Oyedepo to critics: Winners runs on ‘Divine Mandate’, not sentiment

The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, David Oyedepo, has cautioned critics against meddling in matters concerning the church, insisting that its operations are strictly guided by ‘The Mandate’.

Speaking on Sunday at the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, shortly after the third service, Oyedepo reaffirmed that the vision and order of Winners Chapel were rooted in divine instruction, not sentiments or external opinions.

Oyedepo’s remarks appeared to address speculations surrounding the recent exit of his former first vice president, Bishop David Abioye. But the cleric was emphatic that the church’s leadership principles remain unshaken.

“The Mandate, which is the church’s manual, was written in 2012. Some of you need to go and read it to understand what we are doing here. I also have a Board that I answer to. So what we are doing cannot be altered. Nothing in the book came to us as a group. It came to me alone,” Oyedepo stated.

He stressed that every major directive guiding the ministry, from building projects to the acquisition of church aircraft, came by divine instruction.

“This is the place where the church would be built; it came to me alone. It’s time to get the aircraft; it came to me alone,” he added.

Oyedepo dismissed insinuations of disorder or arbitrariness in the church’s affairs, noting that structure and discipline remain central to its global growth.

“I am not a loose person. Order brought us to where we are. My only wife even had to apply to work in this ministry. Nobody ever worked here by saying, ‘God sent me.’ You write an application, you do an interview, you get an employment letter, and you respond,” he explained.

The cleric emphasized that Winners Chapel operates like an organised institution with systems that guarantee accountability, unlike many organisations where, according to him, “people just come to work without order.”

He urged members of the church and the general public to study The Mandate to gain proper insight into the guiding principles of the ministry rather than rely on speculation or hearsay.