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| Pastor Joseph Oluwemimo Akinyomi |
History was made on Sunday March 17, 2019 at Christ Apostolic Church,
Somolu Olaleye Districts Coordinating Council (DCC) as their second DCC
Superintendent, Pastor Joseph Oluwemimo Akinyomi was formally inducted. In this
exclusive interview, Pastor Akinyomi speaks with ‘Gbenga Bankole on his vision
for the DCC and other interesting issues.
How do you feel to be
inducted as the DCC Superintendent of CAC Somolu Olaleye DCC?
I feel elated and I bless the name of the Lord. The Bible
says no one can receive anything except it is given from above. I thank God for
giving me the grace to be inducted as the second Superintendent of Somolu
Olaleye DCC.
What is your vision
for the DCC?
The vision God gave to me for this DCC is to transform the
DCC. The transformation is to give life of Christ to ministers and members of
Somolu Olaleye DCC. It is also to give light of Christ to the DCC so that when
the light of Christ illuminates every heart, we will know the right and our
vision will be heavenly worth, not earthly worth.
How many Districts
are under Somolu Olaleye DCC?
We were upgraded to DCC status in December 2017 by the
Authority of CAC Worldwide. That time we had four districts, but by the special
grace of God, when I entered the office in January 2018, one district was added
to us making it five districts in our DCC.
Five districts with
how many assemblies?
In the five districts we have about 80 assemblies.
Moving forward what is your plan in terms of
church planting?
By the special grace of God, my plan is that the five
districts should increase to 10 in the next two years. It can only be possible
if we engage in church planting. Our mission is to plant viable churches, not
mushroom churches.
Mission field
evangelism is part of the vision of CAC Worldwide. Do you have the vision to
engage in mission field evangelism?
Our major vision in Somolu Olaleye DCC, particularly the DCC
headquarters is mission field soul winning. For example, the DCC headquarters
has six assemblies in Benin Republic. Although we gave those assemblies to a
Zone in Benin Republic, we are still nurturing the assemblies till date and we
are paying their ministers' salaries. Somolu Olaleye also planted an assembly
in Garbon. We also planted some assemblies in some states in Nigeria. We have
an assembly each in Ondo, Anambra and Ogun States. Because of the geographical
locations, those assemblies are not under our DCC but we are paying the salary
of their Ministers.
There is no doubt
your DCC performed well when it comes to Seed of Blessing 2018. What is your
plan in 2019? Are you looking forward to be among the top three in CAC
Worldwide?
By the special grace of God we will get there. It is not
that Somolu Olaleye is more financially buoyant than some other DCCs, it is
just a matter of faithfulness and commitment. We have DCCs in CAC with 12 to 18
districts and they are not in top 10. Even those who are above us in 2018 have
more districts compared to us. We only have five districts and we are number
seven in CAC Worldwide. It is all about faithfulness. As I am telling you now,
I have no official car and I don’t receive some of my allowances. I just want
to be faithful to God and the authority of the church. Since 2015 we have been
in the top 10. In 2016 we were number 9, in 2017 we were number 8 and in 2018
we were number 7 in CAC Worldwide. By the special grace of God we are going to
be in the top 3 this year.
The authority said that the minimum amount every adult
should pay for Seed of Blessing as from this year is N3,000, but adults in
Somolu Olaleye had been paying it since about five years ago.
Every Pastor pays a minimum of N5000, District
Superintendent N10,000, while DCC Superintendent is N20,000 above and we are
still going to upgrade it.
What is your message
to ministers, elders and members of CAC Somolu Olalelye DCC regarding giving
adequate support to achieve your vision?
I really need their support because with God and their full
support, the work will move forward. If the Elders decided not to give me full
support there is nothing I can do. Without their support, we would not have
performed well in terms of payment of Seed of Blessing last year. When I was
transferred here, some of them said I am here to make money for the authority
of the church. I heard it and I addressed it that it wasn’t like that. I am
here to do God’s work, but I must be loyal to God and the authority of the
church.
Why is it difficult
for CAC assemblies in an environment to come together and hold a crusade that
will shake the whole environment for Christ?
That is a very good question. Until all of us see this work
as a kingdom work, we may not be able to hold such crusade. In a situation
whereby everybody wants to build empire for themselves that kind of crusade
can’t hold. For example we have three DCCs here in Somolu. If three of us can
come together and organize a crusade called “Somolu For Christ,” it will be
great. However, can it work? Are we not going to be fighting on the souls that
will be won at the crusade? Supposedly we are going to plant an assembly after
the crusade, under which DCC will the assembly be?
If we look at it from
the angle that it is for expansion of the kingdom of God, fighting on souls won
at the crusade should not matter to us.
At the just concluded
General Council Meeting of CAC Worldwide, the authority of the church said that
Pastors that have political ambition are free to pursue it. Meanwhile, some
people believed that full time Pastors should not engage in politics. What is
your opinion regarding this?
God says my ways are
not your ways. Nobody can predict God or predict what He will say. The only thing
that He won’t do is to deny Himself. The first President of Christ Apostolic
Church Worldwide, Oba I.B. Akinyele was a Pastor. He became the king of Ibadan
land after God called him into the ministry. God can call anybody to become a
politician. God can call any Pastor to go into politics and lead the nation.
This nation belongs to God and it is not compulsory that He should use
unbelievers. He can call a faithful person to take up a political post. Can
someone tell me now that it is not God that called Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo. He is a Pastor of a RCCG parish in Lagos and God called him into
politics. He is now the Vice President of Nigeria. When a righteous is the
King, people will enjoy. God can call anybody into politics, you just need to
be sure that God called you. If God called you, He will back you up. But if God
didn’t call you and you are there to acquire wealth, the person will miss the
road because they will lure and initiate him or her into cultism.
The President of CAC
Worldwide, Pastor Abraham O. Akinosun at the General Council advised President
Buhari to keep to his electioneering promises. What is your advice to President
Buhari regarding this?
I believe God will enable him to keep to that promise, but
it is not easy to change this kind of corrupt nation. Some of the corrupt
leaders we have in the country will never want President Buhari to succeed.
They will be using religion and tribalism to divide us. Even some leaders will
be saying Buhari wants to islamise Nigeria. If Buhari had the plan to islamise
Nigeria, he would have done it when he was the military head of state of the
country because he had the authority to make such decree. Did those who are
saying Buhari wants to islamise Nigeria know that many of his personal staff,
drivers, cooks etc. are Christians? God can use anybody to govern a nation. God
used Cyrus who was a gentile not a Jew in the Bible to set the Israelites free
from captivity. I believe God will enable President Buhari to bring change to
Nigeria if we all support him. If we support him, he will fulfill his
electioneering promises, but if people say no, there is nothing he can do.