“As hands are laid on you, I pray for unusual grace for sustainable connectivity that will keep you going without sweat.
“I pray that impact will be your goal not good preaching but great impact and I pray that your life will interpret your message in the name of Jesus.
“As you step into this new phase of your assignment, may you be clothed with humility.
“I have never begged, yet I have never lacked. I have never borrowed yet I have never lacked.”
That was the terse prayer by the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church, worldwide, aka Winners Chapel, David Oyedepo, as he commissioned his son, Isaac Oyedepo, into an independent evangelistic ministry on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.
In the video clip that went viral, Pastor Isaac and his wife, Ayomitide, were seen kneeling down while he was being prayed for, while his mother, Faith Oyedepo, who was beside her husband watched.
Vice President of the LFC, Bishop David Abioye, was also seen holding a bottle of anointing oil which was poured on Isaac and his wife.
Words of caution
Speaking after, Bishop Oyedepo cautioned his son against criticising other ministries or malign or bringing down any ministry.
He asked him not to emulate younger generation ministries that believe they know it all.
“My son, His times are not in your hands; your times are in His hands. Don’t be part of maligning or bringing down any ministry.
“Some years ago, someone stood up to give a testimony and to malign TREM and Deeper Life and I corrected it immediately. Never get to a point where you say this thing is only happening with me.
Sons of Prophet
In attendance were some spiritual sons of Bishop Oyedepo, including the Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja, Pastor Paul Enenche and the Senior Pastor of Salvation Ministries, David Ibiyeomie, among other Pentecostal preachers.
The bishop also prayed for those who attended the ceremony believed to have held at the LFC International Headquarters, Canaan Land, Ota, Ogun State, South West Nigeria.
He prayed that they would not be trapped by evil thought, evil speaking and evil action.
No complications in my relationship with dad, family
The formal commissioning of Isaac has ended the controversy over his status in LFC and his next ministerial move and destination.
On October 31, speculated reports of the 38 years old clergyman, breaking away from his father43 year-old ministry to float his own ministry broke out.
But he immediately took to his X account to dispel the report, saying there were no complications in his relationship with his family, particularly his father.
He added that he remained a steadfast member of the LFC just as he affirmed his commitment to it.
Isaac asked the public to exercise caution when considering information not sent through his social media platforms.
“I must state that there is no complication in my relationship with my beloved family and my beloved dad (Bishop David Oyedepo) who has stood by me and supported me over the years nor are there any in my commitment to my church-turned-home, Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel International.
“I remain a steadfast member of the Living Faith Church dedicated to the service of the body of Christ.
“I urge the general public to treat information not communicated by me or any of my social media platforms with extreme caution. There should be no further publications on any severance of my relationships with the Living Faith Church without my express authorization, as it may be considered a breach of my privacy. Thank you so much for your understanding,” Pastor Isaac said.
New ministry
During his commissioning, Isaac spoke about his new ministry.
According to him, God gave him a vision on the 14th anniversary of his pastoral ministry.
He stated that the evangelistic ministry would focus on the new generation.
“There is an urgent call to pull my generation out of the kingdom of darkness. Authentic compassion for the loss has driven us to an emergency mode to see their rescue.
“There is a cry to know him and the power of his resurrection. There is a cry to God to work at work in our days. This is what the Lord has called us to. This is an evangelistic ministry saddled with the mandate to reclaim, restore and revive this generation.”
He stated further, “Emphasis will be placed on salvation, holiness and the miraculous. We have a mandate to restore the fire. Spiritual complacency has suddenly replaced intimacy with God. We have been mandated to reclaim a generation, restore the fire and revive a people.
“The role of the church can’t be overemphasised. All we are doing is not sidelining the church but collaborating with the church to see that the souls out there are not left out. So the role the church has placed can never be sidelined. The universal church will see the end-time harvest in reality.”
Pastor Isaac said his new ministry would commence outdoor evangelical meetings to reach souls, adding “This will be a major thrust of the ministry. Major evangelistic campaigns will be conducted across the world.”
Who is Isaac?
Born on February 25, 1985, Isaac Oyedepo is the second son of Bishop David and Pastor Faith Oyedepo.
He has three siblings, namely David Oyedepo Jnr, Love and Joyce.
He got married to Ayomitide in 2010 and they both have four children.
Isaac has a Master of Business Administration degree in Leadership from Oral Roberts University in the United States. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Strategic Leadership in the same institution.
He was ordained as a pastor by the popular US preacher, Kenneth Copeland, in May 2007.
He once served as resident pastor of the South African branch of the church and later that of the Maryland, US branch.
In September, Isaac was appointed the National Youth pastor of Youth Alive Fellowship (YAF), the youth wing of the LFC.
Isaac is the founder of Anazao Generational Connect. He is also the convener of IGNITE, a university campus Revival Movement; AWAKEN, a yearly bootcamp and multiple Kingdom Come Crusade; and Mission to My Generation (M@%) Academy at Leadership Training Institute.
His older brother, David is a pastor at the Canaan Land church headquarters.