Nigeria needs good leadership standards —Pastor Olaniyi

Francis Ayo Olaniyi is an experienced Christian education instructor, Christian counsellor and speaker at Christian conferences and seminars. The pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), who currently serves as the coordinator of Christ Apostolic Church, Theological Seminary, Lagos Campus, shares his thoughts on religious and national issues. Excerpts:

Mission of the theological seminary

Our mission is training different levels of people of God who have been called into different ministries of the Gospel. We also created room for those who are not sufficiently literate to be enrolled in any of our programmes. The miracle we have witnessed is that some of the literacy programme students have developed to the point of taking a diploma course here, whereas they had previously been deemed less useful for God. The implication here is that there is a space for development in our sphere for everyone who wishes to do the will of God.

Impact of training

Our vision is a society we have made impact on in such a desirable way that there will be less number of ministers of God who are God’s enemies by their distasteful style of living and ministering. Our dream is that of more gospel ministers who are disciplined and seasoned in the knowledge of the word of God and heaven-focused, while winning souls for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Can this solve the problem of leadership?

Our country is what it is today because of the problem of leaders that lack the discipline of good leadership. We all should understand that no society rises beyond its leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Our churches today are not truly making positive impact on society because many church leaders are not truly appropriately and sufficiently trained. We are not the only seminary in Nigeria: we are aware that there are so many degree-awarding seminaries and Bible colleges that provide ‘watery’ training. That is not what we are cut out for. Our goal is assisting as many as are willing to come over to us to become ministers of God, who have studied to show themselves approved unto God; work men and women who have no reason to be ashamed but rightly sharing the word of truth.