Sam Adeyemi: Churches with huge numbers may witness significant drop after COVID-19

Sam Adeyemi, senior pastor of the Daystar Christian Centre, says the church will not remain the same again when the coronavirus pandemic is over.

In a live chat with BBC Yoruba on Tuesday, which was monitored by TheCable, the clergyman said the novel coronavirus has had significant effect on the church.

According to him, some churches with huge numbers may witness significant reduction in their services after the pandemic as many of them might decide to worship God from the comfort of their homes.

“That’s an issue I have pondered upon severally because the church may not be the same again after this COVID-19 experience. As you can see, many people have been receiving messages via online broadcast from their homes. It’s no longer like before that they have to be physically present in churches,” he said.

“Now that many have been used to worshiping God from the comfort of their rooms, will they go to church when COVID-19 is finally over? Many Christians may also feel relaxed on Sundays when they usually go to church.”

Adeyemi also said the COVID-19 outbreak has afforded many Christians the opportunity to evaluate the extent to which their churches actually care about them.

“Also, many Christians have start questioning the genuineness of their churches for them with little or no help coming their way during the pandemic period when hunger is holding sway,” he said.

The cleric said the pandemic should teach church leaders and those occupying political offices that there is need to show humanity to one another if truly Nigeria hopes to grow.

He called on Nigerians to ensure compliance with the various directives introduced by both the federal and state governments to combat spread of the disease.

On agitations for reopening of churches by some pastors, Adeyemi said what should be in the mind of everyone at the moment is how to survive the pandemic.

Last week, David Oyedepo, the presiding bishop of Living Faith Worldwide, had declared that anyone against the rise of the church will die.

The declaration came after he had kicked against the revised lockdown directives which prevented churches from operating while markets remained open.

Chris Oyakhilome, founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, had also tackled pastors for shutting down their churches in compliance with the federal government’s ban on religious gatherings.