An investigation carried out by SUNDAY PUNCH has shown
that many of Nigeria’s mega rich churches pay their pastors poor wages,
reports SUNDAY ABORISADE
An extensive investigation carried out by SUNDAY PUNCH
has revealed that many of the country’s prosperity-preaching,
super-rich mega churches pay their pastors poor wages. The newspaper’s
findings revealed that a substantial majority of the pastors engaged by
the churches, who are polytechnic and university graduates, earn between
N25,000 and N45,000 a month.
According to our correspondent’s findings, full-time
pastors, in addition to preaching and teaching during midweek services
and Sunday services are also expected to perform other sundry duties
that leave them with little time for other business endeavours.
Some of the churches reviewed were the Redeemed Christian
Church of God, the Living Faith World Outreach, popularly known as
Winners Chapel, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, the Deeper
Christian Life Ministry (an holiness church that has of late embraced
economic empowerment themes), Christ Embassy International and Lord
Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries.
Nigeria is home to several Christian denominations broadly
categorised as orthodox and unorthodox churches. But a clearer
categorisation of churches is the one adopted by the Christian
Association of Nigeria. It divides churches in Nigeria into five broad
categories. According to the CAN website, the groups are the Catholic
Secretariat of Nigeria; Christian Council of Nigeria, comprising the
Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Foursquare, Presbyterian, Eternal Sacred
Order of C&S, Church of the Lord Aladura and other orthodox
Churches; the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and the
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria; Organisation of African Instituted
Churches; and ECWA – Evangelical Church of West Africa and
Northern-Nigerian churches like COCIN, HKAN NKST, Christian Assemblies,
LCCN etc.
In recent years, the Pentecostals, especially Pentecostal
groups that preach faith, miracles and prosperity, have come to
symbolise the face of Nigerian Christianity to the world. In addition to
their huge memberships, running into tens of millions, these churches
are also widely known because of their jet-set senior pastors and the
businesses they run. These churches own primary and secondary schools
and universities, micro-finance banks, foods and beverages companies,
huge agricultural farms, sports teams, printing firms and so on.
Their senior pastors are known to be extremely wealthy, own
private jets, maintain luxury homes in the country and abroad, and send
their children to some of the best schools in the world.
However, the parish pastors of some of the biggest churches
in the country, who spoke to our correspondent, painted a picture that
showed that they live in a different world from their senior pastors.
Our correspondent noted that the clergymen spoke reluctantly
for the fear of losing their jobs. Efforts made by our correspondent to
ascertain the financial health of the churches were unsuccessful as the
churches are known not to make their financial reports public, neither
are they made available to their members.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God
The RCCG is one of the country’s biggest Pentecostal
churches. It has a group of primary and secondary schools spread all
over the country. The schools are Redeemer’s International School,
Redeemer’s International Secondary School, Redeemer’s High School and
Christ the Redeemer’s College. The church also owns Redeemer’s
University, Haggai Mortgage Finance Bank, Lifeway Radio, Dove Media,
Redemption Light Printing Press, hospitals, among others.
The most senior pastor of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, a
former university lecturer, is known to be humble and simple in taste,
but he is also reputed to fly a private jet said to have been given to
him by the members of the church.
At the RCCG, newly ordained full-time pastors with National
Diplomas are currently being paid N25,000 a month while their
counterparts with a university degree receive N35,000 as their monthly
salaries. SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that in some RCCG churches with
small congregations, parish pastors sometimes use personal funds every
Sunday to run their local churches.
Sources in the church, who disclosed this to our
correspondents in various states across the country, further explained
that a full-time area pastor earns a minimum monthly salary of N40,000
while a full-time provincial pastor is entitled to a minimum monthly
salary of N85, 000. According to the church’s structure, an area pastor
is in charge of about five or six parishes while a provincial pastor is
in charge of about 100 parishes or a state.
