Jetting Out To the Glory of God

Terver Atsar

A big storm has been generated across the nation with the recent acquisition of a private Jet by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Many commentators have sought to find fault with the idea of such an expensive acquisition in the face of global economic downturn and the generally high poverty level among the followership of the church and the nation at large. The impression has also been created that the Jet is meant to boost the private comfort of the General Overseer of the Church. A further error is being indulged by suggesting that the General Overseers of the modern churches (Redeemed included) ‘extort’ the members of the Church through false threats of damnation in Hell-fire if they fail to forfeit 10% of their income(s) to the church and that such non-taxable monies are collected and converted to the personal use of the church leaders.

It is not difficult to understand the anger of the ordinary man struggling to survive on meagre resources available to him when he looks around him and sees some fellow human being with two hands, two legs, and two eyes e.t.c just like himself, surrounded with all the good things money can buy. And a not unusual reaction here in Nigeria is to regard such people as either thieves or cultists or both. Such sentiments are further accentuated when the subject personality is a religious leader. Against this background one could sympathise with those calling for ‘Daddy’ Adeboye’s head.

But beyond this, there is no iota of justification whatsoever to begin to rain abuses and invectives on him. Some have even attempted to question his anointing and opined that he should have used the money to feed the poor or to develop infrastructure or better still he should have donated it to motherless babies’ homes. In fact every commentator seems to have a ‘better’ alternative use to which the money should have been put except this ‘bogus ‘acquisition.

I have no idea how the Church raised the money to purchase an aircraft but my submissions in this piece are based on the assumption that the money was sourced through offerings, tithes or freewill donations from members since these are the known channels through which the church is financed. At any point in time if these assumptions become null, for instance if it turns out that the church embarked on an illegal or corrupt practice to acquire this jet then all my conclusions below would become a nullity and I will swallow my words.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God has a very strict policy on appropriation of funds, which requires that money must be spent for the purpose for which it was collected or donated. Therefore corruption and misappropriation of Church funds could be ruled out. If the money for instance was donated by a wealthy member for the purpose of acquiring this craft, the policy of the church does not allow for the money o be diverted to other purposes like feeding the poor or building of hospitals as many a commentator have suggested.

And I happen to know that the Church has not neglected the poor as being portrayed by critics. Offerings are collected monthly for the orphanages. There is a welfare department of the church that cares for the needy. The church also has a Prison visitation ministry. And the Prostitutes are not left out. A wing of the church reaches out to them and attempts to rehabilitate those who are willing to quit the profession. The Missions arm of the church also goes out to the most remote rural communities to preach the Gospel. They carry along foodstuff, clothing, and drugs for the villagers. The church has taken the Gospel to the most hazardous and hostile societies where Islam is a stronghold. All these attract huge financial commitments for which the society has should commend the Church instead of condemnation.

The impression that Pastor Adeboye has acquired the craft, as a status symbol is as erroneous as it is uninformed. Here is a PhD holder who does not even bother to put that in his name. Whereas we have several Bishops and Rev.Dr.Prophet Lagbajas in town the man simply remains ‘Pastor Adeboye’.

For starters, ‘Papa Adeboye’ (as he is fondly called by adherents) does not own the Redeemed Christian Church of God. He is neither the Founder nor the Sole Administrator of the church. The man only joined the Church in 1973, 21 years after the formation of the church and became the leader when the Church was 29 years old after the founder died in 1981. He is only serving a life term in the prison of God as a chief shepherd of His flock. None of the assets acquired by the church (including this jet) is his personal property. To accuse him of materialism or worldliness on account of this is way out unfair.

Even if we assume that he is going to be the sole passenger of the aircraft, (which is most doubtless not the case), has he not paid his dues? Unknown to many of the unkind commentators, this is a man who left a lucrative teaching job with a PhD to take up a (then) ‘undignified’ job of a preacher at a time when the Church (RCCG) had less that 40 parishes with a congregation of less than 10,000. It is not unlikely that many of his colleagues at that time had ridiculed him on account of his religious ‘fanaticism’. No newspaper at that time had considered his sacrificial action a news material.

