For some time now, the Assemblies of God Church has been embroiled in what looks like an irreconcilable fraternal controversy – to the extent that even the Supreme Court’s judgment on the issue has not helped matters.
To date, the factions that were created before the judgment are yet to come to terms on the leadership of the church.
However, efforts are on top gear by the church’s council to bring the two warring parties to a roundtable.
Speaking to Sunday Sun, in Abuja, at his 60th birthday, the District Superintendent, Abuja-East District and Executive Committee member, Assemblies of God Nigeria, Reverend Emmanuel Ottah, acknowledged the fact that the church has been fragmented, but efforts are in top gear to resolve the matter.
The reverend used the occasion to speak on other disturbing issues such as why men of God should hold political offices, secrets behind his youthful look at 60 and the docility of religious bodies in the country concerning the religious crises in the country. Excerpt:
Why is Assemblies of God’s Church still enmeshed in controversy even after Supreme Court’s ruling?
It’s true when you say that the church has been fragmented. It’s also true to say that the enemy cannot come into a place he has not seen something good happening. If the enemy does not see something to destroy it cannot come in. It’s tantamount to wasting his time. I remember also that the Bible has warned us about the things that will happen at the end-time. Let me also point out this. Assemblies of God’s crisis is not an isolated case. It’s not a peculiar case. Crisis in churches and denominations are a sign that we are in the end-times. That is not to say that I love the fragmentation that came as a result of the crisis. But what I am saying is that the enemy cannot come to a place where there’s nothing good. As for where I belong, I belong to the mainstream of the church. That’s the general council.
General Council headed by who?
Presently, every four years we subject ourselves to change of leadership. Presently, the church is headed by Reverend (Dr) Abel Ukachi Amadi. There was a problem. Our former General Superintendent, Reverend (Dr) Paul Emeka was suspended and he went to court and the Supreme Court has given a ruling that the church was right in the suspension. Emeka went to court saying that his fundamental human right was breached when he was suspended and the court ruled that that was not a fundamental human right. So, it upheld the suspension. So, the Supreme Court has ruled on it even though the court case shouldn’t have been in the first place because it’s not part of our mechanism for settling any dispute.
Why did he go ahead to have his own faction despite the Supreme Court’s ruling?
You can subsist in rebellion. It’s also up to the church to find ways of settling issues since it has got to the highest court of the land. Every other avenue is still being explored to ensure that the church remains one. The church has always been open to every other dispute resolution mechanism.
If he was not right, why does he have followers?
Anybody can have followers even when he is wrong. Anybody can have followers. We have had changes of leadership since that time and the church is currently led by Dr Abel Ukachi Amadi. Every four years, leadership is validated. That’s the way Assemblies of God’s Church is structured. Every four years there’s an election at the national level.
As a spiritual body, should its case be decided by people from other faiths?
That’s the point. He touched on the fundamental course of this issue. One person in the name of General Superintendent took the church to court in the guise that his fundamental human right was violated. It’s against our church policy for any member to take another member to court much more when an individual will take an entire body of the Lord to court. And because the church knows that our rule has been violated, that’s why the General Council got embroiled. An individual took the church to court and since it happened that way, the case must be resolved.
Is it the faction or an individual that took the church to court?
It’s not a faction. It’s an individual. But when it happens this way there must be people that will follow one group or the other. That was what happened. Efforts are ongoing to settle the issue. Even the key man on the other side is making efforts to bring about the resolution of the issue.
Will it be right to say that there’s a level of indiscipline in Assemblies of God’s Church?
No. It will be too wrong to conclude it that way. Every church has its problems. But some of these denominations might know how they are controlling their own because we are in end-times. It will be wrong and it will be a disservice to the cause of the lord to say that the Assemblies of God is indisciplined. These are parts of end-times. The contribution of this denomination to national development cannot be over-emphasised. So, Assemblies of God is far from being indisciplined. It’s just the enemy that’s at work. In fact, even other denominations, especially the pentecostal body should also be very careful in the way they interpret what is happening in the Assemblies of God’s Church because it’s possible that it’s because of the impact of the church that the church is facing this crisis. So, for any denomination to take advantage of the situation or to talk ill about the denomination is a very wrong thing because it can be anybody’s turn tomorrow.
Where do you think Assemblies of God’s Church will be in the next five years?