A pastor in Lagos, who spoke to our correspondent, said
tithes (10 per cent) of their salaries were usually deducted before
salaries were paid.
However, the pastor refused to be drawn into a detailed
explanation of how he makes ends meet on such a salary. He said, “The
job of a pastor is a sacrificial one, no doubt, but what we are paid
cannot ordinarily sustain us. The money is definitely not enough to meet
our needs even with our access to loans and free accommodation provided
by the church.
“Our parish members are most supportive and I encourage my
wife to work. Some of our wives own small-scale businesses or crèches.”
The pastors said that members of the parishes are expected
to generously support the upkeep of the pastor’s families and provide
“comfortable accommodation” for them. They also added that the RCCG paid
half of their children’s tuition fees in schools established by the
ministry.
Further investigations revealed that the RCCG is cutting the
costs of running its various missions by encouraging born-again and
well-trained members to lead the parishes, zones and provinces on a
part-time basis.
Attempts to get the official position of the church on the
welfare of its pastors failed as a member of the church’s media team,
Olanike Olaomo, told our correspondent that she was not competent to
speak on the issue, when contacted on phone.
She also refused to give out the phone number of the head of the team.
“If you ask for my candid opinion, I will tell you to drop
your story because no one will give you the information you are
requesting for,” she said.
Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries
Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries is a prayer-themed
ministry led by Dr. Daniel Olukoya. It has hundreds of branches in
Nigeria and beyond. The church runs school groups, comprising Mountain
Top Nursery and Primary schools, Mountain Top Secondary schools,
Mountain Top University, a printing press, among others.
Majority of the ministers operate on full-time basis. A source told SUNDAY PUNCH
that the church operates a “central salary scale for pastors working in
God’s vineyard at the church’s branch, zonal and regional levels.”
The salary scheme for the clerics ranges from N25,000 to N80,000 depending on the level of their deployment.
A pastor in a branch of the church in Abuja, who could not
be named because he was not authorised to give any information on the
matter, said that clerics in the church’s branches averagely earned
between N20,000 and N25,000 monthly. He, however, added that pastors
were also supported by “benevolent church members.”
The pastor said, “The salary is paid by the region under
which the branch is with strict directive from the headquarters since
the amount payable monthly is structured. But there are also few newly
ordained ministers who assist pastors-in-charge at zones and regions
during deliverance programmes. These set of ministers get about N15,000
monthly.”
Also, a zonal pastor with the church in Abuja, who did not
want to be named, told our correspondent that the salary for his
category was between N40,000 and N45,000.
It was gathered that the church, either at the level of
branch, zonal or regional was expected to provide accommodation for its
pastor.
The support for accommodation, it was learnt, could come
from the region under which the branch operates if such a branch was
unable to bear the burden alone.
Another pastor, who pleaded anonymity, said they survived
through what he described as the ‘the grace of God and the support of
children of God.’
He disclosed that having chosen to work for God, they look beyond material comfort and fix their gaze on the reward from above.
“There are other supports from the church in terms of
education for our children. Since the church has a school, there is a
provision for a certain percentage of the tuition fees to be waived for
pastors’ children. I have yet started to enjoy the privilege because my
children are still young. When they start going to school, I will also
benefit from it,’’ he stated.
For pastors in the regional arms of the church, they get
about N80,000 monthly according to a pastor in one of the church’s
branches in Benin City, Edo State, who refused to be named.
When contacted, the Chairman, Media Committee, MFM, Pastor
Oladele Bank-Olemoh, said though he could not specifically say the
amount each of the pastors in the church gets as salary, the general
overseer takes their welfare seriously.
Bank-Olemoh said, “The general overseer takes care of them
very well. He caters for their accommodation, school fees of their
children and gives them money personally. Those who abide by the vision
of the church and support the general overseer know that he does not
joke with the welfare of the ministers.
“Every minister in the MFM knows that if you are
conscientious and diligent, you will be blessed. The money you take as
salary is nothing but the blessing is the most important. You can earn
so much and still not be able to do anything with it. That is what we
call pocket with holes. The general overseer is passionate about the
welfare of the pastors.’’