At the RCCG camp where he stays, there was a time when that place was a thick swampy forest. There was practically no (human) sense in driving 46 kilometres out of the beautiful city of Lagos to stay in a bush camp in the name of religion. At a point he and his wife were sleeping on a bench on that camp. But he believed God wanted him to do just that. And thank God he obeyed. Many of the editors who now take pleasure in casting slurs on him could not have jettisoned their jobs in humble obedience to the voice of the great invisible God.

When he unveiled the almost impossible vision of taking the RCCG to all the nooks and crannies of the earth, I believe many people considered him unserious. Even some members of the Church deserted him when he broke the then tradition of the Church of using primarily the Yoruba Language for ministration. He introduced what is called in the RCCG circles, the ‘Model Parish structure’ where the English Language is used and some worship practices liberalised without compromising the standards of the Bible.

These reforms catapulted the RCCG from a hitherto unknown congregation to a global church with over 10,000 parishes in all the continents of the world. Over one million worshippers attend a Yearly Holy Ghost Congress, which began on the beach of Lekki in 1999 with a theme ‘Divine Visitation’. Indeed since then God has visited the Church in amazing ways. The Holy Ghost Congress remains one of the largest religious gatherings in the world today.

It is important to note that all these achievements did not allow the dangerous virus of pride to settle in the GO’s head. He remains one of the few Christian leaders of his status that can still wear local suits whereas he could easily afford to buy the choicest coats in the world. An epitome of humility, he remains a good model in holiness and blamelessness, which has endeared the congregation to his ministry.

The millions of Redeemed adherents who support the ministry with their time resources are not ‘brainwashed illiterates’ like most commentators have sought to portray them. To the contrary, the church is full of highly educated and exposed men and women with many occupying prestigious positions in virtually all the sectors of the economy. This accounts for the stupendous wealth of the church.

And acquiring a jet is among the least impossible things that God can do for the Church. The Church (not Adeboye) needs that jet to facilitate their evangelistic drive, which has gone global. With the jet, the church can move their materials and missionaries to any part of the world according to their programmes and plans without depending on the flight schedules of commercial Airlines.

Those who believe in God and his power know that it is a small thing for the ‘All-Sufficient-One’ to provide a ‘mere’ jet to his faithful servants. Am sure if you ask papa GO now, he will tell you that God has just started and that he is praying for the time when the Church will own an Airport and not just the Aircraft. After all the Earth belongs to the Lord and the fullness thereof. If we believe that nothing is impossible with God then we should not doubt the sincerity of his servant when God does the ‘impossible’ through him.

The time has come for the church to wake up and occupy the position God designed it to occupy. The church is supposed to rule the world and not the other way round. Interestingly this is not the first private jet in the Nigerian Airspace. Several Banks and oil magnets own private aircrafts but this has not generated much furore. Why have we not compelled these Banks and Oil Operators to divert such monies to social welfare as part of their corporate social responsibility?

God is not averse to working with the rich. The Bible is full of rich men who also used their riches to the service of God. Abraham was a very wealthy man. And he was the father of faith. Had Abraham lived in today’s time, he would have acquired many jets.

It is true that Jesus lived a lowly lifestyle, choosing not to build a house nor own property (because he said his kingdom is not of this world- John: 18:36) but he did not disapprove of the rich in his company either. Joseph of Armethea who later buried Jesus was a very rich man and a disciple of Jesus.

Yes Jesus fed the poor but he did not eliminate hunger from the streets of Nazareth. The poor and hungry will continue to be around for a while. Not buying that jet would not make the poor members of the church or society richer and acquiring it has not made them poorer either. 

Having taken the time to ‘exonerate’ Papa Adeboye from blame in his private capacity, the same may not be said about the sensitivity of the Church as a body to the times that we are in. Even the Bible says there is a time for everything under the sun. It is apparent that the timing for the purchase of the Aircraft may have seemed inappropriate due to the prevailing meltdown in the global economy; an issue that has featured prominently in the analysis of most commentators. The impression of insensitivity of the Church leadership to the harsh economic realities that confront the average church member seems to be the take-home message of every observer.

And then there is the issue of excessive parking and maintenance charges the church would incur on the craft. It does not seem to be an economically wise decision. Commercial airlines incur such expenses but as investment which they easily recoup from their passengers. This is not the case with private aircrafts. The chances are that the church membership may now be exerted the more in order to take care of the craft to ensure that it continues to fly to the glory of God.

