The Living Faith Church Worldwide was founded by Nigerian preacher David Oyedepo Kelechim Anaekwe Tunji Adeyinka, who was born on September 27, 1954. He is also the Presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State. Another name for the church is Winners’ Chapel International.
More than 300 cities, every state in Nigeria, a number of cities in 45 African countries, Dubai, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, the United States, and Canada are home to the Winners’ Chapel International network of churches.
Oyedepo is considered to be one of the most prominent preachers to come out of Nigeria and one of the founders of the Christian charismatic movement in Africa. In 2011, Forbes magazine called him Nigeria’s richest pastor. He serves as chancellor of Covenant University and Landmark University.
Bishop David Oyedepo
Although David Olaniyi Oyedepo was born in Osogbo, Nigeria, on September 27, 1954, he is originally from Omu-Aran, which is in the Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. A mixed-religious family reared him. His father, Ibrahim, was a Muslim healer. His mother, Dorcas, belonged to the Nigerian Aladura movement’s branch, the Holy Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (C&S). His grandmother, who reared him in Osogbo, taught him the values of Christianity through early morning prayers that she accompanied him to. He learned the value of tithing from her as well.
After completing high school, Oyedepo pursued his academic career. He continued his education at the Polytechnic of Ibadan, where he studied architecture. Oyedepo developed a desire for preaching while attending the Polytechnic and got involved in Christian activities.
Oyedepo attended the University of Lagos to pursue a Master’s degree in architecture after graduating from the Polytechnic. During this period, he also kept up his involvement in Christian ministry.
Oyedepo’s career in architecture was rather short-lived. After obtaining his Master’s degree, he worked as an architect for a few years. But he quickly discovered that ministry was his actual vocation.
Oyedepo established Winners’ Chapel International, commonly known as the Living Faith Church Worldwide, in 1981. The church began modestly but soon expanded into a megachurch with locations throughout Nigeria and a number of other nations. The church’s presiding bishop, Oyedepo, is well-known for his eloquent sermons and focus on prosperity theology.
Winners’ Chapel International
David Oyedepo claims that he was reborn on February 15, 1969, at the age of 15, as a result of the impact of Ms. Betty Lasher (1930–2022), a teacher who had taken an interest in him while he was in high school. He claims that between May 1 and 2, 1981, he had an 18-hour vision in which God gave him a mandate.
He claimed to have seen a line of beaten, torn, deformed, and afflicted people wailing for help in the vision. “Lord, what is this?” he kept asking, and he started crying with them. When he asked, “but why Lord?” , God replied, “And from the beginning it was not so, and now the hour has come to liberate the world from all oppressions of the devil, through the preaching of the Word of faith; and I AM sending you to undertake this task.” This was the original idea for the establishment of Living Faith Church World Wide (LFCWW), then known as Faith Liberation Hour, in 1981.
He called a meeting on May 8, 1981, a few days after receiving the vision, and recounted it to his companions. His “Power House” would eventually consist of over 70 young men and women who joined him in a chain of prayer and fasting in hopes of seeing the vision he had been given by God. The Power House operated from May 1981 until the official opening of the Living Faith Church in September 1983. Bishop David A. Abioye and his fiancée, Sister Faith Abiola, were prominent members of the Power House.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, formally commissioned the new church on September 17, 1983, and ordained David and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano (also known as Faith Abiola Oyedepo), as pastors. The late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Oyedepo’s life mentor, ordained him as a bishop five years later.
In July 1989, Oyedepo claimed to have received divine orders to reach out to the people of Lagos, therefore the Living Faith Church (also known as Winners Chapel International) moved from Kaduna to Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, to establish a new branch.
Oyedepo has a net worth of more than $150 million, making him the richest pastor in the world, according to Forbes. The church owns a number of structures, including ones in the US and London, as well as four private aircraft. In addition to magazines, Oyedepo is a publisher and author who has authored over 70 volumes. He serves as the chairman or publisher of the ministry’s publishing division, Dominion Publishing House (DPH). To far, DPH has more than 4 million prints in use. Covenant University, Faith Academy, and Kingdom Heritage Model Schools were founded by Oyedepo to prepare the next generation for worldwide influence. Crown institution, a third institution, is now under construction in Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria.
In order to accommodate the growing number of worshippers, Oyedepo asserted in 1998 that he had received divine instructions to construct a new base for the commission. As a result, the original 530-acre (2.1 km2) facility, called Canaanland, which currently serves as the headquarters, was acquired by Oyedepo’s church. The ‘Faith Tabernacle’, a 50,000-seat auditorium, is located there. The Guinness Book of Records also documented this accomplishment.
The construction was finished in a year. Additionally, it was reported that this structure was constructed debt-free. On September 18, 1999, this 50,000-seat facility was dedicated.
