By Damilola Teyingbola
You probably think he is an academician. His erudition and his gait give him away as one. But he is not. By training, Mojibayo Akinjiyan is an architect who has earned his due. But he is a pastor by calling.
Right from his days as a student at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Akinjian had always loved the Lord. He was a member of the Amazing Grace Fellowship while on campus. But upon graduation he aligned with the Redeemed Christian Church of God where he cut his teeth as a minister of the gospel.
For over two decades Pastor Mojibayo Akinjiyan was in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. He rose through all the available positions up to being Assistant Provincial Pastor before he pulled out to start a fresh work for the Lord.
Now, the Lead Pastor of Life Anchor Christian Centre, Akinjiyan said at a recent press conference to mark the one year anniversary of his ministry that, leaving RCCG was the wisest decision he made concerning his walk with the Lord. “I did not leave RCCG without the approval of the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. He actually prayed for us and he sent us forth. He prayed that the work in our hands would grow. And I can tell you that we are already experiencing growth.”
While noting that some people thought he should have remained in the RCCG because of the perceived perks of his position then, he said, “There is nothing as doing the will of God. If I get all the perks and I am not in the will of God I will fail in life. I will rather stand with the Lord than live in opulence. That is the point that we have to realize.”
He said God had told him to start a fresh work 10 years ago adding however that when the time came, the decision had to be taken. “When I was about leaving RCCG I met with the authorities for about three times for over 11 hours because they needed to be sure what informed my decision but I had to make my stand known and they graciously released me.”
Looking back, he believes leaving the RCCG has enabled him to make more impact. “Since we started about a year ago we have been able to record over 500 converts. God has also enabled us to empower close to 1000 people through our Skill Acquisition programme. About 70 percent of them are not church people but we are able to reach out to them with the gospel through the economic impact. The Lord has also used the ministry to train over 50 leaders in less than one year.”
The church, which is an offshoot of his ministry, Life Anchor Ministry International (www.lifeanchorministry.org); which started on the 1st of October, 1984. The ministry also has other subsidiaries: The Leadership Institute, Hour of Victory which kicked off in 1999, The Skill Acquisition program and The Deborah Group.
Akinjiyan indeed cut the picture of a man who takes God and His word to heart. Sometimes, God’s instructions absolutely make no sense but he has been exemplary in his conduct. An instance is his decision to give up his property at the RCCG camp because God asked him to. A friend had wanted to buy the property for double the amount he would have sold it but he would not be carried away by such temptation. He let go the property for the work of God in the RCCG.
His concern for unemployed youth is also exemplary. In the last one year his ministry has been empowering young unemployed and needy in the Agege/Orile area of Lagos through skill acquisition. With the collaboration of the local government of the area over 1000 youths have been empowered so far. He stressed that the church has a responsibility to impact its community.
He lamented that the Nigerian church has been carried away with a quest for miracle while leaving the weightier matter of the gospel unattended to. “Miracle is of God and God does miracle. But that should not be the pursuit of the church. People should not even be made to come to Christ on the platform of miracle. Many church leaders are quick to say come to Jesus he would give you a miracle. While it is true that Jesus performs miracles our coming to Him should not be on the basis of what we can get but it should be on the fact that we love Him and also need Him in our lives to deliver us from the stronghold of sin and bring us to His eternal kingdom.
“Salvation is a personal decision of the heart. It has to do with repentance. We emphasise deliverance but the deliverance that we need most is he deliverance from sin. If that is settled, other things will follow. We should pursue righteousness and holiness. It is regrettable that today the church is not making the desired impact in the society. I strongly believe we should go beyond making converts to making disciples. We should teach our congregation and make them understand the basis of their relationship with God.
The theme of the church’s one year anniversary which held in July was “Beyond Salvation.” Akinjyan notes that most believers have perched their tents at the bus stop of salvation saying however that “There is so much more to be learned and enjoyed. Salvation is the beginning of this process and if the process is not followed, it leads to error and frustration.
