It is not my responsibility to give names to the types of churches mentioned above. But with more than 38 years of being a Christian, and with my many years of serving under various ministries as a worker and a minister; and with my experience of counseling people, I will advise every honest Christian who wants to end up in heaven to make their own selection. You will stand before God to give an account of your life’s choices.
There are many good churches in Nigeria. The attributes of these good churches are mentioned at the end of this article. However, given my many years of experience with the Nigerian church, coupled with my experience in counseling many Nigerians, I have discovered four other bad churches. These are the churches destroying the gospel in Nigeria, and the nation of Nigeria at large. If you care about your eternity; if you ever believe that there is a heaven and a hell after death, then you must take responsibility and avoid these four types of churches in Nigeria.
Occult Churches
These kinds of churches are scattered across the country. There are so many of them. Some of the leaders of these churches started with God, while majority of them started outright with the devil. These churches were founded on demonic covenants, which the leaders still maintain with so many rituals that are grossly unknown to multitudes of members, some of which include regular sex with women and periodic sacrifices of innocent members in various shades of strange deaths in the church. They regularly cast spells on members, an act that locks up the minds of the people under them, so they won’t ever be able to think through the evil practices of their pastors. Some of them also mix things with their Holy Communion elements.
They also engage in various strange mysteries and practices that are often disguised as instructions from God, but which are actual instructions from the different occultic groups they belong to in Nigeria. They have the ears of the police and high government personalities who shield them from prosecution.
All of these continue to draw multitudes to their churches and their branches with various shades of miracles and testimonies attending to their meetings and services. If you are in this kind of church, you need to get out immediately. If you’re honest enough, and you care about your eternity, you need leave for the good church that’s described below.
Hybrid churches are the most complex to unravel. They basically combine elements of all of the above options. Today the pastor will preach the truth; tomorrow, the pastor is teaching blatant errors; next tomorrow, the pastor is milking the members and harassing them; and the next time, the pastor is practicing some occultic mysteries. These types of churches are the most difficult to help or unravel.
Money Driven Churches
These types of churches are largely focused on building wealth and empires for the owners. They may pretend to be genuine, but their practices are dominantly skewed towards money. They corrupt music ministers and promote greed and competition among them. They enlarge branches specifically for financial gains, with many of their pastors finding it hard to survive, although many of the members may be ignorant of this. They collect every kind of offerings from members, regardless of the financial status of the members; they monetise prayers and every form of spiritual activity that the ministry engages in. Basically, their messages are largely built around “wealth maximisation”, and many of the leaders of churches like these are in bed with corrupt politicians, who regularly help to fund their comfortable lifestyles through many contract opportunities.
For the most part, their primary concern is to build gigantic structures, a strategy to build fame and competitive advantage over others. Some of the leaders of churches like these are also actively involved with sexual immorality and occultic affiliations within and outside the country. They have the ears of the police and high government personalities who shield them from prosecution. If you are in this kind of church, you need to get out immediately. If you’re honest enough and you care about your eternity, you need to leave for the good church that’s described below.
Social Churches
These types of churches are built around secular world views, rather than on biblical doctrines. Their most dominant teachings are social topics like gender empowerment, emotional intelligence, leadership consulting, motivation, success coaching, psychology, humanism and globalism, among others. They attract so many people to their churches through various social programs that are sometimes disguised as charities, but which are mainly targeted at “seeker sensitive people”. They don’t talk about sin or growth or anything that may be perceived as offensive to members. The pastors or leaders of these churches have virtually no passion or concern for sound Christian doctrines that promote repentance and obedience of biblical values and principles. Strangely, the leaders of some of these churches belong to many national and international groups where they are never mandated to include spirituality in their teachings in exchange for grants and other global branding opportunities. This is not a church but a secular organization. If you are in this kind of church, you need help. If you’re honest enough and care about your eternity, you need to leave for the good church that’s described below.
Hybrid Churches (Mixed Practices)
Hybrid churches are the most complex to unravel. They basically combine elements of all of the above options. Today the pastor will preach the truth; tomorrow, the pastor is teaching blatant errors; next tomorrow, the pastor is milking the members and harassing them; and the next time, the pastor is practicing some occultic mysteries. These types of churches are the most difficult to help or unravel. Why? Despite the evil of their pastors, the members will always point to the good things the pastor has done and would never agree that their pastor needs help. It’s a confused church system. You will find the good; the bathroom the pleasant the occult; and some allegations of sexual immorality in the ministry. It’s neither here nor there. If you are in this kind of church, your church needs help. If you’re honest, God will lead you right. You may be asked to leave the church or told to pray for your pastor out of this confused spiritual state.
The pastors of churches like these exhibit varieties of fruits that align with biblical values. They are humble, patient, simple and caring. They don’t hobnob with corrupt politicians, neither are they too passionate about church projects that may potentially compromise their integrity. If you are in this kind of church, your church needs more prayers to remain focused and consistent with Christ.
Good Churches
These types of churches are also in Nigeria. The churches are rooted in Christ. The leaders started with God and are still with God. They may be large or small. The pastors teach sound doctrines that are largely focused on genuine salvation, repentance, discipleship and consistent growth of members. The pastors of churches like these exhibit varieties of fruits that align with biblical values. They are humble, patient, simple and caring. They don’t hobnob with corrupt politicians, neither are they too passionate about church projects that may potentially compromise their integrity. If you are in this kind of church, your church needs more prayers to remain focused and consistent with Christ. You will need to lift your pastor up in prayers so that the forces of evil in the land will not derail them
It is not my responsibility to give names to the types of churches mentioned above. But with more than 38 years of being a Christian, and with my many years of serving under various ministries as a worker and a minister; and with my experience of counseling people, I will advise every honest Christian who wants to end up in heaven to make their own selection. You will stand before God to give an account of your life’s choices. It is strictly between you and God. But if you care about how you end your life on earth, then you won’t disregard the attributes of the kind of church you attend. It is a make or break affair.
And to the faithful churches in Nigeria that are under the leadership of faithful men and women, the Lord will continue to uphold you with strength and grace to finish well.
Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through [email protected].
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