I will say that there’s a kind of new wave of renaissance coming on the church. The church has suffered the impact of seeing her young ones leaving it, but we are coming out with a policy of rebranding the church in a way as to bring back our young ones and then give them the right place even in the polity of the church. So, the church is rebranding so as to accommodate our young ones to stem the mass exodus of our young persons. One of the policies we are putting in place is ensuring that our young persons in the Diaspora are put together. We are taking an inventory through our local churches. As many of those that have left the shores of this country, and because they did not see an indigenous Assemblies of Church they were swallowed up in other churches. We have a mechanism of bringing them together right now so that through them we’ll establish indigenous churches there. Other Nigerian churches have branches abroad because they followed this mechanism.
Does it mean that Assemblies of God’s Church has no branches outside Nigeria?
We have branches abroad like in Benin Republic. Assemblies of God’s Church is a global church. We have Assemblies of God in the United States. In fact, Assemblies of God’s Church started in the United States. But the Assemblies of God’s Church, Nigeria started indigenously in Nigeria. When the Assemblies of God started in Nigeria, there was no pentecostal experience. So, they wrote to some churches outside. It was the Assemblies of God’s Church in US that responded to them and sent missionaries to them. And the church that started in Nigeria comprised young people who were filled in the Holy Ghost. They didn’t even have the intention of forming a church. It was when those people arrived that the church acquired its name after the name of the US church. Yes, there are Assemblies of God’s churches all over the world, but there’s no Nigerian Assemblies of God’s Church in the Diaspora. However, Assemblies of God has branches abroad, but it has not been a policy to establish churches abroad.
Why are religious bodies docile in things concerning christians such as religious crises in Nigeria?
Religious bodies should work more concertedly, more together than they are doing at present so as to speak with one voice because even at Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) you find that even though the PFN is a kind of umbrella that brings pentecostal churches together, definitely when it comes to denominational interest, most of the time you find out that denominational interest overrides collective pentecostal interest. So, if the PFN can come together as a block, fight the cause of Christ, definitely it will become a stronger force and by becoming a stronger force, the governments and other groups will give it more attention. Most of the time, denominational interest overrides collective interest.
What is your position concerning the various hostilities in Nigeria?
The government, for long, has left various crises to fester in the country. Some are ethnic, some are communal, some are religious, and some are political. Why should anyone wear religious garb to perpetuate the killing of human beings? It is evil to take the life of anyone. It is only the government that is permitted to kill in order to protect the society as well as to maintain law and order. Societies elect governments so that they could promote the interest of the larger society. Any government that looks the other way while crisis persists is not only a failure, but also an accomplice. The endemic crises we have been witnessing in the country show an absent government, a government that had abdicated its responsibilities. We pray for the restoration of peace and order in the country. That is the minimum required for the nation to make tangible progress.
There are some big churches that are not in PFN? Is it a show of superiority?
All these are combined to indicate that there are denominations that are not in PFN. Pride is one of it. Show of superiority is one of it. Personal denominational interest could be part of it. And many other factors could be part of it. It is unbelievable to understand that when an evil is taking place in the society, you find out that some are speaking vehemently against it while others are silent about it. How do you explain it? It’s because of all these things (mentioned above). But the Lord told us in John’s gospel Chapter 17. He said that they may be one. That the church may be one even as God the father and the son are one.
Do you believe that men of God should enter into politics?
Yes. Several years ago when I was doing my diploma, it became a heated argument in the school. Should a believer go into politics?
I was of the strong opinion that believers should enter into politics. The reason we are having problems today in this country is because, initially, children of God were running away from politics. If right from the onset they began to enter into politics things will not be the way they are today. As the scripture says, when the righteous are on the throne the people rejoice. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. While we are here on earth the Lord Jesus Christ said that we should go into the world and preach the gospel. We can preach the gospel using the platform of political offices. That’s what the moslems are doing. They are propagating their religion everywhere. We can also propagate our religion. And if actually the believers entering into politics will show that light others will come to learn. There are many ways that people can come to learn. There are those who learn by teaching. There are those who learn by observation. So, we left the terrain for the ungodly, for the unbelievers to occupy. That’s why we are having the problems we are having today. The scripture says, go I am with you to the end of the age. We should not relinquish political positions for the ungodly.
