The Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) is preparing for a significant leadership transition as its two Vice Presidents, Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, are set to retire after serving for over four and three decades, respectively.
Sources within the church, including an anonymous pastor, confirmed the impending retirements to Punch on Thursday.
This move aligns with the church’s operational manual, known as The Mandate, which recently revised the retirement age for its leadership from 60 to 55 years.
Church members have speculated that the retirements will coincide with celebrations for Bishop David Oyedepo’s birthday.
One congregant stated, “We have heard that Bishop Abioye and Bishop Aremu will leave during the Bishop Oyedepo birthday celebration. That is the new law in the church; only Bishop Oyedepo can remain in his position for life. One of the two bishops has even been considering leaving for a while, so this is not news to some of us in the church.”
Bishop Abioye is currently 63 years old, while Bishop Aremu is 67. Under the new policy, only the church’s founder, Bishop Oyedepo, will be permitted to serve beyond the specified age limit, while future leaders will be allowed to serve one or two terms of seven years each, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.
According to Church Times, farewell services will be organized for the two bishops at their respective locations. Bishop Abioye’s valedictory service is scheduled for Friday, October 18, 2024, at the Durumi branch in Abuja, while Bishop Aremu’s farewell will take place on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at LFC Basorun in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Bishop Abioye, the current Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Goshen City in Abuja, has a long-standing relationship with Bishop Oyedepo, dating back to 1979. He led one of the church’s five pioneer branches in 1987 and was consecrated as a bishop in 1993 at the age of 32.
Bishop Aremu transitioned to full-time ministry after a successful career in accounting and was among the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999 at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna.