General Overseer (Worldwide) of the Redeemed Christian Church
of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has warned the Federal Government to stop meddling in church matters, Daily Post reports.
A new legal requirement set up by our Government through its Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, forced Pastor Adeboye to retire as the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God over the weekend..
The new rule which guides all registered churches and mosques stipulates that leaders of all religious organizations should have a maximum period of 20 years to lead their organizations. And as they retire, they are not allowed to handover to a family member.
This new development will also affect the likes of Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Ministries, Pastor Williams Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry and others. Should the Federal Government have gotten involved? Please share your thoughts.
Adeboye, who spoke yesterday at the Redemption Camp, Kilometre 46, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, expressed worries over deliberate anti-Christian laws by the Federal Government against Christians.
“The government has been showing increasing interest in church affairs. Unfortunately, for us in RCCG, it might not be very helpful,” Adeboye said.
He accused the government of not allowing the church (RCCG) to continue with its stipulated lifetime 100 per cent salaries to its pensioners.
“For example, when I decided on what will be the pension of our pastors, what I decided is not done anywhere in the world. That somebody will retire and continue to earn full salaries all his lifetime.
This, I started, but government stepped in and made a law that we should be contributing to pension fund.
We have to obey and we started doing that. The result is that pastors don’t get as much as they were getting under our own previous arrangement. But, what can we do? We have to obey the law,” he disclosed.
Adeboye disclosed that other fresh laws had been enacted by the government to ruffle the feathers of the church in the country, with a particularly targeted at the RCCG.
Adeboye also urged members of RCCG to register as card-carrying members of political parties ahead 2019 general elections.
His words:
“Now there are fresh laws. We have a rough idea of what the law is about.
Some people believe that RCCG is becoming too influential and we’re going to be more influential. When you get home, tell members to join a political party.
Join a party and become a card-carrying member of any party. Just join any party. We shall decide issues right from the ward level.
If you are not active at ward level, you’ll do what they plan and say at the top. Enrol in any party of your choice and have a card. When holding meetings at ward level to choose delegates, be there.
One Muslim in Ibadan said years ago that he didn’t know what’s wrong with Christians; that we help them to occupy political positions and refused to capitalise on our population. That’s going to change from now,” Adeboye stated.
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