If there is one banana peel in church administration, it is breakaway urge from a mother ministry. The proliferation of churches in Nigeria is not unconnected to this temptation.
When Jesus said, make disciples of all nations, He was not particular about setting up churches or ministries, all He wants is for the gospel to get to every human on earth. Establishing churches ordinarily is supposed to be according to the directive of the Holy Spirit.
However, the Christian fold is filled with grapevine and realities of how a once smooth relationship between colleagues in the vineyard became strained to the point of break-up that would warrant the disgruntled party going ahead to set up his own ministry.
In Nigeria’s Christian/church fold, if there is one man whose life in the ministry teaches lessons about loyalty, dedication and commitment, it is Bishop David Abioye, the Senior Pastor of the Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel.
As the second-in-command in one of the fastest growing Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, Abioye is the presiding Pastor of the Winners Chapel’s Goshen City along Abuja-Keffi Road. The parish serves as the headquarters of the church in Abuja.
Abioye never ceases to describe the founder and President of Living Faith Church worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, as his life-time mentor. As a result of his submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit, Abioye enjoys motivating the saints of God towards spiritual stewardship, victorious Christian living and developing intimate relationship with God. He also focuses his teaching on Faith, Prosperity and Signs and Wonders.
The Bishop was born on March 11, 1961, into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Abioye, indigenes of Kwara state.
Abioye had an engineering background, graduating from the University of Ilorin. In 1985, he worked as a lecturer at Open Cast Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State.
As a lecturer, he was already planning to start a company that focuses on technology when the Lord directed his path to meet Bishop David Oyedepo at a Christian Student Fellowship and he was motivated to develop thirst for God’s work.
His passion for the work of Christ fostered his relationship with Oyedepo and he eventually became the first choir master of the Bishop. Over the years, their relationship blossomed from brotherly friendship to a spiritual mentorship as was evident when Oyedepo handed the then national headquarters of the church, Garden of Faith, Kaduna, to Abioye as the Senior Pastor.
Ever since then, for over three decades, the loyalty and support he puts to the work of God in the hands of his lifetime mentor and spiritual father, has been unquestionable.
He is joyfully married to Mary A. Abioye, and they are both blessed with three children: David Jnr., Ruth and Daniel.
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