MILLENNIAL PASTORS (part 1): 20 NIGERIAN MINISTERS WHOSE WORK HAVE GREATLY IMPACTED THE NIGERIAN CHURCH SINCE YEAR 2000

First of all, I want to state clearly that my intentions for writing this article is to highlight what I consider to be the immense contributions of some Nigerian pastors whose work have impacted the Nigerian church and nation on a grand scale since the year 2000. I intend to highlight, not to measure or compare. I'm motivated by an inspiration to write this which I got while I was at my church on Tuesday, 24th September, 2019 for a prayer meeting.

Undoubtedly, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done within the Nigerian church and by the Nigerian church. But I also think it's important to look back and see what has been done so far.

In drawing up my list, I polled various friends of mine by asking them which two (2) pastors they felt had impacted the Nigerian church the most since the year 2000. And in choosing those mentioned here, I was guided by the following metrics: Outreach programs, Evangelistic programs, Teaching of the word/conferences, Ministerial zeal and strategic vision, Demonstration of the power of God, Socio-political, and Socio-economic interventions.

My list is not presented in any order whatsoever and is hardly exhaustive, but I shall limit it to a maximum of 20 pastors. The article will be published in parts, so please do watch out for all the next parts.
Let's begin!

Pastor 'Poju Oyemade 

Pastor 'Poju Oyemade
An outstandingly unique teacher of the word of God and a visionary, Pastor 'Poju has within the past two decades brought a new level of dynamism into church ministry and administration which has led to notable contributions by his ministry, not just to the personal lives of his congregants, but also to the socio-political sphere of Nigeria. He was ordained into ministry by Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel, who also consecrated his church, Covenant Christian Center when it was born in 1994.

As a teacher of the word of God, Pastor 'Poju focuses on teaching the word of faith, with insight into how believers can apply biblical principles in a pragmatic and practical way in their daily lives. I, for one, have received instruction for living through his messages. I also found it particularly instructive that out of the first 9 months of this year, he spent about 3 of those months teaching exclusively on the subject of 'How to Pray Effectively' at his church's Sunday meetings.

A regular host of a minister's conference, his views are sought-after as relates to issues of church administration and Christian ministry.

The Platform Nigeria – Worker’s Fair and National Development Fair are yearly outreaches organized by his ministry where prominent business men and women (that are believers) are invited to share how they thrive in their industries using and applying principles founded in the Bible.

The outreach also features notable political and thought leaders who are invited to speak on a wide range of socio-political and socio-economic issues of national interest, highlighting them and proferring solutions.
Inspired by the need for a deliberate effort at sustaining the new socio-economic and political thrust in Nigeria after the return to democratic rule, the outreach aims to renew the minds of the people and re-awaken them by educating them on emerging possibilities in the system.
It seeks to empower people to learn from history, to interpret what is going on in their environment, and utilize the resources around them to enhance their well being. It shows them how to build systems and structures to make the society better, unleashing the entrepreneurial spirits of people that make the private sector the engine of growth. Simply put, The Platform Nigeria has become a colossal event convened every year by the Pastor as a strategic contribution to national development and discourse.

Since it's inception in 2007, The Platform Nigeria has featured speakers including Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Andrew Nevin, Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbe, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Mr. Peter Obi, Prince Bimbo Olasore, Kingsley Moghalu, Prince Donatus Okonkwo, Leke Alder, Fela Durotoye, Dr. Charles Omole, among many other captains in the world of politics, business and industry. The just concluded latest edition featured economic icons Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and Mr. Bismarck Rewane.

The Platform Nigeria speech by the former governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi in October 2016 set the tone for the nation's political discourse for over a year following its delivery.

In a June 29, 2018 Tweet, Pastor 'Poju sparked a national debate by saying “If we keep resorting to religious explanations for our practical problems we will not progress as a nation. The main purpose of prayer is to hear from God. He gives you instructions on what to do. It’s our doing something that changes things. Prayer by itself won’t, action does.”

Pastor Sam Adeyemi

Pastor Sam Adeyemi
Samuel Adeyemi is no doubt a quintessential pastor, leadership coach, and church administration expert. His ministerial work has not only seen him building Daystar Christian Center into one of the fastest growing Christian assemblies in Lagos, Nigeria, but also contributing significantly to the intellectual growth of many Nigerians, regardless of their religious orientation.

Building on principles from the scriptures, Pastor Sam has become a well-known leadership expert. His NGO, Success Power International, specializes in organizing financial, leadership and motivational seminars. He is also the President of Daystar Leadership Academy, a leadership school for business owners, ministers of the gospel and church leaders.

Through these various platforms, he has contributed significantly to national discourse on leadership, Socio-economic and Socio-political issues, as well as the advancement of entrepreneurship.