The Living Faith Church Worldwide
Winners Chapel, one of the foremost and most popular
Pentecostal churches in Nigeria has a chain of about 30 secondary
schools and 50 primary schools and two universities, Covenant University
and Landmark University. Owned by Bishop David Oyedepo, who is famed
for owning a private jet, the church also owns one of the country’s
biggest and most sophisticated printing firms, Dominion Publishing
House, Hebron Bottled Water, bottled water processing plant, a bakery,
various restaurants and stores, among others.
Investigations by our correspondents in the South-West
revealed that a newly-ordained pastor outside Lagos in Winners Chapel
receives N35,000 as monthly salary while new pastors in Lagos earn
between N45,000 and N55,000. An area pastor with some years of
experience collects N85,000 per month while a resident pastor (state
pastor) now collects N200,000 per month.
Some area pastors who spoke with our correspondents,
strictly on condition of anonymity, explained that pastors could earn
more depending on their years of experience.
One of them said, “Apart from the salaries, pastors are
usually well taken care of by members of their local assemblies.
Pastors-offering is encouraged and a pastor could get more than his
salary as offering from just a member in a day.”
Believers LoveWorld
SUNDAY PUNCH investigations revealed that most
pastors of the Believers LoveWorld, a.k.a Christ Embassy, owned by
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, are engaged on part-time basis while the few
ones on full-time appointments are paid like other workers in the
ministry.
A part-time pastor of the church in the Ikeja area of Lagos
State and another one in the Bodija area of Ibadan, in Oyo State
confided in our correspondents that most of their full-time pastors are
in the headquarters.
They said a newly-ordained pastor earns about N40,000 but that only the headquarters could provide further details.
When contacted, the Believers LoveWorld officials declined to make comments on the welfare of their pastors.
A representative of the church attached to a church in Lekki
reprimanded our correspondent for “picking a phone number from the
website” and added that it was “wrong.”
Another representative of the church, identified simply as
Pastor Mercy of the Prayer and Counselling Centre at the church
headquarters, said she was not authorised to speak to the media about
issues relating to the church.
She also refused to give out the contact number of the
spokesperson of the church because of the sensitive nature of the
information requested.
Deeper Christian Life Ministry
Popularly called Deeper Life, the church was founded by
Pastor William Kumuyi. Widely known for its strict conservativism, the
church, in recent times, has embraced economic-empowerment and Christian
prosperity themes, while not letting go of its conservatism. With
millions of members and thousands of branches in Nigeria and other parts
of the world, it owns Life Press Limited, Deeper Life Nursery and
Primary School, Deeper Life High School, Anchor University, among ohers.
A top member of the church told one of our correspondents
that 95 per cent of its members in Lagos are part-time workers who
receive no salary.
He said, “Most of the church’s full-time workers are not in
Lagos. They have jobs so they don’t have to rely on church district
members. The church encourages its pastors to work, so full time pastors
are a rarity. The most the part-time pastors get is N5, 000 for
recharge cards monthly.”
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that outside Lagos, the
church have three categories of pastors. Part-time pastors do not earn
salaries, they are said to be ‘taken care of by their local parishes’.
A long-time member of the church said, “Our pastors who are
volunteer full-time pastors are not on the payroll of the church. The
local church where they belong to may then decide to give them out of
the offering but the tithe goes to the central (unit).”
The last category of pastors, he added, are those who are
overseers and senior pastors and their salaries range from N2.5m to N6m
per annum.”
The phone number of the Secretary, Deeper Life Bible Church,
Pastor Jerry Asemota, who is the only person authorised to speak on
official issues, was switched off when our correspondent contacted him
on Saturday.
Lords’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries
Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that there
is no salary structure for pastors of the Lord Chosen Charismatic
Revival Ministries, founded by Pastor Lazarus Muoka.
