The Problem with Paul Eneche

By: Deji Yesufu

This past weekend, the Internet went agog with a matter of a “testimony” given at Paul Eneche’s church – Dunamis International Gospel Centre. One Veronica Anyim came forward to testify of what God has done in her life. With very limited spoken English, this dear woman talked about how she became a graduate of law – the first graduate in her lineage. She attributed her success to God and to, in the tradition of modern Pentecostals, the “commission” of Paul Eneche. She was, however, interrupted by the General Overseer, Eneche, who questioned the veracity of her testimony. According to him, graduates of law are not given BSc but LLB. Therefore, her testimony was a lie, and she was asked to leave the stage while other members of the church were warned against giving false testimonies. While it is true that graduates of law are not given BSC, the Foundations for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) discovered that Anyim is a true graduate of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). They wrote:

“To verify Enenche’s claim, FIJ reviewed NOUN’s Comprehensive Graduation List for the 2024 convocation. In this document, the newspaper found Anyim Veronica Nnenna, with Matric Number NOU133971176, listed as an LLB recipient. She bagged third-class honours… FIJ also found her project topic filed under NOUN’s Projects Administration System (PAS). Her topic was ‘The Legal Framework Regulating International Peace-Keeping, Building And The Role Of Nigeria Police Force’…”

The challenge with this matter is the spirit Paul Eneche brought with it. The discerning will discover many things to be wanting about the exchange at that church. First, what is a “testimony time” doing in a worship service? Second, would Eneche have questioned this woman’s claims if she was speaking impeccable English and exuded wealth? Why did it require social media uproar for Dunamis Church to respond to this matter? Where is charity in Eneche’s initial actions? Answers to these questions will show the discerning the problem with Paul Eneche and why those looking for church associations should stay from gatherings led by the likes of Paul Eneche.

Testimony Time. One wonders what “testimony time” is doing in a Sunday morning worship service. We are told that it gives opportunities for people to learn what God is doing in the “commission”. A church whose first principles are the working of miracles and the divine validation of God on the minister is forever looking for new miracle stories to bolster this position. The testimony time is a time to tell everyone that God is blessing the church and a reason for everyone to stay in the gathering. When you understand that God is both in the good, the bad, and the ugly situations that occur in the Christian’s life, you realize there is no need for any divine approbation. All we need is obedience to God, and we leave outcomes to him. The minister of a church should care for and celebrate the weak and needy even more than those experiencing so-called miracles. Testimony time is both unbiblical and unnecessary in church.

The Minister’s Authority. Another problem with Eneche is the authority he appears to exude in that local church. Eneche appears to be only next to God in that gathering, and since God can not be seen, Eneche is the all in all in that church. This is the perfect picture of the General Overseer in Pentecostal Churches in most places around the world. Even if we were to allow that a “testimony time” is permissible in a meeting, why will the minister suddenly interrupt a segment of worship? He is able to do this because he wields an authority in that church that is way beyond the authority God has given any man in a local church. The biblical position is for a number of men, not one man, to oversee a church – and a godly assembly must be constituted with mature members who love God and are committed to each other. A gathering like this should never have one man as the conspicuous face of the church, whose words are final and can even interrupt sessions during public worship. Those people are supposed to be worshipping Christ, not Paul Eneche.

Conclusion. My first essay on Paul Eneche was in 2018, where I criticised his building of a Dome, the opening of which coincided with the death of John Chau (that essay is now published in HUMANITY). Chau was killed by the natives of an unreached people group on an Indian island. Chau felt the need to bring the gospel to these people. I compared Chau heart with those of Eneche who appears to only revel in gathering more and more people under a roof – his dome. The moment his own uncharitable statement in church began to threaten the gathering under his dome, he released a statement talking about some supposed love and care they have for insignificant people like madam Anyim. I do hope that people will discover quickly that Paul Eneche and individuals like him are not leading churches with the hope of bringing their members to God’s kingdom. The gospel they preach, the prosperity gospel, is defective; they possess very little quality of life that lends itself to be Christian; and they are about the first to trample on the weak whom Christ has called the true pastor to feed (John 21:15-17). These are the problems with Paul Eneche and men like him, and people must possess discernment to stay away from them.

Deji Yesufu pastors Providence Reformed Baptist Church Ibadan, situated at the University of Ibadan.

Source