Church growth consultant, Dr Francis Bola Akin-John, has been organising conferences for thousands of church leaders across the world for years. He spoke ahead of another forthcoming conference on girl-child marriage, the new Lagos Domestic Violence Law, church leadership and sundry issues. Sunday Oguntola was there.
This year’s conference is on leaders lift, what is the big deal about that?
First, it was the Lord that led me to choose that theme. It is basically to explain that leadership is about lifting others. I believe it is not for personal benefits. From my research as a consultant to churches and ministries, I have seen that that is not our idea of leadership. Leaders are not lifting but limiting people. The idea is to remind church leaders that we are there to lift people. That is the fundamental, primary, basic and most important reason for leadership. Leaders must lift people emotionally, financially, spiritually and economically.
From your observation, do you think we have really had such leaders in this country?
I am afraid I am going to say no, with the exception of a very few people. Rather, we have looters and not leaders in the church and the nation. We also have rulers and not leaders. Our rulers do not have the skills, capacities and motivations to serve others. We can all see how people who were so poor suddenly become billionaires once they get to the positions of leadership. They serve themselves and their cronies. I say it a lot that the only curse on Nigeria is that of leadership. We have everything else except good leaders across board. We lack leaders that can lead us through vision, sacrifice, personal examples and integrity to the Promised Land.
There was point in this country when even government agencies and officials asked churches for nominees. At what point did the church lose out in providing leadership in the country?
Oh, that was when we deemphasised training. When we deemphasised going to Bible schools. There was this crop of leaders that emerged in the late 70s without attending Bible schools. They had secular training and good degrees but lack biblical training. In those days, the church emphasised biblical teachings on integrity, honesty and hard work. Churches were not flamboyant then but there were well-groomed leaders in the church.
These secular-trained church leaders started anointing rich, successful Christians to become pastors without good foundations. Churches became rich, popular and full but lack good foundations. That was the point we lost it. Today, pastors misbehave and you are really saddened. They lack consistent walk with the Lord when popularity, prosperity and pressure come. Until the church goes back to emphasise discipleship, godly living and biblical instructions, we’d remain in the doldrums.
How would you assess a growing church?
I’d judge a growing church by its health. There are many growing but unhealthy churches. Many think every church with thousands of worshippers is really growing. You can have money, popularity and fame and yet remain unhealthy. I’d be interested in knowing the quality of life by those attending those churches.
Many today are in churches to receive from God, they want to use Him. They want Him to pander to their caprices. They just want to pray and receive miracles without pleasing God or walking with Him. Many preachers focus on testimonies, prophecies and miracles that will bring people without discipleship. Churches like that are not healthy but growing.
So, I will look for the moral lifestyles and value systems of the people. I’d look for their willingness to please God and efforts to follow Christ. So, I won’t be deceived by money, size or fame of the church but quality of life exhibited by the members.
What is responsible for the rising spate of domestic violence?
I will put it down to loss of values. When the church no longer teaches values and people lack the fear of God, things will really fall apart. When we lack the fear of God, there is nothing you cannot do. That is why we have girl-child marriage and domestic violence. People are just looking for how to fulfill their lust. Someone argued his religion allows him to marry teenage girls.
For God’s sake, how can you marry a girl? How can you be violent on your wife or spouse? How can you bear to be sleeping with a 13-year-old girl? It means there is no fear of God or value for human lives.
The Lagos State Government just signed the Domestic Violence bill into Law. How do you respond to such government interventions in marital affairs, considering what happens in the West?
That law, to some extent, is praiseworthy but lopsided. And I want to sound a note of warning that we are treading the path that the Europeans walked. That is why there countries have become females’ nations where men are endangered species. I know women that beat their husbands. I know many men that dare not talk. Does the law cover that? If not, then it is lopsided.
My fear is that we might have just licensed women to become more daring to walk out of their matrimonies. The rate of single parenthood is rising just like divorce. Most of our Nollywood stars are having children without men. This law has the tendency to encourage that. They can walk out under the slightest challenge.
In Europe, men cannot even raise their voices. The women will call 911 and the police will show up. They will walk the husbands out and jail them. They believe whatever the women say, whether or not they are lying. That way, many homes are breaking. The government had better tread softly there so that we are not taking two steps forward and ten steps backwards.
Don’t you think the high unemployment among men will further encourage women to provoke them and invoke the law?
Sure. You know I teach marriage and I know many women lose it once their husbands get out of jobs. Only a few women can be bread winners and not misbehave. I want to say that men must not wait for government jobs. To me, it is foolish to be a graduate and not have a job for five years. I have not travelled much but we can start a business and if you are intelligent and hardworking, you will break even in five years. The market is there and the opportunities. I don’t think we should blame the government but ourselves.
I believe we must return to learning crafts and skills. If men remain at homes, waiting for jobs, they will lose their authority at home. We are all after the get-rich syndrome but that will not take us far. School is to prepare people for life but we must be street wise to survive.
Can you marry out your 13-year-old daughter?
God forbid. Even if I am not a Christian or a pastor, it will not happen.For God’s sake, a 13-year-old is not ready for marriage. Some people say once a girl is menstruating, she is ready. But they fail to tell us that once an adult forces himself on a girl that is not ready, it leads to VVF. That is why the only four hospitals that treat VVF are in the north.
I put it down to self-indulgence and lust. If you are a mature father with senses, how can you be forcing yourself on a 13-year-old? She is a girl, not a bride. She is not ready for marital responsibilities. To me, it is a product of our warped minds. Those who advocate for it are only done with older women and want to finish off our girls.
That proposal should be thrown out like we rejected same-sex bill. Like we arrest rapists, we should also arrest those sleeping with girls. Otherwise, our future is in jeopardy. Our girl-children have become endangered species. It is frightening that older men now believe they can rejuvenate themselves by sleeping with girl-children.
What do you imagine would have happened after the conference?
I expect that our church leaders would learn skills on how to become lifters. I believe only spiritual men can lead the church to the next level of impact. So, we are talking on practical skills on how to lift people. We are empowering them on how to change lives and transform the societies. We want them to be in touch with God and become agents of change. We want to deemphasise motivational preaching and encourage leaders to teach and cite only the Bible.