The church runs various primary and secondary schools while it also has a few standard private hospitals.
A leader of the church, who spoke with one of our
correspondents, explained that when a new pastor is ordained and ‘given a
pulpit’ (put in charge of a branch), he is entitled to one-tenth of
whatever income that the church generates every week.
He said, “We don’t have a structured salary system for our
pastors. They are paid based on the money they generate from tithes and
offerings. However, the headquarters usually give a considerable amount
to their wives to set up a small business.
“It is expected that the proceeds from the wife’s business
will be used to augment the family’s upkeep. Also, the church ensures
that all the pastors’ biological children enjoy free education at all
the Lord’s Chosen primary and secondary schools.
“The church also arranges scholarship for the pastors’ children in their various higher institutions.”
The church leader added that the pastor’s family could also
benefit from the welfare offering, usually meant for the needy, based on
the discretion of the committee handling the fund.
When our correspondent called the land line on the website
of the church, it did not connect while top church members kept sealed
lips.
CAN, PFN react
Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our
correspondents on Saturday, the Director, Media and Public Relations of
PFN, Simbo Olorunfemi, said pastors’ welfare is part of the issues that
would be discussed at the group’s forthcoming biennial conference,
scheduled to hold in Edo State.
“The welfare of pastors and indeed Nigerians generally
concerns the PFN. This is part of the issues to be discussed at the
forthcoming conference. The PFN will make recommendations and
suggestions that would enhance the welfare of pastors to fulfill their
duties effectively,” he told SUNDAY PUNCH.
The General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Musa Asake, however told SUNDAY PUNCH that how much mega churches paid their pastors as salaries was not the business of the association.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria does not dabble into
how much churches pay their pastors. It is not the mandate of the
association to do so. As an association, CAN doesn’t discuss issues like
that; we do not discuss doctrines. That is left for individual churches
to decide. If there are issues about how much pastors earn as salaries
in their churches I think the headquarters of the churches should be
able to respond to that. It is not the business of CAN to look into how
much churches pay their pastors,” Asake told one of our correspondents.
has revealed that many of the country’s prosperity-preaching,
super-rich mega churches pay their pastors poor wages. The newspaper’s
findings revealed that a substantial majority of the pastors engaged by
the churches, who are polytechnic and university graduates, earn between
N25,000 and N45,000 a month.
According to our correspondent’s findings, full-time
pastors, in addition to preaching and teaching during midweek services
and Sunday services are also expected to perform other sundry duties
that leave them with little time for other business endeavours.
Some of the churches reviewed were the Redeemed Christian
Church of God, the Living Faith World Outreach, popularly known as
Winners Chapel, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, the Deeper
Christian Life Ministry (an holiness church that has of late embraced
economic empowerment themes), Christ Embassy International and Lord
Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries.
Nigeria is home to several Christian denominations broadly
categorised as orthodox and unorthodox churches. But a clearer
categorisation of churches is the one adopted by the Christian
Association of Nigeria. It divides churches in Nigeria into five broad
categories. According to the CAN website, the groups are the Catholic
Secretariat of Nigeria; Christian Council of Nigeria, comprising the
Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Foursquare, Presbyterian, Eternal Sacred
Order of C&S, Church of the Lord Aladura and other orthodox
Churches; the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and the
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria; Organisation of African Instituted
Churches; and ECWA – Evangelical Church of West Africa and
Northern-Nigerian churches like COCIN, HKAN NKST, Christian Assemblies,
LCCN etc.
In recent years, the Pentecostals, especially Pentecostal
groups that preach faith, miracles and prosperity, have come to
symbolise the face of Nigerian Christianity to the world. In addition to
their huge memberships, running into tens of millions, these churches
are also widely known because of their jet-set senior pastors and the
businesses they run. These churches own primary and secondary schools
and universities, micro-finance banks, foods and beverages companies,
huge agricultural farms, sports teams, printing firms and so on.
