The Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, is set to witness a significant shift in its leadership as two of its senior bishops, David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, prepare to retire after decades of service. The news follows a revision of the church’s operational manual, The Mandate, which has lowered the retirement age from 60 to 55.
Multiple sources within the church, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the forthcoming retirements. Bishop David Abioye, 63, and Bishop Thomas Aremu, 67, are both scheduled to step down as part of celebrations marking the birthday of the church’s founder, Bishop David Oyedepo, later this month. One church member at the headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, remarked, “We’ve heard that Bishop Abioye and Bishop Aremu will retire during the birthday celebration. The new rule only allows Bishop Oyedepo to remain in his position for life. This decision has been expected for some time.”
The planned retirement of the two bishops follows the new church guidelines, which stipulate that future leaders can only serve for a maximum of two seven-year terms, subject to approval from the Board of Trustees. However, the new age limit does not apply to the church’s founder, who is permitted to serve for life.
Bishop Abioye, currently based in Abuja as the Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Goshen City, first met Bishop Oyedepo in 1979 and has been a close associate ever since. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1993 at just 32 years old, and later became one of the church’s five pioneering branch leaders. Meanwhile, Bishop Aremu, who transitioned from a successful career in accounting to full-time ministry, was consecrated in 1999 and has since served in various leadership roles, most recently in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Valedictory services have been scheduled to honour the two bishops. Bishop Abioye’s farewell will take place in Abuja on Friday, October 18, 2024, while Bishop Aremu’s service will be held at Living Faith Church Basorun in Ibadan on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
Efforts to reach the church’s media officials for further confirmation were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered. Nonetheless, insiders indicate that the transition has been carefully planned and is in line with the church’s ongoing effort to ensure a smooth succession process for its top leadership.
As the two senior bishops prepare to step aside, it marks the end of an era for the megachurch, which has grown into one of Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal movements under the leadership of Bishop Oyedepo and his trusted deputies. Only time will tell how these changes will shape the future of Winners Chapel.
