The issue has bothered me for long and i think its high time i let it out and mix my observations with that of learned colleagues here on NL.

Some renowned men of God in Nigeria find it hard to expand their churches into other location outside their physical jurisdiction. They find it hard to hand over different branches to junior pastors and I see this from a deceptive eyes. Let me state logically why these Pastors are hesitant.

1. TO AVOID SHARING INCOME

2. CRAVE FOR RELEVANCE

3. PROPER MANAGEMENT

Freeman David, a Philosopher

opeaceo:
Spot on!!! but....
In case of proper management, I don't see that as a good reason for not "branching out". Some churches have up to 4 services in a day and you'll see people spend hours on the road just to attend their church services far away from their residence.

IMO, the plight of the worshippers should be their priority and if it's not, then it is mismanagement.

HCpaul:
You spoke very wise and intelligent, but your wisdom is somehow my foolishness.

TB Joshua is often regarded as a senior prophet, not just as a title, but for defined reasons.

Scoan is like a superset for the church of christ.
You can see how many church founders went there and gained impactation and fire.

Even though it is only one available in the country, you can see how they wanted to demolish the building.
The man is the most persecuted pastor in the world and his character cannot sustain having branches.


SCOAN is not a church but a synagogue.

His calling is entirely different.
Go and read the history of the ancient prophets and come back to create another sensible thread.

HCpaul:
You spoke very wise and intelligent, but your wisdom is somehow my foolishness.

TB Joshua is often regarded as a senior prophet, not just as a title, but for defined reasons.

Scoan is like a superset for the church of christ.
You can see how many church founders went there and gained impactation and fire.

Even though it is only one available in the country, you can see how they wanted to demolish the building.
The man is the most persecuted pastor in the world and his character cannot sustain having branches.


SCOAN is not a church but a synagogue.

His calling is entirely different.
Go and read the history of the ancient prophets and come back to create another sensible thread.

trapQ:
O.P you're wrong. prophet T.B Joshua said that he hasnt been told by the holy spirit to open more branches. its not always about the money.

trapQ:
O.P you're wrong. prophet T.B Joshua said that he hasnt been told by the holy spirit to open more branches. its not always about the money.

HCpaul:
You spoke very wise and intelligent, but your wisdom is somehow my foolishness.

TB Joshua is often regarded as a senior prophet, not just as a title, but for defined reasons.

Scoan is like a superset for the church of christ.
You can see how many church founders went there and gained impactation and fire.

Even though it is only one available in the country, you can see how they wanted to demolish the building.
The man is the most persecuted pastor in the world and his character cannot sustain having branches.


SCOAN is not a church but a synagogue.

His calling is entirely different.
Go and read the history of the ancient prophets and come back to create another sensible thread.

vooks:
TB Joshua is a murderer and charlatan
His ministry has folded
London closed
Greece closed
US closed
Ghana closed
South Africa closed

The only branch we know of is in Thessalonika.

Am still reeling in shock that some brainwashed Neanderthal buffoons still blame ghosts for the building that collapsed.

It is a shame that a Negro who can afford a $65m jet cut corners, put up a substandard structure thereby sacrificing 116 on the altar of his greed

opeaceo:


The most persecuted Pastor in the world?? How did you know that?

When typing next time, leave out sentiments.

Freemanan:


At bolded...
That's my main grievance...
They Dont even care about their members, so long offering and tithes are paid.

ayoku777:


Can't those people go to other churches? Must they inconvenience themselves to attend just one particular church?

Some pastors simply believe in the universality of the body of Christ, and don't think you need to be a member of their church to be a member of the body of Christ or even to be impacted by their ministries.

I know many pastors with impactful ministries who don't have more than a branch. Some of them even plant churches elsewhere and give the ministries complete autonomy from them. Not as a branch of their own church. Gbile Akanni Rick Joyner, etc are examples.

When you begin to see the universal church as one body, you won't feel the compulsion to spread your branches all over as if you wana be the dominant church.

Sometimes (not always) branch-based churches many times are just to increase the empire of the said ministry and man of God, not for the convenience of the members. And these are motives God will destroy in His next move.

When the body of Christ truly becomes one in the next move of God, denominations and branches of church empires will become irrelevant.

opeaceo:


You talk as if most churches have the same doctrines or idealogies. In Nigeria, I see competition amongst worshippers, at the mention of their founder of GO, they loose all sense of reasoning, now tell me, how would they comfortably go sit in another church?

Pastors who plant churches and give them their full autonomy, they most times handle them to someone who has been under their tutelage and he continues in a way similar to the principles of the founder.

One of the primary purpose of a church is for the expansion of the Gospel, and it can't achieve that with just a branch, it has to spread its tentacles.

ayoku777:


Don't confuse church planting for branch planting. You can plant churches without making it a branch of your own church.

I'm not talking about the Nigerian model of man of God-ism and hero-worship mentality. I'm talking about the church, the way it was meant to be.

Just because you mentored someone doesn't mean you should become the Holy Spirit to the person. Even those you mentor should be given the liberty to be led of the Spirit and express their unique giftings and grace.

Most times, branch planting is just to spread the influence and empire of the man of God, not to spread the gospel.

You can mentor someone and help him plant a church that will spread the gospel of Christ, without making his church a branch of yours. Just like Paul did for Timothy and Titus.

A lot of pastors that don't have branches, are mentors that have helped other pastors plant churches. But they gave their mentees the liberty to express their grace while they continue to counsel and interceed for the churches, like Paul did.

Church planting does not have to be branch planting. And God will truly prove that through what is coming. What is coming will soon make denomination and branches irrelevant. We will all be one body, a church, made up of churches, not branches of a religious empire.

vooks:


The different between church planting and branch planting is the INTENT

How do you suppose churches should run?