Their senior pastors are known to be extremely wealthy, own
private jets, maintain luxury homes in the country and abroad, and send
their children to some of the best schools in the world.
However, the parish pastors of some of the biggest churches
in the country, who spoke to our correspondent, painted a picture that
showed that they live in a different world from their senior pastors.
Our correspondent noted that the clergymen spoke reluctantly
for the fear of losing their jobs. Efforts made by our correspondent to
ascertain the financial health of the churches were unsuccessful as the
churches are known not to make their financial reports public, neither
are they made available to their members.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God
The RCCG is one of the country’s biggest Pentecostal
churches. It has a group of primary and secondary schools spread all
over the country. The schools are Redeemer’s International School,
Redeemer’s International Secondary School, Redeemer’s High School and
Christ the Redeemer’s College. The church also owns Redeemer’s
University, Haggai Mortgage Finance Bank, Lifeway Radio, Dove Media,
Redemption Light Printing Press, hospitals, among others.
The most senior pastor of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, a
former university lecturer, is known to be humble and simple in taste,
but he is also reputed to fly a private jet said to have been given to
him by the members of the church.
At the RCCG, newly ordained full-time pastors with National
Diplomas are currently being paid N25,000 a month while their
counterparts with a university degree receive N35,000 as their monthly
salaries. SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that in some RCCG churches with
small congregations, parish pastors sometimes use personal funds every
Sunday to run their local churches.
Sources in the church, who disclosed this to our
correspondents in various states across the country, further explained
that a full-time area pastor earns a minimum monthly salary of N40,000
while a full-time provincial pastor is entitled to a minimum monthly
salary of N85, 000. According to the church’s structure, an area pastor
is in charge of about five or six parishes while a provincial pastor is
in charge of about 100 parishes or a state.
A pastor in Lagos, who spoke to our correspondent, said
tithes (10 per cent) of their salaries were usually deducted before
salaries were paid.
However, the pastor refused to be drawn into a detailed
explanation of how he makes ends meet on such a salary. He said, “The
job of a pastor is a sacrificial one, no doubt, but what we are paid
cannot ordinarily sustain us. The money is definitely not enough to meet
our needs even with our access to loans and free accommodation provided
by the church.
“Our parish members are most supportive and I encourage my
wife to work. Some of our wives own small-scale businesses or crèches.”
The pastors said that members of the parishes are expected
to generously support the upkeep of the pastor’s families and provide
“comfortable accommodation” for them. They also added that the RCCG paid
half of their children’s tuition fees in schools established by the
ministry.
Further investigations revealed that the RCCG is cutting the
costs of running its various missions by encouraging born-again and
well-trained members to lead the parishes, zones and provinces on a
part-time basis.
Attempts to get the official position of the church on the
welfare of its pastors failed as a member of the church’s media team,
Olanike Olaomo, told our correspondent that she was not competent to
speak on the issue, when contacted on phone.
She also refused to give out the phone number of the head of the team.
“If you ask for my candid opinion, I will tell you to drop
your story because no one will give you the information you are
requesting for,” she said.
Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries
Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries is a prayer-themed
ministry led by Dr. Daniel Olukoya. It has hundreds of branches in
Nigeria and beyond. The church runs school groups, comprising Mountain
Top Nursery and Primary schools, Mountain Top Secondary schools,
Mountain Top University, a printing press, among others.
Majority of the ministers operate on full-time basis. A source told SUNDAY PUNCH
that the church operates a “central salary scale for pastors working in
God’s vineyard at the church’s branch, zonal and regional levels.”
The salary scheme for the clerics ranges from N25,000 to N80,000 depending on the level of their deployment.
A pastor in a branch of the church in Abuja, who could not
be named because he was not authorised to give any information on the
matter, said that clerics in the church’s branches averagely earned
between N20,000 and N25,000 monthly. He, however, added that pastors
were also supported by “benevolent church members.”
