Being close to God is important to almost every Nigerian person. Everyone needs that sense of stability, and, for many people, it is found in religion. Pastors, in this case, are akin to guides in the spiritual world that are there to lead you to the light. And as many people are in need of guidance and are ready to pay for it, pastors can become quite rich during the years of their service. Today, we will tell you about a pastor who outdid all of his colleagues and became the world richest pastor.
Have you ever asked yourself: ‘Who is the richest pastor in the world?’. If yes, then you can finally relax, as we have the answer for you. Are you ready? The richest pastor in the world is David Oyedepo. Lean more about him below.
Biography of David Oyedepo
David Olaniyi Oyedepo was born on September 27, 1954 in Osogbo, Nigeria. From his early years, he was surrounded by religion. His father was a practicing Muslim healer; his mother was a member of C&S movement (Cherubim and Seraphim). His grandmother, however, was the one that turned young David to Christianity. She raised him in Osogbo, introduced him to the teachings of Christ, and taught him to pay a tithe.
In 1969, David became born again. He was influenced by his schoolteacher Betty Lasher. After that, he went to study architecture at the state polytechnic in Kwara. Before fully devoting himself to missionary work, Oyedepo worked at the Ilorin Federal Ministry of Housing. He also has a PhD degree in Human Development, which he received at Honolulu University in the US.
Then, in 1981, God came to David and told him to spread His word. David obeyed and created his first church under the name of Liberation Faith Hour Ministries, later known as Living Faith Church World Wide. In 1983, David and his wife Florence (or Faith) were ordained as pastors by Enoch Adeboye. And in 1988, David became a Bishop.
David Oyedepo church
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The first church created by Oyedepo saw its birth in Kaduna, but it later moved to Lagos to open up another branch. David claimed that God told him to spread His word to the Lagosian people.
Nowadays, David has way more than just one church. He is the CEO of DOMI (David Oyedepo Ministries International). This organization unites most (if not all) of his enterprises, like the network of churches, Dominion Publishing house, Social Development Missions, Covenant University, World Mission Agency and many more.
His church network is spanning all over Africa and several countries outside of it. David is responsible for having a Guinness World Record church by the name of Faith Tabernacle. It seats 50 thousand people; the building and grounds (collectively called Canaanland) take more than 20 square kilometers of land in Ota, Ogun State.
Apart from the church building, there is also a university with a campus and several other educational institutions. In 2012, the size of Canaanland increased even more. Now it is called Canaan City, and it covers more than 60 square kilometers.
David is a chairperson of his own publishing house we mentioned earlier. Under its name, he published more than 70 books and pamphlets on religion and motivation. Some of them include Winning Prayer, The Blood Triumph, Success Strategies and many more.
David is responsible for pioneering the Christian charismatic movement. His preaches are incredibly powerful, although sometimes he gets too carried away and might get physical. It is said that once he screamed at a woman who claimed to be ‘the witch of God’, and he got so heated he almost assaulted her.
On the topic of politics, Oyedepo stated multiple times that he did not condone the situation with corruption in Africa. He also criticized poor leadership qualities of African governments.
His parishioners love him so much they created a holiday in his honor. September 27 every year is considered a Day of Service in the name of David Oyedepo. On this day, anyone willing should give back to their community, be it to individuals or to society as a whole.
He is happily married to a wonderful woman Faith Abiola Oyedepo. They have been together for 35 years. Together, they have four children: David Oyedepo Junior, Isaac Oyedepo, Love Oyedepo Ogah and Joys Oyedepo. Two of his sons are also pastors. David Junior is the pastor of the Faith Tabernacle church, and Isaac is a pastor a Winners’ chapel International in Logocoma, Abuja.
David Oyedepo net worth
According to gazettereview.com, the latest numbers state that David Oyedepo’s net worth reaches an enormous amount of $150 million. However, when you think about it, this number is not that surprising. The sole Winners’ Chapel probably brings in the revenue most of us cannot even imagine. And he has churches in more than 40 different countries, including churches in the United States and the United Kingdom.
What is good to know is that he does not waste all the money he has on himself. Of course, no one could be this rich and not own a couple of mansions and private jets. However, David is also responsible for developing many schools, hospitals and other vital institutions. He does not hoard his money, but shares it with his parish by giving out grants. What is left in the end, he invests in real estate, which is a very smart move in our day and age.
Even though he is considered richest pastor in world, David stays humble, gives back to his community and never flashes his wealth. He is an open, kind and honest person who has helped so many people and who will surely help many more. God bless you David, and may Lord give you strength to not stray from your righteous path.
Source: gazettereview.com
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