As stated by the CAC President, it is not wrong for clerics to be wealthy
Pastor Samuel Oladele (CAC President) the head of the Christ Apostolic Church, speaks with ADEMOLA ADEGBITE on a variety of topics, including moral decay in society and the reasons some pastors lead extravagant lifestyles.
Some priests have been charged with amassing fortune for themselves without taking their followers’ wellbeing into account. What opinions do you have on this?
Is it wrong for a God-ordained preacher to be wealthy? I don’t think so, but what matters is how you view the things that your Lord has given you, not what you have or what you own. We are each called to a particular ministry. They work as missionaries. Most of the time, missionaries lack financial resources. Some orthodox churches’ ministers don’t dress in extravagant attire, if you look at them. We refer to them as “men of clothes” because all that is associated with them is business attire. So, if they receive an income at all, it is insufficient to support them. However, some churches are adept in blessing their clergy.
The money we’re discussing occasionally shows up uninvited. It doesn’t matter if you are wealthy or not. What you do with your wealth will determine your success. I think a minister can receive blessings.
For instance, rich clergy in America have private jets and other amenities. It is not a sin in my opinion. Therefore, no one should assume that a wealthy preacher is headed for hell. When it comes to how they use the resources that thy Lord has given them, many of them do not raise their voices.
It might be a blessing for widows and orphans, many of whom may be carrying out fantastic and admirable deeds without our knowledge. They won’t all receive the same treatment from me, as it would be unfair.
Why are academic institutions founded by churches not accessible to members with low and average incomes?
You understand that we only ask that kind of inquiry today. The world has typically benefited from the Church’s offer of a good life, education, and other things. And nowhere in the entire globe is there a free launch. Even though (the late) Baba (Obafemi) Awolowo offered free education, somewhere someone had to make the necessary payments. I believe that churches creating institutions today should be viewed as a positive development that complements government initiatives.
It occurs everywhere and the government cannot solve the problem alone. I went to a few American universities, such as Missouri’s Saint Louis Christian College. It is a private, Christian university that is not a part of the state. Therefore, churches created these organizations to benefit society. You know what happens in this part of the world; a youngster may be sent to a higher institution for a four-year study and end up staying there for six or seven years. We have privately held tertiary institutions for this reason. You should be aware that location is not appropriate for everyone if you want to visit. For those who can afford it, that is.
Was that the CAC’s original intent when it founded the university?
In order to be able to say in the future that they were among those who donated, we invited our church members to give when we founded our institution in 2006. They will benefit from it. Even though my three children didn’t attend CAC at the time, I did contribute as a pastor there. None of my children—first, second, or third—went there. My baby (last child) was sent there once I was moving up and could afford it. However, I am unaffected by the fact that I was unable to enroll my three sons at our institution because history will be written tomorrow.
Whatever I gave to the foundation and maintenance of that institution will still be there. Since professors don’t go on strike, there is no university today where they won’t make at least half a million dollars. If you want the best for your ward or children, you must take care of this. We also require this cash. It is therefore not intended for everyone. You must send your child there, but you are free to do so if you can afford it. Therefore, I don’t think it’s immoral for churches to have institutions that some of their members, not all of them, cannot pay.
The impoverished shall not be entirely eradicated or eliminated from the classes of your people, according to the Bible. They’ll always be the underclass. The clause also refers to employment. People will arrive, find work, and so on. One of the advantages is that.
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