Robot  # 1 | 24.03.2009 07:41

Jetting Out To the Glory of God Terver Atsar A big storm has been generated across the nation with the recent acquisition of a private Jet by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Many commentators have sought to find fault with the idea of such an expensive acquisition in the face of global economic downturn and the generally high poverty level among the followership of the church and the nation at large. The impression has also been created that the Jet is meant to boost the private comfort of the General Overseer of the Church. A further error is being indulged by suggesting that the General Overseers of the modern churches (Redeemed included) ‘extort’ the members of the Church through false threats of damnation in Hell-fire if they fail to forfeit 10% of their income(s) to the church and that such non-taxable monies are collected and converted to the personal use of the church leaders. It is not difficult to understand the anger ...Read the full article.

ELAWALO  # 2 | 24.03.2009 08:17

Thank You This is fair and well stated

K_Station  # 3 | 24.03.2009 12:50

=Robot;340068>And then there is the issue of excessive parking and maintenance charges the church would incur on the craft. It does not seem to be an economically wise decision. Commercial airlines incur such expenses but as investment which they easily recoup from their passengers. This is not the case with private aircrafts. The chances are that the church membership may now be exerted the more in order to take care of the craft to ensure that it continues to fly to the glory of God. Good and balance article Terver, however I disagree with your last paragraph (in the absence of hard facts to back it up). Most decisions to purchase a private jet are business decisions taken after a critical analysis of costs & effects compared to what the buying entity currently incur. For instance, do you know how many times Pastor Adeboye & his entourage travel by air every week/month for work? Do you know how many are usually in his entourage? Do you know how many chartered flights the RCCG currently pay for to accommodate current travel needs? Do you know how much time and money they can save by being able to now control their itinerary? I cannot say for certain but I can bet that the decision to purchase a jet was taken by the RCCG Board after all these considerations. In the absence of all the hard data that led to RCCG purchasing its own jet, it is safe to say, it might well be an economically wise decision, in spite of all the expenses that comes with owning & maintaining a jet. It is unfortunate that unlike you, many commentators on this issue have been unfairly unbalanced, their comments tainted by anger and emotion. Also we all need to acknowledge there are a lot of details we don't know for us to make a fair assessment. Unlike what many thought, there are many ways to 'own' a private jet including outright lease, lease-to-own, financed purchase, and outright purchase. We don't know for sure how the RCCG financed the jet! In a lot of cases also, maintaining the aircraft (at least for some years) could be a part of the deal from the manufacturers so it won't be a separate expense for the buyer. Like Dele Momodu wrote in his last weekend article also on this issue (ThisDay), we are a nation of angry people! I'm afraid our anger, our blind anger at everything rational or irrational may be doing us more harm than good.

ifeolooni  # 4 | 24.03.2009 15:31

well u can scramble for excuses why this is a good deal for the money(offering and tithe) of the meet seller or the peper seller or civil servant who are been daily clobbered by the irresponsibility within her system i respect pastor adeboye but i think he needs to begin to show more concern for the problm within our system rather embracing national honour from the same system and explaining it away its becoming a pattern an out touch one for that matter, i know our psych has been so battered that to call ppl out on some tingy sounds like an abberration to some ppl. but the nigerian church need to take loads of clues , atleast some from the social conservative movement in america though i disagree with their obsession with gay marriage and abortion but they make them selves heard and they fight hard to remain relevent and not cosying up to any person in power(maybe bush) i was strongly disappointed when pastor adeboye accepted yara donothing honour hw do u explain that to a rational human 4billion injected into sme fund set up by redeem for the poor and struggling in redeem overshadows any thing even going to preach abroad. i am a foursquarian and i remember moderation as key in our teaching. olodumare will let us learn

drwes  # 5 | 24.03.2009 17:36

I really believe there is no justification for this purchase. Regardless of the church analysis on the cost vs benefit of buying a private plane, it sends the wrong signal and shows poor judgement on the side of the leadership of this church. We are talking about a country with close to 50% poverty, decrepit infrastructures and a high level of social malaise. The religious organizations such as churches and mosques by default become the last island of meaning and stability in a lot of people's life. Opulence, display of high life and gilded lifestyle as illustrated by flying private planes reveal a fundamental lack of piety and complete loss of purpose for the church . Is the pastor serving himself or his congregation. I for one has said several times, most of these churches are led by selfserving charlatans, hucksters and megalomaniacal sociopaths. The behavior of the Redeem Church leadership in this instance confirms my suspicion.