Samuel and Adenike Adeyemi 

The yearly Excellence in Leadership Conference jointly convened by he and his wife, Adenike Adeyemi has become a colossal leadership conference in Nigeria attended by the young and the old from all walks of life, where notable guest speakers share insights on leadership-related issues.

Pastor Sam was ordained a pastor in Rhema Chapel under the Reverend George Adegboye, and he met is wife there. He served in the church in various capacities and later on, he left to start and build Daystar Christian Center with his wife. His mentor is Bishop David Oyedepo.

An expert consultant on church administration matters, Pastor Sam Adeyemi was the Chairman of the inaugural seminar of the Christian Financial Accountability Association (CFAA); a self-regulatory association of churches and Christian organizations concerned about financial accountability and governance in Nigerian churches. The association is dedicated to facilitating financial accountability, ethical and governance standards, as well as biblical doctrine in the Nigerian church. At their inaugural seminar which held recently in Lagos, speakers including the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Ibukun Awosika, Founder of Alder Consulting, Mr. Leke Alder, and the Head of Tax and Regulatory, PriceWaterHouse Coopers, West Africa, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele took turns to speak on issues facing the Nigerian church in the areas of financial accountability, governance standards and applications, as well as compliance with tax laws and other regulatory laws of the Nigerian government for corporate bodies, and proferred solutions to same.

Pastor Paul Adefarasin

Pastor Paul Adefarasin
With his clear message of hope, healing and empowerment, he is widely regarded as a visionary leader and bridge-builder. His ability to transcend Race, Tribe and Creed with his unique approach to ministry has seen to the forging of many strategic relationships between the church and secular communities in Africa.

An architect by training, Pastor Paul is remarkable as one of the first to build what is arguably the most cozy architectural masterpieces of a church building in Nigeria (and maybe Africa as a whole). He and his wife, Ifeanyi Adefarasin are the Senior Pastors of House on the Rock.

His contemporary and dynamic approach to ministry has seen him having one of the largest youth congregations in the country.

In all these, however, he is most notable for conceiving what has come to become a national gospel music concert in the Nigerian church, which he hosts in December of every year. The Experience Lagos, more commonly known as The Experience was first hosted in 2006 and had about 70,000 people in attendance. In 2016, it had about 700,000 attendees (according to Wikipedia), and is recognized as one of Africa's largest music events. Every December, Nigerians and other Africans from all walks of life, including those who do not fully identify as Christians, converge at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos venue of the event. It has featured gospel artists/music ministers including Cece Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Don Moen, Chioma Jesus, Frank Edwards, Nathaniel Bassey, Micah Stampley, Tope Alabi, Midnight Crew, Travis Greene, Ron Kenoly, etc.

Notable Nigerian leaders, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, former Lagos state Governor Babatunde Fashola, and current Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have all attended the event at various times in the past. In the 2017 edition, then-Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode was in attendance and commended House on the Rock for providing computer laboratories in 100 secondary schools in the state.

In addition to The Experience, House on the Rock also hosts an annual Word Conference and Spiritlife Conference during which notable speakers are brought in from all around the world to teach on various aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Every Sunday, House on the Rock trends on Twitter.

Pastor David Ibiyeomie

Pastor David Ibiyeomie
There are people that I regard as strong and capable men, and David Ibiyeomie is definitely one of them. This man's dexterity, vision, focus and penchant for getting results in the ministry is so razor-sharp that it truly makes me marvel.

I have hardly seen any other minister so aggressive, dynamic and result-oriented with evangelism as I saw in Pastor David. He is the Presiding Pastor of Salvation Ministries, with headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

I watched, firsthand, his ministry's aggressive, dynamic and result-oriented evangelistic push, especially between the years 2010 and 2014 as they literally took Port Harcourt and the major cities surrounding it hostage with the gospel message through many crusades featuring the preaching of the word of God and the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. It was so breathtaking to watch! The statement in Acts 19:20, "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed" never seemed so real to me.

As a result of this push, on 13th February,  2011, Salvation Ministries started about 14 satellite churches IN ONE DAY, with all of them running five services each! Such a record of church growth is rare in history, and is in my opinion the result of an unusual evanglistic push by the ministry. And within the space of about 1 or 2 years, they had successfully planted numerous branches in all major cities surrounding Port Harcourt.

According to Wikipedia, he was ordained a minister by Bishop David Oyedepo after being saved and attending the Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI) in 1995. He then started a house fellowship in Lagos, but later moved to Port Harcourt where he started Salvation Ministries with 34 people in attendance (according to the ministry's website). Today, about 50,000 people worship at Salvation Ministries headquarters in Port Harcourt every Sunday where he teaches on salvation, it's fruits, and biblical principles for success and practical Christian living. These three areas have been the cardinals of his message for a long time.

