PERSONALITY INTERVIEW: MEET REVEREND (DR.) ADOLPHUS AYANACHO, THE GENERAL OVERSEER OF GOSPEL BELIEVER'S MISSION

Reverend (Dr.) Adolphus Ayanacho is the Senior pastor and presiding general overseer of Gospel Believers Mission. A dynamic minister of God with proven experiences in the ministry over the decade, spoke about his call into the ministry; the church of today; and some issues of national value. Courtesy of Tribune correspondent, Mathew Asabor.

Excerpts:

When were you called into the ministry?

I was called into ministry in 1977. However, again you know in those days, it was hard to know if you were called into the ministry because salvation and preaching were embedded together. Even when one was not yet a professional pastor, you had started preaching. When you talk of officially, I would say between 1977 and 1978.

When did you become a General Overseer?

I started with a group called Bible Study Group and it metamorphosed into the Gospel Believers Mission. It was established in 1979 but registered with the CAC in 1986. For now, we have 10 branches across the country.

What has been the greatest challenge since you joined the ministry 37 years ago?

The challenges are enormous, but the most painful is the disappointment one encounters when those you trusted and had confidence in, end up disappointing you. It also happened to Jesus Christ.

Your funniest experience?

There was the case of someone who was given assistance when he wanted to get married. However, after thanksgiving, the next Sunday, it was heard that he had left the ministry. That experience hurt deeply.

How is the relationship between you and your pastors?

Some leave the church to establish theirs, but to me, it is a non-issue because most times, they come back to me. Some even come around during our convention and participate. I believe they have reasons for the actions they took. The important thing is that we are all going to meet in heaven after all, the church does not belong to me, but God and we are going to give account of our stewardship. The day the church begins to give me headache, then it has become my personal property and the truth is, it is not my personal property. There was a time whenever I travelled out of Lagos, I would be concerned about the church, praying morning and night for the church. Not anymore. Why? It is not my church; the owner is there taking charge of the activities. This is one thing most pastors should know and come to terms with.

Were there times your pastors were caught mismanaging funds?

Yes, there were, but we didn’t take them as an issue by blowing it beyond proportion.

Did it have effect on the church?

Of course yes. No matter how small the money is, it would still have an effect.

Are there now machineries in place to check this?

Yes, there are, we have monthly returns.

How has the current economic situation affected the church?

In the area of finances. That is why I’m surprised people are debating on tithes collected in the church. For instance, there are many applicants in the church and you don’t expect them to pay tithes. The church has to support them in its own little way and the church is also actively involved in taking care of widows. That is why I’m surprised about the whole tithe drama, because we know how much we spend just for people to come to church because they are unemployed. Those who are distressed go to the church to complain and not radio stations. Those who are retrenched don’t go to television houses, but the church. The church cares more for people outside the government.

What role do you think the church can play to ameliorate the current economic situation?

One of the roles is to pray for the government, because if there is peace in the nation, the church will strive. Radio Elwa was used then in Liberia to propagate the gospel. As soon as Charles Taylor got hold of power, he seized and converted it to his official radio he used in carrying out his activities. So, if there was no peace, most churches would close down. That is why we pray fervently for the country, for peace to reign. We help people and when the government needs advice they come to us. Sincerely, we are the ones building the nation, but it is pathetic that they use one or two examples to generalise.

The last program we held in Igbesa, Ogun State, hundreds of people came for free medical check up and drugs were also distributed for free. Medical doctors were on ground. We bought drugs worth hundreds of thousands. We attended to youths within that community. To be candid, the church needs money more than government. Maybe that may be another controversial statement because we are at the grassroots. Government needs to come down to grassroots. There was a time we organised an empowerment seminar but they thought we would give them money. However, we told them to suggest small-scale businesses they could do, then we would support them by purchseing the goods they needed to begin the business. By the third day of the seminar, the hall was empty, because what they wanted was money to eat and feed their children. That is to tell you how the current situation in the country is.

There are calls from some quarters that church should pay tax. What is your take on this?

I do not support that. The church is a charity organisation. Churches that really have money are not more 2%. Can one now use that as a generalisation for others? If they want to tax the church, are they going to tax the members’ tithes or what? There are times that the needs in the church outweigh the money generated. You can say some pastors have private jets, send their children to the best schools with money from tithes. How many of them compare to thousands of pastors we have in the country? Even though they try to tax a church, I don’t see the possibility.

What your advice to up-and-coming senior pastors and general overseers?

They should focus on the assignment God has given to them because He is capable of taking care of them.