The Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel, David Oyedepo, has warned critics to steer clear of interfering in church affairs, stressing that its operations strictly follow ‘The Mandate’.
Addressing congregants on Sunday at the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, just after the third service, Oyedepo reiterated that the church’s vision and organizational structure are driven by divine instruction, not personal opinions or external pressures.
His comments seemed directed at speculation surrounding the recent departure of former first vice president, Bishop David Abioye, but the cleric emphasized that the church’s leadership framework remains firm.
“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 stated.
He highlighted that all major decisions in the ministry, including building projects and the acquisition of church aircraft, are guided solely by 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 added.
Rejecting claims of disorder or arbitrariness within the church, Oyedepo underlined that discipline and structure are essential to Winners Chapel’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 explained.
The cleric stressed that Winners Chapel functions like a well-organized institution with systems ensuring accountability, contrasting it with organizations where, in his words, “people just come to work without order.”
He encouraged church members and the wider public to study The Mandate to understand the ministry’s guiding principles, rather than relying on rumours or assumptions.
