations surrounding the departure of his former first vice president, Bishop David Abioye. However, the cleric made it clear that the leadership principles of the church remain steadfast.
“The Mandate, which is the church’s manual, was written in 2012. Some of you need to go and read it to understand what we are doing here.
“I also have a Board that I answer to. So what we are doing cannot be altered. Nothing in the book came to us as a group. It came to me alone,” Oyedepo explained.
He further clarified that every major decision concerning the ministry, from construction projects to the acquisition of church aircraft, was based on divine instruction.
“This is the place where the church would be built; it came to me alone. It’s time to get the aircraft; it came to me alone,” he said.
The bishop rejected claims of disorganization or arbitrary decision-making within the church, stressing that structure and discipline are fundamental to the church’s global expansion.
“I am not a loose person. Order brought us to where we are. My only wife even had to apply to work in this ministry. Nobody ever worked here by saying, ‘God sent me.’ You write an application, you do an interview, you get an employment letter, and you respond,” he remarked.
He highlighted that Winners Chapel operates as a well-structured institution, with clear systems of accountability, unlike many other organizations where, as he put it, “people just come to work without order.”
Oyedepo urged both church members and the public to read The Mandate for a better understanding of the ministry’s guiding principles, rather than relying on rumors or speculations.