Onari  # 6 | 24.03.2009 19:44

=K_Station;340150>Good and balance article Terver, however I disagree with your last paragraph (in the absence of hard facts to back it up). Most decisions to purchase a private jet are business decisions taken after a critical analysis of costs & effects compared to what the buying entity currently incur. For instance, do you know how many times Pastor Adeboye & his entourage travel by air every week/month for work? Do you know how many are usually in his entourage? Do you know how many chartered flights the RCCG currently pay for to accommodate current travel needs? Do you know how much time and money they can save by being able to now control their itinerary? I cannot say for certain but I can bet that the decision to purchase a jet was taken by the RCCG Board after all these considerations. In the absence of all the hard data that led to RCCG purchasing its own jet, it is safe to say, it might well be an economically wise decision, in spite of all the expenses that comes with owning & maintaining a jet. It is unfortunate that unlike you, many commentators on this issue have been unfairly unbalanced, their comments tainted by anger and emotion. Also we all need to acknowledge there are a lot of details we don't know for us to make a fair assessment. Unlike what many thought, there are many ways to 'own' a private jet including outright lease, lease-to-own, financed purchase, and outright purchase. We don't know for sure how the RCCG financed the jet! In a lot of cases also, maintaining the aircraft (at least for some years) could be a part of the deal from the manufacturers so it won't be a separate expense for the buyer. Like Dele Momodu wrote in his last weekend article also on this issue (ThisDay), we are a nation of angry people! I'm afraid our anger, our blind anger at everything rational or irrational may be doing us more harm than good. K_station, Whether it is lease, lease to own, rent, outright purchase, it is very expensive venture. Fueling the jet alone is big money, talk less of the maintenance. My question is why should it be the Nigerian religious leader that needs a jet for his comfort? Why cant the pope and the Anglican head have their own jet. This article mentioned that RCCG help the poor immensely, can the writer Terver go a little further and tell NVS how much the have spent on the poor over the years and lets compare it to the amount spent on the Jet and the subsequent maintenance it will cost the members of RCCG. Tony Blair From his Prime minister position to Ex-Prime Minister still flies a commercial jet. The Presidency has more fleet than the Nigerian Air force. I am beginning to think that we the enlightened community is the biggest problem of Nigeria. We at all times have name and argument to support deeply flawed behavior immediately that subject touches us directly or indirectly. Dele Momodu and co including the writer should speak up against this kind of behavior in pulpit. This attitude is the reason why we have the kind of leaders we have. Dele Momodu can call Nigerians angry people because he has benefitted immensly from the very people who have made Nigerians angry people. Lets check it out, for all our bad leaders we have our assumed best brain around them serving them, look the other way while the run down the country. Jet is for the comfort of Adebayo? It is a necessity right? The followers of Christ in which I am one, we need to go back to the basic teaching of Christ. Jesus Christ thought us to live for others especially the poor- most of His 12 disciples are poor men, His friends are poor men and women, Jesus never had even a house, no material thing to point to that Jesus ever had. Jesus teachings and work on earth lasted barely 3 years, he never traveled out of the present day Israel, but His message of selfless service continue to reverberate 2000 years later around the world. Jesus Christ took His time to wash the feet of His disciples, Where are those Bishops who have washed the feet of their members? Nathan took time to criticize David for taking another persons wife, who will be the Nathan of Nigeria that will tell our leaders the bitter truth instead of been part of the problem and partying with the armed robbers of the Nigerian people RCCG, the other day is wavers used to buy Luxury cars, now it is private jet for general overseer. The concerns I have had and nursed over the years about these churches are slowly and surely unfolding. I am surprised that when Nigerians cry out for this mind boggling behavior some villagers are calling Nigerians angry people, emotional people and unbalanced commentators. There is totally a genuine reason to be concerned because the buying of Jet is teaching our country men and women the urge to pursue material things no matter the circumstances we got those material things from. Jesus Christ throughout His teaching that is received daily all over the world today was his words, not his trips, not His material belongings, not rich friends, but quality of His words and His Character. Pastor Adebayo needs not leave his Shagmu camp to spread the word of Christ around the world...this is my 2 cents. NVS members here who are trying to justify the purchase of jet by RCCG for Adebayo, with all due respect are doing it out of respect for the head of spiritual church and elder for that matter, but I will say here without contradiction that our refusal to ask our elders the tough questions when the go astray is our greatest undoing of our generation. Sidon look gave us Abacha, IBB, OBJ, Yar'dua, Iwu, Anenih, Odili, Ibori...add your own list...now the disease has spread to the pulpit. God please deliver our country and its citizen from the strangle hold of material wealth. Amen

