Church has role to play to bail Nigeria out of recession —Bakare

Pastor Tunde Bakare, Senior Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, has said the current economic recession is an opportunity for the Church to bail out the country through God-inspired economic principles.

Pastor Bakare, stated this, in Abuja, on Saturday.

He spoke on the theme: “The Church and Economic Recession, “at  the 14th anniversary celebration of Foursquare Gospel Church.

He said that the church had the ability to bail out nations, influence public policy through God-inspired economic principles and strategically position human resources to implement its principles.

Bakare, however, said that the church was yet to rise to the height mandated to it by destiny to bail out nations and to lead them to God’s will.

“I am convinced that the recession currently being experienced in Nigeria is an opportunity for the church.

“Therefore, I declare to you that the scripture is about to be fulfilled in your hearing, as God is stirring up the church to take responsibility for the destiny of Nigeria.

“That is why we are gathered here today to talk about the church and economic recession.

“If the church is also reeling from the impact of the recession, we must admit to ourselves that this is against the scriptural pattern.

“It is the best of times to take the tenets of the faith beyond the four walls of the church building to the marketplace and the policy roundtable,” Bakare said.

The cleric added that the nation’s economic recession was largely self-inflicted which could have been avoided, saying “unfortunately for Nigeria, our biggest boom experience fell into the hands of an unprepared leadership.“

Bakare, however, commended the Federal Government for its effort to salvage the nation’s economy in the past eighteen months.

Pastor Babajide Olowodola, the Senior Pastor, Fourquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, said the role of the church in addressing current economic recession could not be overemphasised.

“The church must be seen to be part of solution to economic recession not to compound the problem,“ Olowodola said.