About the ministry

Church Leadership

Living Faith

How the Living Faith Church began.

When the Mandate was delivered in 1981, I saw it mainly as an outreach ministry, because at that time, church planting was not considered relevant. We were more concerned about believing God for revival in the existing churches. Also, when the Mandate was delivered, church wasn't particularly mentioned. I then thought it was going to be an outreach ministry. My stand was that there were enough churches already, so we didn't really need another one. But one early morning, however, God showed me something from Luke chapter one: Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also… —Luke 1:1-3
God was telling to me, “There are many churches, yes; but I am giving you a portion of the church ministry.”
“I also…” became the marching order for our Church Ministry. That’s, “others have written it, but you have a part of it to write.” It is that part that we are here writing, which is fast becoming a global phenomenon. To God be the glory!

The Mandate

Our Mandate speaks of liberation in all facets of human existence, we focus mainly on destinies that have been afflicted, battered, beaten, tattered, deformed and subsequently in groaning and agonies, as a result of pains, pangs and crying. This is the mandate. The hour has come to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith, and I am sending you to undertake this task." Today, testimonies of liberation through our messages, books, tapes, magazines and other periodicals are most humbling. The word of faith is working likefire for the liberation of mankind across the nations. Bishop David Oyedepo (Presiding Bishop, LFCCWW, WMA) The operational mandate of our ministry is as follows:

The Pastoral Mandate

The understanding of the liberation commission is that, it will basically be an outreach operation. The Presiding Bishop could not imagine any church connection with the commission. Our understanding then was that there was no kind of church that was not in existence and that what was needed was to ignite the fire of the Holy Ghost in existing churches through itinerant preaching in churches, instead of finding new ones. However, one glorious day, in November 1982, the Lord spoke to the Presiding Bishop clearly from Luke 1:1-3 that "this mandate shall have a church base all that is in existence notwithstanding". Today, the Living Faith Church, well known in some cities and nations as Winners' Chapel, and has become a worldwide name.

The Church Spread Mandate

During our Easter Faith Convention in 1987, The Presiding Bishop was on his way to the platform on April 27, 1987, when the Lord spoke to him in very clear terms, "It's time to spread out." He declared it to the church that same day, and to the glory of God by May 27, 1987, our branch network began in five cities and towns in northern Nigeria, namely Maiduguri, Bauchi, Mubi, Azare and Biu. Today, we are in over 300 cities and towns in Nigeria, and over 35 nations in Africa, Europe and America.

The Foreign Mission Mandate

On May 4, 1994, as The Presiding Bishop was driving from a meeting held in Zaria to Kaduna, that the Lord spoke to him in very clear terms, "The harvest of Africa is now over-ripe, rush in and preserve it from decadence." On May 8, 1994, with a giant map of Africa, we dedicated the mandate to God for execution and by January 15, 1995 the first set of missionaries left the shores of Nigeria. Today, we are in about 32 African nations and operating in 63 cities and towns in those nations. It's clear again that whatever God speaks with His mouth, He performs with His Hand (I Kings 8:15). The foreign mission mandate gave birth to two organizations. One was the African Invasion Program (AGIP) and the World Mission Agency (WMA). It wouldn't be until the year 2000 that God gave the Commission the prompting to expand beyond the shores of Africa in a programme called the Mission To the World (MTW). The church in London was subsequently born in the year 2001, the New York Church in 2004 and the Maryland Church in 2008. Clearly, the mission to spread this commission and its churches around the world came directly from God and that is why we have been experiencing God's backing in a strange way.

Faith Tabernacle

The international headquarters of Winners Chapel is called the Faith Tabernacle. It covers about 70 acres (280,000 m2) and is built inside an over 10,500-acre (42 km2) church complex called Canaanland, the international headquarters of the ministry in Ota, a suburb of Lagos. The building took 12 months to be completed. The foundation laying took place on August 29, 1998. The dedication of the building took place on September 19, 1999 with 97,800 people in attendance.

The structure is purported to have been built without any debts and within a year of work beginning. Faith Tabernacle as from 1999-2008 was the largest church building in the world. It has a seating capacity of 50,400 people and an outside overflow capacity of over 250,000, with four services every Sunday. Cannanland was procured in 1998 and was initially 560 acres (2.3 km2). Presently it is over 10,500 acres (42 km2) and will take about 120 km to navigate around it.