Anioma777  # 7 | 24.03.2009 20:42

@Onari NVS members here who are trying to justify the purchase of jet by RCCG for Adebayo, with all due respect are doing it out of respect for the head of spiritual church and elder for that matter, but I will say here without contradiction that our refusal to ask our elders the tough questions when the go astray is our greatest undoing of our generation. Sidon look gave us Abacha, IBB, OBJ, Yar'dua, Iwu, Anenih, Odili, Ibori...add your own list...now the disease has spread to the pulpit. God please deliver our country and its citizen from the strangle hold of material wealth. Amen Well written could not have put it better myself. Dele Momodu's last article in thisday newspaper was to be expected from a man full of contradictions and who will sell his own wife and kids just to get a story. I can guarantee you all his next article will start bleating on about how Nigeria is a corrupt and wicked nation....sigh. Below is what Adeboye and his 419 assistants and mugu congregation use partly to fund their evil ways. Its seems starting up churches as BUSINESS CENTRES is a very lucrative way to instant riches. Infact I hear Harvard Business school is putting together a new MBA module entitled "MAKE MONEY FOOLING PEOPLE THROUGH GOD 101" :D Welcome to RCCG Covenant Partners Page. This page is for special people who have decided to partner with Daddy GO, Pastor E. A. Adeboye in the work of the Lord. The Covenant Partner Group is divided into the following categories. Group 1 Fasting and prayer for 20 days for 3 months in a year; February, July and December either 14 days all through or 10 days breaking at 6.00pm and 10 days continuous for the next 10 years. Group 2 Manual Labour at the Camp for 60 days in a year i.e. January – July, February - August, March - September etc for the next 10 year or payment of $500.00 (N60,000) per annum. Group 3 Payment of $7,500.00 (1 Million Naira) per year for the next 10 year. Group 4 Payment of $75,000.00 (10 million Naira) per year for the next 10 years Group 5 Daily fasting and prayer for the whole of February, July and December excluding 25th of December for the next 10 years. Group 6 Payment of $100 - $1,000. (N1,000 – N100,000 Naira) for the next 10 years with one day fasting and prayer per week. Group 7 The combination of all Group i.e. Fasting and Prayer, Manual Labour and $7,500.00 (N1 Million Naira) for the next 10 years. http://rccg.camp7.org/Default.aspx?pageId=28884 I don't recall Jesus Christ telling people to bring vast sums of money and riches with him to the wilderness. Anyway na boredom I get, Jesus Christ did say many will come in his name under false pretenses so its no surprise that Adeboye and fake pastors like him have taken it to another level. Anyway only MUMU NIGERIANS can be fooled by a 7 year old child...oops sorry church!!

Anioma777  # 8 | 24.03.2009 21:55

Order now!!! OPEN HEAVENS 2009 now available, order now, limited supply.... only $25.00 Only 6 more copies, hurry and order now! http://rccg.camp7.org/openheavens2009 Yet more RCCG VALUE ADDED SALES. How many times do you receive ramdom phone calls from Salesmen/women or at shops saying oh we only have a few left there are selling like hot cakes, where as in reality most times maybe they have made zero or a few sales. Actually I wonder how spiritual open heavens 2002-2008 books where? I better Adeboye..oops sorry Daddy Adeboye will soon start selling houses for future occupation in Heaven. Daddy Ade please make mine a 7 bedroom house with scantily clad Angels of all races please:D

