Retirement Announcement of Two Senior Bishops from Living Faith Church

The Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, is set to witness the retirement of two of its longstanding Vice Presidents, Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, after decades of service. This development was confirmed to The PUNCH by multiple sources within the church community, albeit under conditions of anonymity due to the lack of authorisation to speak publicly on the matter.

This planned retirement coincides with a recent amendment to the church’s operational manual, referred to as The Mandate, which reduced the retirement age for church leaders from 60 to 55 years. However, the church’s founder, Bishop David Oyedepo, retains lifelong service rights, while future leaders will be limited to serving one or two terms of seven years each, contingent on approval from the Board of Trustees.

“We have heard that Bishop Abioye and the other Bishop Aremu in Ibadan will leave during the Bishop Oyedepo birthday celebration,” shared a member of the church’s Ota, Ogun State headquarters congregation. This aligns with internal policy changes, allowing only Bishop Oyedepo to remain beyond the stipulated retirement age.

Bishop David Abioye, aged 63, is presently the Senior Pastor at Living Faith Church, Goshen City, in Abuja. He established a significant presence in the church’s history, having first met Oyedepo in 1979, and later leading one of the foundational branches in 1987. His official consecration took place in 1993 when he was 32 years old.

Bishop Thomas Aremu, now 67 years old, transitioned from a successful career in accounting to full-time ministry with Living Faith Church. He was among the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999 at the Garden of Faith, Kaduna.

The church has planned valedictory services to honor both bishops. Bishop Abioye’s farewell is scheduled for October 18, 2024, in Durumi, Abuja; meanwhile, Bishop Aremu’s service will occur on October 15, 2024, at LFC Basorun in Ibadan, Oyo State.

No official statement has been released by the church spokespeople, nor have they commented on the specifics of the retirement procedure, despite requests made through calls and messages.