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A Teaching on Church Leadership, Crisis, and the Path to Unity
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Before the crisis of the Christ Apostolic Church began, there were warnings. The leadership received a prophecy in 1986 at an Elisha conference. A man of God saw a vision and warned the leaders that if the church did not make necessary corrections, it would divide into four parts. Tragically, the leaders suspended that man for putting this warning in writing and sending it to all church leaders. Yet the word of the Lord cannot be stopped—four years later, the very crisis he prophesied came to pass, leading to the division we see today into the Supreme Council and the General Executive Council.
Christ Apostolic Church has a leadership structure rooted in the Apostolic pattern found in the Bible. We have:
This organizational structure was laid as a foundation from the beginning and is what we follow today.
The division into the Supreme Council and General Executive Council came about in 1990 as a result of a crisis within the church. Young pastors who were ordained in 1990 wanted to seize power from the senior leaders. During the Pastors' Conference of 1990, they brought serious accusations.
These individuals—wealthy men with significant influence—took the church leadership to court. In the process of litigation, the church was divided into two structures: the Supreme Council, which represents what our fathers established from the beginning, and the General Executive Council, which was created as a result of this crisis.
These young, wealthy pastors formed what they called the Initiative Forum. Their stated purpose seemed noble: they observed that the church was poor, pastors were struggling, and the seminary was not at the required standard. They proposed to raise money through their own financial capacity to lift the church out of poverty.
Initially, the leaders were hopeful. These young men began raising significant funds—1.5 million in one area and 800,000 in Lagos. This was substantial money at that time, and many believed God was using them as instruments to transform the church.
But at the very first Pastors' Conference where they were to report their achievements, they dropped a bombshell. They announced that they would not deposit this money into CAC's account because they believed the fathers were mismanaging funds. They said they would wait until the money reached 5 million before spending it on their planned projects.
Then came the shocking demand: before they would release the money, Prophet Babalola must leave Christ Apostolic Church. This was unprecedented and caused an uproar at the conference.
When the General Superintendent at the time, Papa Olúmidé, attempted to address this situation, he discovered that these young pastors had already penetrated the ranks of church leadership. Before any meaningful investigation could occur, they served the church leadership with court papers, demanding the matter be settled in court rather than within the church.
This led to prolonged court cases that continue to this day. As a result of the crisis, many senior leaders were forced to retire, including the President at that time and his cabinet members. Among those forced out was the General Secretary.
We must understand that crisis is not unique to Christ Apostolic Church. If we look at the history of the church, even the church that Jesus planted experienced crisis. In Acts chapter 6, we see the early church dealing with disputes. Throughout church history, major divisions have occurred—the very existence of Protestant churches came about because of crisis in what was originally the Roman Catholic Church.
Jesus foresaw that His church would face challenges. In John 17, Jesus spent an entire chapter praying for the church, asking the Father to make them one. He understood that the church would eventually involve:
For all these different kinds of people to work together requires unity, and Jesus prayed for exactly this.
When we study how to reconcile people in conflict, we see that certain things cause crisis. Knowledge causes crisis. Ignorance causes crisis. Pride causes crisis. Jesus understood this, which is why He prayed in John 17 for the church to remain one.
Jesus also said, "I have come to bring division between father and mother." The division He refers to is different—it is a division of perspective about Christ. Some see Christ one way; others see Him differently. This kind of difference can lead to conflict, but it is different from the destructive crisis we experience.
Before we came to office, many of our past leaders had already passed away. Those who initiated this crisis—most of them have also died. The only surviving leader from the Initiative Forum is one man. The rest have gone to be with the Lord.
Before our predecessors died, they did everything they could to bring peace. There have been 54 different kinds of meetings between the two sides trying to reconcile the church. Yet despite all these efforts, we are still working toward settlement.
To build a house is very difficult. To destroy it is easy. We have been trying to rebuild trust and unity, but the length and depth of this crisis has created many layers of issues. Every time we seem to mend one problem, another surfaces. Yet we continue in our efforts without relent, believing that God will ultimately make us one.
We must acknowledge something important: no matter how spiritual a church is, or how spiritual the people are, they are still human beings. God said to Ezekiel, "Son of man." The depth of that phrase is profound—it means that even with the anointing you carry, you are still a son of man. You still have human limitations, human emotions, and human struggles.
This is why human influence exists even in the church. It is why we experience conflict alongside our spiritual commitment.
Our church slogan is "One fold, one shepherd." But we must understand this correctly. Many interpret John 10:16 wrongly. Jesus said there are other sheep not of this fold, and He will bring them so that there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
The shepherd is Jesus, not a general or a president of any church. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. The fold exists everywhere—in Anglican churches, in the Deeper Life Bible Church, in the Celestial Church of Christ. All believers are part of Christ's fold because when we reach heaven, God does not recognize "Christ Apostolic Church" or "Deeper Life" or any denominational name. He recognizes only His flock.
If we interpret "one fold, one shepherd" to mean that Christ Apostolic Church alone is the true fold, then logically every church organization would have to merge into one assembly. We would all have to return to the Roman Catholic Church, since we all came through that stream historically.
We must interpret Scripture correctly so that we do not give ourselves unnecessary emotional trauma. Christ is our Shepherd. We are all His flock, belonging to different expressions of His body on earth.
There have been accusations that the Supreme Council is stubborn and unwilling to release power. Some say we are holding back church property and refusing to reconcile. But let me be clear: if anyone searches the court records today, they will find that the Supreme Council has never sued anyone. It is the General Executive Council that has been suing the Supreme Council repeatedly. All documents are public and available for investigation.
When we came to office, we were told one thing: Do everything in your capacity to bring this crisis to an end. That is what we are working toward.
Reconciliation is not a matter of dictation. It is not a matter of one side saying, "This is how it must be done." Reconciliation requires give and take from both sides. It is like a father with property—when he passes, the children do not simply divide it however one person decides. They sit down together and discuss how it should be done fairly.
We believe that both the Supreme Council and the General Executive Council must sit down and work through this honestly. We need to honor the agreements that our fathers made with one another. We cannot simply demand all the power or the lion's share.
If we do not handle this properly, within ten years another crisis will erupt. We must do what is needed—not hastily, not in a way that wins the war but loses the battle. We must seek true reconciliation, which means both sides must give ground and work together to rebuild what was broken.
This is our commitment, and this is what we are pressuring our people to understand: let us do what is necessary to make this church whole again.