10Kobo  # 9 | 27.03.2009 17:30

I guess we have a habit of mixing 'sand and rice', in tackling issues. Here are the issues (or possible issues) we need to examine: 1.) Responsibility of a church(es) to its members ..and the society in general. 2.) Sensitivity of the church to the general plight of its members and others. 3.) Accountability by the church, to the members and the financial authority. You can not and should not call Pastor Adeboye (or any other person) names, except you have proof, he is corrupt. Lay such proof on the ground for everyone to see and in this case, "guilty by association" is not a definite proof. The Redeem Church, RCCG , has 'grown' bigger and beyond Pastor Adeboye and if the truth be said, its not the man that is the problem..its some offshoot Pastors somewhere, taking advantage of that organization. I read a write-up here on NVS(Making of a Pastor -Olamide Omideyi) , which the author called part of an up-coming book. Though it seems fictional, the picture there-in explains the rot that is pervading the RCCG (and most Pentecostal churches) of recent, where any Tom,Dick and Harry with an eye for quick money, zealously apprentice-himself as a "worker" for one or two years (learning the tricks of the trade) and promptly sets-up his own "money-machine", which the church erroneously calls "expansion to all corners of the world"! Expansion just for the sake of expansion and financial gains, is undesirable. Nigerians are not angry for nothing, (as some former "Arrangee Asylum seeker beneficiary" is now proclaiming), they are justifiably angry. I attend the Redeem Church and in my Parish as in many other Parishes, l see extreme poverty, the old, widows and those without 'connection', watch in awe, as those who "are blessed" give Testimony after Testimony, most times, just to rub-it-in, in all immodesty, so that the unfortunate ones can feel like committing suicide! I have seen situations where the church refused to assist an "ordinary member" who was seeking employment for a declared vacancy simply because she is not "a worker", a kind of discrimination, within the 'same body of Christ'! Needless to say, every one is not gifted the same way and all can not be 'workers' after all, its "unto God and not unto man" and its HE that reward in secrecy. Let us situate 'Jesus' in our present-day Nigeria. Remember when he was in a boat, on the high-seas and rebuked the storm to 'be-calm'? By present-day standards of some of these our "prosperity-by-all-means" Pastors, Jesus should have been on a King-Sized bed, in a "Deluxe Suit", with all the trappings that technology and electronics can provide: Jacuzzi bath, designer bath robes, countless Blackberry(s), Gucci-shoes, 24-Carat Gold Raymond Weill watches, Armani suits with Designer Ties and that his rickety boat would substitute for a 64-footer luxury private-Yatch (sounds like a private Jet or are these new-age Pastors more evangelistic than Jesus? )! "Jesus of today" needs it to evangelize properly! :no: Meeen, that excuse does not wash, simply, these guys sharp pass Jesus, walaahee:D In the end, even Judas Iscariot, can proffer a "reasonable excuze" for selling-out Jesus, something like "l did it so that the scripture may be fulfilled!" :d (another cunning fox!!). Compassion and sympathy for the less privileged, were the hallmark of Jesus, let every Pastor not only preach prosperity, let them "live Jesus", in their day-to-day dealings. The world is watching.....Jesus is watching.:cry2: Just my 'ten-Kobo'. 10Kobo

ozoodoo  # 10 | 28.03.2009 05:57

This Adeboye man is indeed a brilliant scammer. Welcome to RCCG Covenant Partners Page. This page is for special people who have decided to partner with Daddy GO, Pastor E. A. Adeboye in the work of the Lord. The Covenant Partner Group is divided into the following categories. Group 1 Fasting and prayer for 20 days for 3 months in a year; February, July and December either 14 days all through or 10 days breaking at 6.00pm and 10 days continuous for the next 10 years. Group 2 Manual Labour at the Camp for 60 days in a year i.e. January – July, February - August, March - September etc for the next 10 year or payment of $500.00 (N60,000) per annum. Group 3 Payment of $7,500.00 (1 Million Naira) per year for the next 10 year. Group 4 Payment of $75,000.00 (10 million Naira) per year for the next 10 years Group 5 Daily fasting and prayer for the whole of February, July and December excluding 25th of December for the next 10 years. Group 6 Payment of $100 - $1,000. (N1,000 – N100,000 Naira) for the next 10 years with one day fasting and prayer per week. Group 7 The combination of all Group i.e. Fasting and Prayer, Manual Labour and $7,500.00 (N1 Million Naira) for the next 10 years. http://rccg.camp7.org/Default.aspx?pageId=28884

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