How come Christians in political positions also fail?
What has made them to fail is the overwhelming situations they have found themselves. For instance, if right from the onset in Nigeria the Godly had begun to delve into politics by this time you would have found so many of them there. There’s this adage that says: if you cannot beat them you join them. I think what actually they passed through in politics is because they are overwhelmed by evil people around them pressuring them into doing the wrong. But then, that doesn’t mean that attempts should not be made by the Christians to continue to push in. As they keep pushing in, they will begin to grow in numbers. As they grow in numbers, the scripture says iron sharpeneth iron. If, for instance, you find yourself in a very dirty environment God doesn’t forbid you being in that environment because in the first place the reason it’s dirty is that His children have not gone in there. But as you keep pushing, someone else comes and joins you, another one comes again and again. As the light comes in darkness disappears. So far as we are in the world, even though we are late in delving into politics we should keep pushing. And those of them that are called believers that are there, we may not know what they are facing. Our responsibility is to keep on praying for them because the pressure is much on them.
How do you feel at 60?
I feel very great. It’s not easy to clock 60, especially given the difficult challenges that Nigerian citizens have been going through. In a country where the average life expectancy is about 55 or even lower, it is a privilege to clock 60 years. I don’t take the grace and mercies of God for granted. Therefore, I’m elated and I give all the glory to God for enabling me to reach this landmark age, surpassing the average life expectancy in our nation. It’s a wonderful experience, my brother.
Talking about low life expectancy, what do you think can be done to increase this ratio in the country?
We need to look at the things that cause early death. I believe anxiety is part of it. Many people are anxious about their present situations in life and even their future. There’s this drive to achieve success, even overnight. It will be good that people should know that no one can outrun God. People should base their lives on God and wait for Him. Trust in God will check anxiety. Overnight success is not natural. It is also not logical. A life anchored on God can check the tendency. Today, we have a lot of persons suffering from high blood pressure, psychological trauma, and the like. These conditions can be checked if we are more God-centered. If we have people who really put their faith in God, the country’s life expectancy ratio will naturally go up. This is my thought and advice, anyway.
Is it not because leaders have failed Nigerians that they are anxious? You seem to remove responsibility from the government and religious leaders?
I am not removing responsibility from our political elite and leadership. It’s obvious that people respond to stimuli and people must respond to it. My point is that if we listen more to the word of God, we can circumvent some of the challenges that we find in our country. If we rely more on the Lord, He will not disappoint us despite the challenging circumstances. That’s my point.
It’s obvious that people end up with health challenges while responding negatively to the challenges they find in the environment. This affects our life expectancy. The Lord Jesus Christ told us that in this world, we would have trouble. However, He asked us to cheer up because He had overcome the world. In other words, he was saying: Depend upon me and I will take care of you. So, I am actually not exonerating the leadership class. They have contributed much to the circumstances that we have found ourselves. However, in the face of all these, if we’ll depend on God, He will take care of us. We will have that inner peace within us that will enable us overcome the challenges of our environment.
What’s the secret behind your youthful look?
Thank you for the compliment. If you say I look younger, then it buttresses what I have been saying. To be candid, I used to be very rough and very ambitious. I had designed to achieve a lot of things. I had my own vision of how I wanted to succeed in life. But along the line, by the mercies of God, I had an encounter with Jesus Christ. And that encounter I had with Christ changed my perspective about life. Right from then, I began to rest on the Lord. I began to depend upon Him. In my 60 years of life, I have passed through turbulence. I have had and experienced difficult situations, but since I knew the Lord ( from 1991 till date), I have learnt to depend upon Him. So, if I am looking younger than 60, it’s because of the secret I have discovered to rest upon the Lord.
What is the demand of the church from the new government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
What else are Nigerians asking for apart from good governance, law and order, peace and progress? What Nigerians have been clamouring for are so basic and fundamental that they don’t need to ask for them. They are things that have been taken for granted in saner climes. In fact, they are things that are basic to human existence. Do you need to ask for the fundamental right to live as a human being, the freedom to associate and assemble, the liberty to travel and not be kidnapped? People go to vote and are maimed. Nobody is held accountable. Then, why do we have a government? Put in other words, why do we have a state? People that are elected to govern at all levels should govern rather than pursue narrow objectives.
Source: The Sun
