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| CAC General Superintendent, Pastor Emmanuel O. Odejobi |
By Rachael Oke
At the just concluded 2025 Conference of Evangelists, Planters, Prophet, and Prophetesses, one of the the remarkable highlights of the gathering is the General Superintendent, CAC Nigeria and Overseas, Pastor Emmanuel O. Odejobi’s emphasis on the need for courage and unwavering faith for successful leadership.
The General Superintendent emphasized this point in his welcome message on the topic “Leadership and Success” at the conference ground on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, stressing the importance of embracing boldness and faith, even in challenging times.
Drawing from the story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13, he cautioned ministers to live by faith rather than relying on eye-sight, referencing the contrast between Caleb and Joshua's faith-filled report and the ten leaders’ negative outlook.
“When God appointed twelve leaders over the tribes of Israel to lead them to the promise land, majority of them unfortunately came with bad news because of their outer side vision as against what Apostle Paul says that we do not walk by sight, we walk by faith. Hence, you need to maximize your faith. It is then you become courageous leaders,” he noted.
Exhorting ministers on what should be their attitude to challenges, Pastor Odejobi said,
“We should not focus our minds on challenges like the other ten leaders of Israel did, and they could not get to the Promised Land even though God Himself appointed them as leaders. Only the remaining two out of the twelve leaders, got to the Promised Land.”
“Anyone who will become a leader will always be courageous. You must not look down on or underrate yourself. You must stand upon the platform of living faith. Faith waves evil; it is not just faith that does it but faith in the word of God,” he added.
Comparing faith and fasting, the General Superintendent observed that many notable miracles in Scripture were enabled by the faith of leaders.
“It was not fasting that parted Jordan and the Red sea, rather it was faith in the word of God,” he said.
He balanced the point, noting, “Fasting is a necessity for every Christian, but faith works better. What you believe is what you become.”
Citing Joshua 1:8, he encouraged ministers to emulate Joshua by prioritizing God's word.
“Imitate Joshua marking it that ‘this book of the law’, not anointing oil and water, does not depart from you. Though they are our inheritances but we must not be foolish. Oil stands for the Holy Spirit while the water stands for God’s word. You need to understand it beyond its usage. That is when it can work for you and you become a successful leader,” he explained.
On the point of imitation, the General Superintendent emphasized the importance of taking exemplary models from Scripture, saying, “Unless we imitate the imitative people in the Bible, who happen to be our predecessors, it is then we become imitative in leadership matters; this is why all the time we always ask, who is your mentor? Is it Moses, Joshua, Paul, Jesus Christ, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola or we who succeeded them.”
Citing Deuteronomy 34:9, he emphasized that a good leader must have a worthy successor, noting that Joshua was full of the Spirit of wisdom because Moses, his predecessor, had laid hands on him, demonstrating the importance of intentional leadership transfer.
He challenged participants, saying, “Before we go to theological or other proofs of learning, ask yourself if you have become a recipient of the laying on of hands – be it through the words of Moses according to God, the word of Joshua, the spoken word of Elijah, or others, even Jesus Christ through the Holy Scripture.”
He emphasized that this symbolic act, as seen in Moses laying hands on Joshua, paved the way for Joshua's success as a leader by removing ignorance, foolishness, pride, and other impediments.
Further emphasizing the importance of spiritual connection as a necessity for successful leadership, he admonished ministers to remain grafted in Christ, referencing John 15:5.
“If you do not abide in Him, you cannot be successful. You are already in the church, but when will you find yourself engrafted in Jesus?”
Emphasizing the crucial role of the Holy Spirit, Pastor Odejobi also reminded the ministers that before the disciples became successful leaders, Jesus instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit, after which they would become witnesses—leaders—from their homes to the uttermost parts of the earth, a pattern they too should emulate in their ministerial endeavors.