Start with Ayoku called to start a church from his basement. Next?

ayoku777:


Can't those people go to other churches? Must they inconvenience themselves to attend just one particular church?

Some pastors simply believe in the universality of the body of Christ, and don't think you need to be a member of their church to be a member of the body of Christ or even to be impacted by their ministries.

I know many pastors with impactful ministries who don't have more than a branch. Some of them even plant churches elsewhere and give the ministries complete autonomy from them. Not as a branch of their own church. Gbile Akanni, Rick Joyner, etc are examples.

When you begin to see the universal church as one body, you won't feel the compulsion to spread your branches all over as if you wana be the dominant church.

Sometimes (not always) branch-based churches many times are just to increase the empire of the said ministry and man of God, not for the convenience of the members. And these are motives God will destroy in His next move.

When the body of Christ truly becomes one in the next move of God, denominations and branches of church empires will become irrelevant.

ayoku777:


You're right, its the intent. The matter of the heart is the heart of the matter.

A true ministry is run by treating souls as its greatest asset. When you begin to see a church branch being castigated or threatened because they are not remitting enough amount to the headquarters, you cannot help but wonder, what is the goal behind opening of branches?

Are these branches being opened to shore up the capital base of the mother church? Or to reach more souls?

Why threaten a church with shutdown or change of leadership because membership is still low or remittance to headquarters is not increasing?

I know firsthand a lot of the world-style politicking and tussle that goes on in many of such branch-based churches.

The church should be run as it was run in bible days. People should be mentored in doctrine and grace, and given the liberty to express their giftings without the mentor playing the Holy Spirit to them.

Let me tell you the truth. The present church model are just holding the fort for the real model that will take the church into the promised land.

The present model are like Moses, feeding God's people in the wilderness as the Joshua generation matures to take the rein. When they do, demoninationalism and branch-loyalty will be replaced by the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

Presently, the church is not even remotely close to the glorious church Christ is coming for, in power, purpose, principles and personality. And we don't even have the church discipleship model yet for arriving at it.

We will get there though, because it is written.

ayoku777:


Don't confuse church planting for branch planting. You can plant churches without making it a branch of your own church.

I'm not talking about the Nigerian model of man of God-ism and hero-worship mentality. I'm talking about the church, the way it was meant to be.

Just because you mentored someone doesn't mean you should become the Holy Spirit to the person. Even those you mentor should be given the liberty to be led of the Spirit and express their unique giftings and grace.

Most times, branch planting is just to spread the influence and empire of the man of God, not to spread the gospel.

You can mentor someone and help him plant a church that will spread the gospel of Christ, without making his church a branch of yours. Just like Paul did for Timothy and Titus.

A lot of pastors that don't have branches, are mentors that have helped other pastors plant churches. But they gave their mentees the liberty to express their grace while they continue to counsel and interceed for the churches, like Paul did.

Church planting does not have to be branch planting. And God will truly prove that through what is coming. What is coming will soon make denomination and branches irrelevant. We will all be one body, a church, made up of churches, not branches of a religious empire.

ayoku777:


Don't confuse church planting for branch planting. You can plant churches without making it a branch of your own church.

I'm not talking about the Nigerian model of man of God-ism and hero-worship mentality. I'm talking about the church, the way it was meant to be.

Just because you mentored someone doesn't mean you should become the Holy Spirit to the person. Even those you mentor should be given the liberty to be led of the Spirit and express their unique giftings and grace.

Most times, branch planting is just to spread the influence and empire of the man of God, not to spread the gospel.

You can mentor someone and help him plant a church that will spread the gospel of Christ, without making his church a branch of yours. Just like Paul did for Timothy and Titus.

A lot of pastors that don't have branches, are mentors that have helped other pastors plant churches. But they gave their mentees the liberty to express their grace while they continue to counsel and interceed for the churches, like Paul did.

Church planting does not have to be branch planting. And God will truly prove that through what is coming. What is coming will soon make denomination and branches irrelevant. We will all be one body, a church, made up of churches, not branches of a religious empire.

frank317:
You guys seem to be missing the point.

Why can there be just one church with different branches all over. Why can't all the pastors come together, agree on what is right according to the teachings of Christ and be under just one umbrella. Call it HOUSE OF GOD and the whole churches would be just one name?

The issue here is not about having just a branch or many branches. The issue is people claiming to worship one God, reading the same Jewish book but interpreting it differently. Each church has his style. Why the confusion?

What is this God doing about it. I was raised in Watchman Catholic Charismatic and their style is completely different from roman Catholic or Christ Embassy or Jehovah's witnesses or any of the white garment churches. Every church think they are worshiping God the right way.

Some think its right to have one branch while others think u can have many even ten on one street.

What sort of God watch his creation drag him and yet does nothing about it for decades.

If God loves us so much to even send his son to die for us, does he not see that these different ideologies are tearing us apart? Does his love not allow him see that his son just dying for us is not enough?

Years are going by, generations are passing by and the confusion and segregation continues yet, the God who thought it needful to send his son to die for us does nothing about restoring peace and harmony to his creation. Is he out of ideas? Is solving the problem of the world he created beyond him?

All I see is humans manipulating humans and calling it God and holy spirit. I am just surprised that my religious brother stubbornly fail to see this. Rather they chose to argue with each other and bask in ignorance while those who are manipulating them are enriching themselves.

Princewell2012:
And you believe him

SirWere:
Freemanan. Was your account hacked

Freemanan:



I Dont know how the holy spirit work.... But Dont the holy Spirit want that man in Oron, Kebbi, Afikpo, Nembe, etc. to attend this Synagogue??