His annual international crusade program, 5 Nights of Glory, has become a colossal global gospel crusade event featuring the preaching of the word of God and demonstrations of the power of God. The event regularly has in attendance top government officials as well as foreign diplomats and representatives of foreign governments alongside millions of people. He is also a well-known televangelist for his THE HOUR OF SALVATION program which broadcasts on about 47 stations locally and internationally.

Pastor Ibiyeomie ministering at Salvation Ministries - Home of Success, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 

Salvation Ministries believes in "reaching out to the lost at all cost". In line with this, till date, the church continues to hold numerous crusade programs in cities and towns, especially in South-Eastern and South-Southern Nigeria.

In terms of socio-economic impact, according to the ministry's website, in 2016, 634 scholarships were awarded to students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. In 2017, over 850 scholarships were awarded also, while in the year 2018, the number of scholarships awarded was more than 2000. In addition, the church continues to run entrepreneurship empowerment programs for youths, empowering them with skills, especially in the areas of agriculture and fashion.

During incidents of flooding, Salvation Ministries sent relief materials to Liberia, as well as Nigerian cities such as Bayelsa, Benue and Jos. The ministry also renovated and donated modern hospital equipment worth over $200,000 to the pediatric section of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Nigeria; creating a wonderful ambiance to expedite the recovery of the patients, according to the ministry's website. However, The Paul Anunaso Blog could not independently confirm this information as at the time of publishing this article. In addition, in 2018, Salvation Ministeries built a state-of-the-art Home for the Elderly, to enable senior citizens age with dignity. According to Nairaland sources, the home was handed over to the Catholic Church by Salvation Ministries after completion to run.

According to Pastor David, the mandate he received is a mandate TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF GOD HERE ON EARTH through infallible proofs. Among many other awards, Pastor Ibiyeomie has been recognized by the Northern Youth Council as an icon of peace and unity.

Apostle Joshua Selman

Apostle Joshua Selman
In Christianity, there is no such thing as reincarnation. But just like when in the Bible the Pharisees thought that God had sent the Prophet Elijah back on earth in the form of the man called Jesus Christ, many Christians currently regard Apostle Joshua Selman Nimmack as the second coming of the biblical Apostle Paul. I will be frank with you - this man's teaching grace is nothing short of apostolic!

Born in 1980, and like Apostle Paul, he is still unmarried, and lays claim to the love of God and the work of the ministry as his life's goal. He dedicates a lot of his time to it.

He is the founder of Eternity Network International (ENI), a weekly apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic meeting founded in 2011, where passionate believers from all over Zaria in Kaduna state and many other parts of Nigeria come to experience an atmosphere of TRUE WORSHIP, the WORD, MIRACLES, and LOVE…where believers experience true intimacy with the Holy Spirit and are empowered to be ambassadors of God’s life and power, according to the ministry's blog.

Apostle Selman is also the Senior Pastor of Christ Gospel Church in Zaria, Kaduna state where he hosts ENI weekly events.

Very little is know about him in terms of church administration, but ministerially, he is known to travel quite a lot, taking the teaching of the word of God to different churches with teachings centered on Christian faithfulness, consistency, diligence, and service. He is an ardent believer in the importance of an intense and sincere personal relationship with the Spirit of God, something he teaches quite a lot on. This has impacted so many young Nigerian Christians who listen to his messages online all around the country. Generally, many young Nigerian Christians are addicted to his messages, and use them as a beacon of guidance in their spiritual journeys.

Apostle Joshua Selman ministering at ENI

His teachings on faith, prayer, purity and holiness have resulted in a great revival in the Nigerian church, especially since ENI started. The only major online presence his ministry has is their blog, and their Facebook page, however, his messages are all over the internet on various other websites from which the teaming population of young Nigerian Christians download and listen to them.

In fact, the spiritual impact that his ministry has had on the Nigerian church since the last 10 years has been nothing short of profound, beneficial and apostolic. He targets the young and empowers them with a kingdom mindset that is based entirely on the word of God and cardinal principles of the gospel of Christ including love, faith, hope, purity, intimacy with the Holy Spirit, personal prayer altar, consistency, faithfulness, and worthy service. He is not known to mince words in delivering the truth of the word of God.


To be continued...


Chukwubuikem Paul Anunaso is a civil/structural engineer who is passionate about supporting ministers and ministries in their work towards promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ and social impact. He is the editor of The Paul Anunaso Blog (www.paulanunaso.blogspot.com). He can be reached at anunaso.cp@gmail.com