Canaanland
The 50,000-seat auditorium, the church secretariat, the youth chapel, a primary school called Kingdom Heritage Model School, a full-boarding mission secondary school called Faith Academy, which has over 1,500 students, and Covenant University facilities, which house over 7,000 students in fully furnished faculty buildings and a plethora of staff housing facilities, are all located on the 5,000-acre (20 km2) estate and campus in Ota, Ogun State. A bakery, a bottled water processing plant, a gas station, a number of eateries and retail stores, and a number of residential buildings that house the more than 2,000 church staff members and guesthouses are among the for-profit businesses run by the church on the Canaanland site.
There are four banks on this estate as well: a community and microfinance bank run by the Church and three branches of outside commercial banks. As of 2012, the total area of Canaanland, including the intended Canaan City housing complex of 15,000 units, had grown to 17,000 acres.
Every December, the Ministry hosts Shiloh, its largest annual gathering, in the same Faith Tabernacle, which frequently draws thousands of attendees from all over the world. The ministry is currently constructing the “Ark,” a 100,000-seat auditorium that is said to have the world’s largest span.
Word of Faith Movement
According to Oyedepo’s teachings, he falls under the umbrella of the Word of Faith Movement. In addition to well-known Nigerian preachers Enoch Adeboye and the late Benson Idahosa, he has cited prominent members of the Faith Movement as mentors, including Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, the late Kenneth Hagin, E. W. Kenyon, T. L. Osborn, and Smith Wigglesworth. Oyedepo, like many of his mentors, has been characterized as a prosperity gospel preacher.
The Word of Faith Bible Institute is a Bible training program run by Winners’ Chapel International that helps both members and non-members learn about Christian values and prepare future pastors and leaders. The institute operates in significant Church branches.
David Oyedepo Ministries International (DOMI) is led by Oyedepo as its president. Living Faith Church World Wide, a global network of churches, World Mission Agency (WMA), Dominion Publishing House, the church’s publishing arm, Covenant University, and the Social Development Missions projects, which include hospitals, maternity homes, schools, and other facilities, are all part of DOMI, the umbrella organization.
Oyedepo has criticized bad government leadership and corruption throughout Africa.
Additionally, he disapproved of Muhammadu Buhari, the previous president of Nigeria.
David Oyedepo Books
Some of his published books are:
- All You Need to Know to Have All Your Needs Met. Dominion Publishing House, October 1, 2009.
- Anointing for Exploits. Dominion Bookstore.
- Born to Win. Dominion Publishing House.
- Breaking Financial Hardship. Dominion Publishing House,.
- Breaking the Curses of Life. Dominion Bookstore.
- Commanding the Supernatural. Dominion Bookstore.
- Excellency of Wisdom. Dominion Bookstore.
- Exploits in Ministry. Dominion Bookstore.
- Exploits of Faith. Dominion Bookstore.
- Riding on Prophetic Wings. Dominion Publishing House.
- Keys to Divine Health. Dominion Bookstore.
- Pillars of Destiny. Dominion Bookstore.
- Satan Get Lost!. Dominion Publishing House.
- Understanding Vision. Dominion Publishing House.
- In Pursuit of Vision. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Breakthrough Power of Vision. Dominion Publishing House.
- Following the Path of the Eagle. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Force of Freedom. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Healing Balm. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Hidden Covenants of Blessings. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Blood Triumph. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Unlimited Power of Faith. Dominion Publishing House.
- Understanding Divine Direction. Dominion Publishing House.
- Understanding the Power of Praise. Dominion Publishing House.
- Walking in Dominion. Dominion Publishing House.
- Winning Invisible Battles. Dominion Publishing House.
- You Shall Not Be Barren. Dominion Publishing House.
- Success Strategies. Dominion Publishing House.
- Success Systems. Dominion Publishing House.
- Towards Excellence in Life and Ministry. Dominion Publishing House.
- Towards Mental Exploits. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Miracle Meal. Dominion Publishing House.
- The Release of Power. Dominion Publishing House.
- Manifestation of the Spirits of God. Dominion Publishing House.
- Understanding Your Covenant Rights. Dominion Publishing House.
David Oyedepo Marital Status
David Oyedepo wed Florence Abiola Akano (now Faith Oyedepo) in August 1982. Together, they are parents to four children: Joyce, Love, Isaac, and David Jr. Kenneth Copeland ordained David Oyedepo Jr. and Isaac Oyedepo as pastors in May 2007. Isaac Oyedepo and his wife Ayomitide were the pastors of Winners’ Chapel International in Mitchellville, Maryland, in the United States of America. David Oyedepo Jr., who is currently the resident pastor of Faith Tabernacle in Ota, was the pastor of the London Branch of the Church with his wife Kemi. Stephen Ogah, who also serves as the pastor of Winners’ Chapel, is the husband of his first daughter, Love. The second daughter and last child, Joyce Priscilla, wed Abimbola Abodunrin in 2020.
David Oyedepo Net Worth
One of the wealthiest pastors in Nigeria is David Oyedepo. Although his precise amount of wealth is unknown, estimations vary from several hundred million to several billion dollars.
Although David Oyedepo has come under fire for his wealth, he insists that his funds support the Living Faith Church Worldwide’s mission. He has contributed significantly to health care, education, and other philanthropic endeavors.
