Sunday Opinion :RCCG's enstranged Pastor Ituah Ighodalo: 2004 Interview retrospect What exactly did he do wrong ?

Pastors Divided Over Sack Of Ighodalo

While the General Superintendent, Deeper Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi and the General Overseer, Four Square Gospel Church, Reverend Wilson Badejo, say that divorce is unscriptural and Christians who choose the path of divorce should not be pampered, other pastors say a man of God is free, according to a biblical injunction, to divorce his wife and remarry in the case of adultery.

“I don’t think it was right for pastor Adeboye to ask Pastor Ighodalo to resign because he remarried a second time. This matter is not to be looked at the way we want, but to see it the way the Word of God sees it. 1Tim 3:2 says that a bishop must be a man of one wife, and Jesus Christ said in Math 19:9, a man should put away his wife if she commits adultery! So if this woman had left her husband for ten years and had been living with another man, this pastor is free by the word of God to put her away and get married again,” Pastor Azuka of Faithword Ministry said.

According to Pastor Badejo, only death can separate a Christian couple.

Speaking on the sack of Pastor Ighodalo, the General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev. Wilson Badejo said the church has its policies that must be adhered to strictly.

“You are talking of somebody who was told that if you remarry, you cannot fit into our mould again. In the Catholic Church, for instance, you cannot marry at all if you want to be a reverend father or what we call priest. The moment you make up your mind to become a reverend father in the Catholic Church, you are bound by the law of celibacy.



The Pastor who was asked to step down saga continiues .I dug up this 2004 Interview and it was made clear that Pastor Ituah had intentions to remarry.So this controversy brings two scriptures to mind.

1.If he was wrong then Is forgiveness only for the members of a church and not the leaders ?

2.What exactly did Pastor Ighodalo do wrong ? He Remarried and moved on ! Or he married a lady old enough to be his daughter ?

3.How many such Pastors are living separated when they are in Obvious failed Relationships It is one thing to marry .Another to keep the relationship going . (It is no longer news that the man of God Pastor Chris Oyakhilome does not "live" with his wife ) You might hate me for saying this but this is the cold FACT. IF i was he I would not go on pretending .This Grace is also for Pastors too. Remember the Bakkers and Ted Haggard !IF this holier than thou attitude that pervades N.igerias Churches was a reflection of the actual Situation .N.ig.eri.a would be the holiest place to live in the world !

According to the online representations of RCCG ChristChurch Pastor Itua is still represented kampe as the pastor of the Church.I wonder what the hullabaloo is all about then except they forgot to pay their webmaster .


4.Is it stipulated anywhere in the Bible the Age range a person or should i say a Divorced pastor Should marry ? If Ibidun is old enough to be his daughter Is it any of your business ? Was David a Man of God ? Even on his death bed Abishag the Shunamite "warmed" it for him .In those days there were no heaters or hot water bottles !Beautiful Ibidun Ajayi, former Miss Lux, as stunning as she looks, and as young as she is,ended up marrying a divorcee pastor, and is in his Early 50's.

We have biblical support to back the prevailing circumstance. When you read I Corinthians 7, that if your wife separates from you, it should be for a while and you should be rejoined together so that you are not tempted beyond measure.But if She separates from you and gets married How long should you wait for her before Body becomes firewood ?

2004 Interview Adapted from Thisday Archives


A Pastor, Accountant and Social Critic at Dire Straits with the LAW

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo is a Chattered Accountant and Chairman, Ighodalo & Co (Chattered Accountants). However, Ighodalo is more known for pastoring a fast growing parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Gbagada Estate, Lagos. In a chat with Mary Ekah and Idowu Sowunmi, the pastor spoke about his life as a Pastor, as an Accountant and the state of the nation.

omitted
Can you take us back to your childhood experience?

I was born in the city of Ibadan on April 6, 1961. My father was a Chartered Secretary but worked most of his life in government. First, in the Mid-Western region and then at the University of Ibadan as Assistant Deputy Bursar in the Accounts Department.

