By this 2006 convention, SURE WORD ASSEMBLY is eight years old. How has the journey been?
Quite fulfilling, even if sometimes challenging. We have found God very faithful. I had no ambition to plant a Church until He gave the vision. I'm glad to tell you that He has backed us all the way. We are not struggling to do ministry. We are just having a wonderful ride on the wings of grace.
You make it sound so interesting....
Of course, it is. It's the best assignment on earth. For those who do not know, our journey as a Church started on Friday, July 2, 1998 in a tiny, dingy room of a brothel along Ago Palace way, Okota. From three members and three "sympathizers" in our first service, we have grown to hundreds of worshipers in our two-session Sunday services. We are aggressively reaching the world through our television ministry, tracts, books, music, internet and so on. There is amazing momentum. The vision is exploding before our eyes. But nothing we have seen compares in anyway to the harvest that is coming. The limits have fallen... we are about to witness a visitation that will make us a reference point.
What is the secret of your success in ministry, sir?
The grace of God. You will not understand that until you know where I'm coming from. I was not a ministry material at all. If I were calling people into ministry, I wouldn't have called myself. But that is the beauty of God's grace. He called me and said to me, "though your strength is small, I will use you." So for me, it is just common sense to depend on Him. That is also why I do mostly the things I have grace for.
You certainly have grace for excellence. One cannot fail to notice the beauty of your environment, the sheer orderliness of your services and even the quality of your printed materials. Is this deliberate?
Yes, it is. Excellence is one of our core values. We believe that since we serve an excellent God, nothing but the best is good enough. So we try to do things well no matter the cost. And we are teaching our people to live a life of excellence not only in Church, but at home and in their offices and shops.
How is a typical Sunday service in SURE WORD ASSEMBLY?
Awesome! In fact, some Sundays when we are through, I say to my wife, "if everybody in Lagos knew what a great time we had here they wouldn't miss the next service." We give a lot of attention to the Word and worship. You know, my wife is a music minister so the music element is strong. We make regular altar calls and minister to the sick.
We notice that a lot of people are involved in your services....
That's true. The difference between our Church and Churches where the pastor does everything is that we are growing leaders while they are growing followers. One thing you can say about our Church is that God has blessed us with committed men and women. Some of them were pastors before they came here. God did not bring them to warm the pews but to be a vital part of the work-force. And more are still coming. Our vision is to turn seekers into members, members into leaders and leaders into ministers.
| My wife and I are real. We do not try to be anyone but ourselves. We know each other and appreciate who we are. Above all, we are both sold out to serving God; and we know that the best way is together. |
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What is your vision for the next twelve months?
From being a non-descript Church by the street corner, SURE WORD ASSEMBLY has become a visible member of Okota community. Speaking modestly, you wouldn't name ten Churches in our community without mentioning us. In one year, I see us becoming a city Church - Lagos being the city. Our television broadcast shall extend to thirty minutes per slot. We shall do more to take the gospel to the people. We have the men, the passion and God will give the provision.
In the next twelve months, this Church will seat not less than one thousand worshipers on a Sunday morning, God helping us. Of course, that means running more than two services. We shall also make substantial progress in the building of Champions Cathedral, our ultra-modem multi-purpose facility.
Our Leadership School shall be standardized to raise leaders for the body of Christ and the nation. I hope to release my long awaited book on financial prosperity. I could go on and on.
You and your wife, Pastor Aity are a wonderful ministry couple. You flow in such understanding and harmony which is rare. What is the secret?
Thanks for the compliment. First, my wife and I are friends and have chosen to so remain. I don't try to boss her even though in the office I am her boss (laughter). She has the more difficult job of wearing many caps and knowing how to switch them - wife, staff, associate pastor and friend.
We also recognize the gifting in each other and how each is contributing to our lives. So we give each other room to soar and that's some freedom. My wife and I are real. We do not try to be anyone but ourselves. We know each other and appreciate who we are. Above all, we are both sold out to serving God; and we know that the best way is together.
Permit us to digress from ministry. We notice in the welcome brochure that you were a politician and a business man. Tell us your experiences, sir.
Which of them first?
Politics. Why did you quit?
Who told you I've quit? (laughter). Anyway, I went into politics because I was dissatisfied with the way my people were governed and felt that rather than criticize from outside, I should enter the fray and provide an alternative. It was a good experience. I learnt a lot. It gave me a little insight into how Nigeria is run. Today, I pastor politicians better because I have some understanding of the terrain. When it was time, God redirected my concern for people by calling me into the pastoral ministry. It's still about serving people but while politics focuses on mundane things like power supply, good roads, health care, and so on, my assignment is to reconcile people to God and help them to live by God's Word.
So do you encourage Christians to go into politics?
Very well. I believe there are people anointed for that the corridors of power. If God calls and anoints them, nobody can stop them.
Tell us your experience in business.
My dream at a time was to build a business empire, make a lot of money and support the gospel. I succeeded in starting a couple of companies. The one I loved most was Gibraltar , an advertising agency from were I left for full-time ministry. I cannot say I made millions-of naira but I gained lots of experience which have helped me to effectively pastor business people. If you notice, we have a lot of business people here; that's not an accident.
As you know, one of my favourite subjects is How to Start Your Business with Little or No Money. Besides research, I have a great wealth of experience there. Generally speaking, I have a very strong ministry to the business class. I believe that is why God also allowed me to go into business before the call.
Apart from pastoring, do you do any other thing?
Yes. I travel around to speak in conferences and seminars. I also assist various organizations in business and leadership development.
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See pictures of Convention 2006 on www.xtophotos.net |