The pastor said, “The salary is paid by the region under
which the branch is with strict directive from the headquarters since
the amount payable monthly is structured. But there are also few newly
ordained ministers who assist pastors-in-charge at zones and regions
during deliverance programmes. These set of ministers get about N15,000
monthly.”
Also, a zonal pastor with the church in Abuja, who did not
want to be named, told our correspondent that the salary for his
category was between N40,000 and N45,000.
It was gathered that the church, either at the level of
branch, zonal or regional was expected to provide accommodation for its
pastor.
The support for accommodation, it was learnt, could come
from the region under which the branch operates if such a branch was
unable to bear the burden alone.
Another pastor, who pleaded anonymity, said they survived
through what he described as the ‘the grace of God and the support of
children of God.’
He disclosed that having chosen to work for God, they look beyond material comfort and fix their gaze on the reward from above.
“There are other supports from the church in terms of
education for our children. Since the church has a school, there is a
provision for a certain percentage of the tuition fees to be waived for
pastors’ children. I have yet started to enjoy the privilege because my
children are still young. When they start going to school, I will also
benefit from it,’’ he stated.
For pastors in the regional arms of the church, they get
about N80,000 monthly according to a pastor in one of the church’s
branches in Benin City, Edo State, who refused to be named.
When contacted, the Chairman, Media Committee, MFM, Pastor
Oladele Bank-Olemoh, said though he could not specifically say the
amount each of the pastors in the church gets as salary, the general
overseer takes their welfare seriously.
Bank-Olemoh said, “The general overseer takes care of them
very well. He caters for their accommodation, school fees of their
children and gives them money personally. Those who abide by the vision
of the church and support the general overseer know that he does not
joke with the welfare of the ministers.
“Every minister in the MFM knows that if you are
conscientious and diligent, you will be blessed. The money you take as
salary is nothing but the blessing is the most important. You can earn
so much and still not be able to do anything with it. That is what we
call pocket with holes. The general overseer is passionate about the
welfare of the pastors.’’
The Living Faith Church Worldwide
Winners Chapel, one of the foremost and most popular
Pentecostal churches in Nigeria has a chain of about 30 secondary
schools and 50 primary schools and two universities, Covenant University
and Landmark University. Owned by Bishop David Oyedepo, who is famed
for owning a private jet, the church also owns one of the country’s
biggest and most sophisticated printing firms, Dominion Publishing
House, Hebron Bottled Water, bottled water processing plant, a bakery,
various restaurants and stores, among others.
Investigations by our correspondents in the South-West
revealed that a newly-ordained pastor outside Lagos in Winners Chapel
receives N35,000 as monthly salary while new pastors in Lagos earn
between N45,000 and N55,000. An area pastor with some years of
experience collects N85,000 per month while a resident pastor (state
pastor) now collects N200,000 per month.
Some area pastors who spoke with our correspondents,
strictly on condition of anonymity, explained that pastors could earn
more depending on their years of experience.
One of them said, “Apart from the salaries, pastors are
usually well taken care of by members of their local assemblies.
Pastors-offering is encouraged and a pastor could get more than his
salary as offering from just a member in a day.”
Believers LoveWorld
SUNDAY PUNCH investigations revealed that most
pastors of the Believers LoveWorld, a.k.a Christ Embassy, owned by
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, are engaged on part-time basis while the few
ones on full-time appointments are paid like other workers in the
ministry.
A part-time pastor of the church in the Ikeja area of Lagos
State and another one in the Bodija area of Ibadan, in Oyo State
confided in our correspondents that most of their full-time pastors are
in the headquarters.
They said a newly-ordained pastor earns about N40,000 but that only the headquarters could provide further details.
When contacted, the Believers LoveWorld officials declined to make comments on the welfare of their pastors.
A representative of the church attached to a church in Lekki
reprimanded our correspondent for “picking a phone number from the
website” and added that it was “wrong.”
