Two Vice Presidents of Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Olatunji Abioye and Bishop Thomas Aremu, are preparing to leave the church.
According to Church Times, the two bishops will be departing the church, which is led by the Founder, Bishop David Oyedepo, in October.
They will be leaving within three days of each other.
Bishop Aremu, who currently leads LFC, Basorun, Ibadan, in Oyo State, is set to depart on “October 15, 2024,” while Bishop Abioye, who has been associated with Bishop Oyedepo since 1979, will make his exit on “October 18, 2024.”
Aremu’s valedictory service will be held at the church in Ibadan, and Abioye’s at LFC, Durumi, Abuja.
This is considered a landmark event as it will be the first time pastors who have “served meritoriously” in Winners Chapel will be formally celebrated upon retirement.
As stated by Church Times, both bishops will be departing Winners Chapel according to the guidelines of the “Mandate,” which serves as the constitution or operational manual of the Liberation Commission.
The updated Mandate has adjusted the retirement age from “60” to “58.”
Only the Founder, Bishop Oyedepo, is entitled to serve for a lifetime, while future leaders of the Commission will serve for one term or a maximum of two terms of seven years each, pending approval from the “Board of Trustees.”
Church Times mentions that this change signals a new era for the church, which has been in existence for under five decades.
Bishop Abioye, who first met Oyedepo in 1979 and has been his close associate ever since, was assigned to lead one of the five original branches of the church in 1987.
In 1993, at the age of 32, he was consecrated in Garden of Faith, Barnawa, Kaduna, making him the youngest Bishop of a fully established church in history.
Bishop Aremu, who transitioned to full-time ministry after a career as an accountant in various secular organizations, is the last remaining member of the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999 at Garden of Faith, Kaduna.