Where exactly are you from?

I am actually from Ishan in Edo State, which is where my father is from. My mother is from a little village called Oke Igbo in Ondo state. omitted ...

Are you married?

I was married but I'm no longer married right now.

Why?

My wife left two years into the marriage. I think somehow, we couldn't make it.

Are you planning to get married to somebody else?

I think so, but (that is) when I am bold enough to do so.

But the Bible says that you can't be married to another person as long as your spouse is alive?

The same Bible also says that in case of fornication, you are excused. My ex-wife has married and has a child for somebody else. So I stand on this scriptural ground.

What is delaying your getting married again?

Two things, one I have been working very hard doing God's work and I have been praying and believing God for the right person.

But you are not a full-time Pastor?

I am not full time in the sense of it because I combine my pastorate job with my profession. I give the fullest of my time to my pastoring work, as I am highly engaged in the work of God. There are some of my colleagues who do that too and they benefit from the mission but I don't take salary,

Omitted ... it has become a part of me. And I see both my profession and my pastoral work as a ministry.

Is your being a Pastor a matter of 'choice' or 'calling'?

Well, the calling to a Pastor is a calling from God. The choice of combining my callings with my profession is my choice. You may then say that maybe I haven't heard a definite voice from God to do one or the other but right now, I have chosen to combine both. omitted ..
Christ Church as a parish of RCCG is doing exceedingly well. Do you see a situation where there may arise a rift between your parish and the National Headquarters?

Definitely, not with the National Secretariat.(The Council of elders were purpoted to have championed his "dismissal" as The General Overseer had turned Ighodalo into a Joseph Child of sorts and was know to be very dear to his heart. so an opportunity to sell him to the midianites was not ignored .) The prayer of the leader of RCCG is that every parish should grow and do very well. And we have as the head of RCCG, a man with great foresight that wants the church to be great. So he gives a lot of leeway and latitude for us to express ourselves. Just live a holy life, preach the word of God, remain humble and make sure you celebrate Jesus and keep the word as far as you can go. So there is no rivalry at all and there would never be in the name of Jesus because we are working for the same master.

How did you become a Christian and, then, a pastor?

You see, God is an amazing and incredible being. I never intended to be a pastor, I can assure you. I did not know what it meant to be a pastor. Although, sometime in the past, I remember saying that after crossing 40, I would go to church and become a lay reader so as to denounce my sins. It was just a wishful thinking. I was enjoying myself in Lagos, doing all sorts of things. I am sure by then, God must have been laughing at me. Then I was doing well in business, seriously progressing, but when at a certain stage of my life I knew I was doing well but I was not happy, life was meaninglessness even after making a lot of money. So the meaninglessness of my life brought in fear, anxiety and frustration. I then decided that my life must find meaning because I was always tensed, nervous, anxious and afraid and these made me unhappy. So one day, I said prayerfully to myself that if God was there, He should prove himself to me and that was when God came into my life in a way that I know it was truly God. I discovered that on that particular day, people I did not even know were just talking to me about Jesus. So twelve years ago, I decided to give my life to Jesus because I had done a lot of other things, which didn't help my situation then. Omitted ..

Before long, I found myself in Denmark, Germany and United States starting Churches as a missionary. I came back to Lagos and before long, somebody said come and be in charge of Christ Church Parish. God led me on the journey step-by-step, precept-by-precept and day-by-day.

How large is your congregation right now?

We are about a thousand and eight hundred.

With all these tasks, do you still find time to relax?

My job and ministry, to me, is just like leisure. When you have a passion for something, it is not a task but pleasure. I tell people that I will pay to do what I am doing right now. So I find my ministry very interesting, with no stress. I relax spending time with God. Once in a while, I try to jog. I also have a group of old friends with whom I hang around and chat with and when I shut down, I shut down.


http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/10/16/20041016plu04.html