Another representative of the church, identified simply as
Pastor Mercy of the Prayer and Counselling Centre at the church
headquarters, said she was not authorised to speak to the media about
issues relating to the church.
She also refused to give out the contact number of the
spokesperson of the church because of the sensitive nature of the
information requested.
Deeper Christian Life Ministry
Popularly called Deeper Life, the church was founded by
Pastor William Kumuyi. Widely known for its strict conservativism, the
church, in recent times, has embraced economic-empowerment and Christian
prosperity themes, while not letting go of its conservatism. With
millions of members and thousands of branches in Nigeria and other parts
of the world, it owns Life Press Limited, Deeper Life Nursery and
Primary School, Deeper Life High School, Anchor University, among ohers.
A top member of the church told one of our correspondents
that 95 per cent of its members in Lagos are part-time workers who
receive no salary.
He said, “Most of the church’s full-time workers are not in
Lagos. They have jobs so they don’t have to rely on church district
members. The church encourages its pastors to work, so full time pastors
are a rarity. The most the part-time pastors get is N5, 000 for
recharge cards monthly.”
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that outside Lagos, the
church have three categories of pastors. Part-time pastors do not earn
salaries, they are said to be ‘taken care of by their local parishes’.
A long-time member of the church said, “Our pastors who are
volunteer full-time pastors are not on the payroll of the church. The
local church where they belong to may then decide to give them out of
the offering but the tithe goes to the central (unit).”
The last category of pastors, he added, are those who are
overseers and senior pastors and their salaries range from N2.5m to N6m
per annum.”
The phone number of the Secretary, Deeper Life Bible Church,
Pastor Jerry Asemota, who is the only person authorised to speak on
official issues, was switched off when our correspondent contacted him
on Saturday.
Lords’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries
Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that there
is no salary structure for pastors of the Lord Chosen Charismatic
Revival Ministries, founded by Pastor Lazarus Muoka.
The church runs various primary and secondary schools while it also has a few standard private hospitals.
A leader of the church, who spoke with one of our
correspondents, explained that when a new pastor is ordained and ‘given a
pulpit’ (put in charge of a branch), he is entitled to one-tenth of
whatever income that the church generates every week.
He said, “We don’t have a structured salary system for our
pastors. They are paid based on the money they generate from tithes and
offerings. However, the headquarters usually give a considerable amount
to their wives to set up a small business.
“It is expected that the proceeds from the wife’s business
will be used to augment the family’s upkeep. Also, the church ensures
that all the pastors’ biological children enjoy free education at all
the Lord’s Chosen primary and secondary schools.
“The church also arranges scholarship for the pastors’ children in their various higher institutions.”
The church leader added that the pastor’s family could also
benefit from the welfare offering, usually meant for the needy, based on
the discretion of the committee handling the fund.
When our correspondent called the land line on the website
of the church, it did not connect while top church members kept sealed
lips.
CAN, PFN react
Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our
correspondents on Saturday, the Director, Media and Public Relations of
PFN, Simbo Olorunfemi, said pastors’ welfare is part of the issues that
would be discussed at the group’s forthcoming biennial conference,
scheduled to hold in Edo State.
“The welfare of pastors and indeed Nigerians generally
concerns the PFN. This is part of the issues to be discussed at the
forthcoming conference. The PFN will make recommendations and
suggestions that would enhance the welfare of pastors to fulfill their
duties effectively,” he told SUNDAY PUNCH.
The General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Musa Asake, however told SUNDAY PUNCH that how much mega churches paid their pastors as salaries was not the business of the association.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria does not dabble into
how much churches pay their pastors. It is not the mandate of the
association to do so. As an association, CAN doesn’t discuss issues like
that; we do not discuss doctrines. That is left for individual churches
to decide. If there are issues about how much pastors earn as salaries
in their churches I think the headquarters of the churches should be
able to respond to that. It is not the business of CAN to look into how
much churches pay their pastors,” Asake told one of our correspondents.