Pastor Wale Adefarasin
His pedigree confers social influence. His father was a justice of the Federal High Court, and a Chief Judge for 15 years. Also, his mother, Hilda, was ex-president of the Women Society of Nigeria.
But Pastor Wale Adefarasin would rather flaunt his pastoral calling than pedigree. “I am just an ordinary person and the General Overseer of Guiding Light Assembly, which has a number of branches,” he starts.
This interview held last Wednesday at the church headquarters which is situated in Parkview, Ikoyi, Lagos. Welcoming you to his office, he wears a mint green brocade Buba/ Sokoto.
“I am 62 years now but I have been doing this since I was 37. I was ordained a pastor two days before my father died. He was on his deathbed then but I told him after I had been ordained. He was a lay reader and also the Chancellor to the Lagos Diocese of the Anglican Church and he served fewer than three bishops,” he says.
Now the patriarch of the Adefarasin family, Pastor Wale, as he is fondly called, has three of his siblings in the vineyard too. “I have two sisters, one is into the prophetic ministry and the other is also in the Lord, but an interior designer.
Then, there is my brother, Pastor Yemi, who has been pasturing in Benin Republic for many years but just started his own ministry in Abuja. The youngest is Pastor Paul, whom everyone knows as the pastor of House on the Rock,” he explains.
Reminiscing about his childhood, Adefarasin says, “Our father, as a lay reader, preached in church. He taught us Christian values, which is probably why we all ended up in the ministry. Our mother will be 90 years in January 2015 and she is an ardent praying woman. Though she has had a lot of public life, it has been founded on strong Christian faith.”
A successful businessman before his call into the vineyard, he recalls: “It took me so much to tear myself away from business but I did because it was what God was calling me to do. It has been tough. By March next year, our church will mark 30 years. When I became a pastor, there weren’t many pastors and ours was the first Pentecostal church in Ikoyi.
“Then, Christians hid their bibles when going to church. We went through a lot of pain to get to where we are now. People looked at us and thought we were only after money and described us as poor.”
Remind him that some pastors have been described as wealthy and he says, “I am saddened by that because God did not call everyone to be stupendously wealthy, which is the impression that is being painted nowadays. I am saddened that many people are being taught a Christianity that is devoid of Christ. God is not there to serve us but we are to serve Him. Our characters are not changing because of our ideas of prosperity. God puts everyone on earth to solve a problem, not to amass wealth or acquire property. However, if in solving a problem you need wealth, God will give you wealth. A lot of people are rich because they manipulate the congregation to give money. If you are doing what you are supposed to do, people would support because they can see the work of God.”
A former president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Lagos chapter, he is also a graduate of Business Administration. Talking on the many scandals that have rocked the Christian community in recent times, he opines that: “As a pastor, I think the foremost thing that I am responsible for is helping my members have their own personal relationship with God. I cannot be an intermediary between them and God. To do that, I must lead them by example. If I divorce my wife, I am setting a bad example and then people in the congregation will divorce their wives. We need to teach people moderation because that is one of the responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of a pastor, to lead by example.”
Married with three children, he affirms that none of his children is in the ministry. Also an author, he tells you that he does not put pressure on them to toe his path. “They are all working in other areas. One of my children did a degree in acting in England and has gone to the New York Film Academy. He wants a career in acting. I will let my children do whatever they want to do if I am satisfied that it is God speaking. My youngest child is 25 and the oldest is 29. I cannot tell them what to do,” he states.
That he is a pastor does not erase nature taking its course in his life. “Every pastor is a human being and needs to be careful to make sure that people see his human sides. As a pastor, you are a work in progress and following God. One of the problems we have in the society today is that we have created celebrity pastors and made them icons to be worshipped.”
His life as a father and a husband has not been neglected. According to Adefarasin, he still carves out time for family. “Two of my children are getting married next year and they need a lot of counsel. They need a father’s input in their life. I do it, not as a father, but as a friend. I try to have a home life where we can sit down and watch Manchester United and television together in the evening,” he says.
For a church to be established in Parkview, Ikoyi, that must have cost much money. “Not entirely,” he refutes. “Our coming to Parkview was a miracle. Where we are now was part of the Lagos lagoon. We paid N13 million before this became land. That was in 1994. Today, it’s about N1 billion. We bought and paid for it before it was land. It was an act of faith and it took us a long time and a lot of battles. People would think that we are a rich church, but the truth is that it was God’s provision. You cannot sell land to anyone in Parkview that they would use as a place of worship except it has been designated as a place of worship by the government.”
Dissuading anyone from coming into ministry because of money, Adefarasin maintains that: “The test of ministry is time. Some do not last because God did not call them. We have been around for 30 years because in those 30 years, we have seen good times, bad times and challenges that could have made us turn our back on ministry. The only thing that kept me was that I knew I was called.”
On style, he tells you he is not a fan of suits like some pastors. “Most of the time, I do not wear suits to preach on Sundays. If I am invited out, I would wear buba and sokoto. I wear agbada often on Sundays. I just try to express myself, I do not copy someone else,” he says.
For his age, he says he adheres to a strict lifestyle by avoiding sugar and not eating late. “I cut out the carbohydrates but I don’t go to the gym. I play tennis. That is enough exercise for me. I have a treadmill and bicycle at home.”
Finally, he highlights the success of any ministry: “First, it is prayer. Also, you have to be transparent. In all the years I have been pastor of this church, I have never asked someone for money. I think there has to be transparency and accountability. The most important is depending on God to do the things we know man can do.”