Pastor Funsho Popoola
Can we meet you, sir?
I am Funsho Popoola, a child of God. I am dedicated to helping people find their pathways in God and to fulfill their destiny.
What vision birthed The Great Rock Church?
I am someone who believes the essence of life is to serve God to be of benefit to humanity. I was in the Redeemed Christian Church of God since 1992, I became a worker in 1995, and became a pastor in 2001. I was serving the Lord diligently until 2014, when the Lord told me I was going to start a new work for him. I just thought he wanted me to do more within the confines of RCCG so I began to organize leadership and success seminars to help the upcomig people succeed in life. I thought that was all God wanted me to do so I put all my being into the work until he began to send people to me to tell about the assignment he asked me to do, which I have not heeded to. When God first spoke to me on April 25, 2014, I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to be put under pressure but I was praying for the confirm of his word through people. So when he began to send people to me, I continued counting until the eighth person spoke to me in October 2014. The last one came with a warning of replacement so I had to get serious. I finally made up my mind in February, 2015. On July 6, I resigned from the Redeemed Christian Church of God. I asked God what he wanted me to do, and he asked me to build of power, character, and influence. The vision came by my hearing God to do a new work for him. As at the time I left, I was the most serious zonal pastor that I was very close to being appointed as an official pastor. But I understood that God calling is beyond titles and positions but assignments.
Can we have a look at your background and upbringing, including your rebirth encounter?
I was born into a Christian home in Osun state. I served with the choir for about 17 years, but I didn’t accept Christ until I went to serve in Borno state in the Word of Faith Minister under pastor Akpan Isiemere. That was in November, 1992. I finished serving and returned as a young believer to deeper life. That was a day we were going to church, and I stood in front of a gate to board a vehicle. It was about to rain, so the friend standing beside me suggested that we enter the church in front of us instead of returning home. We entered, and that was how we participated in the service. We listened to the word, and instead of continuing our journey, we decided to stay. That was in 1993. By 1995, I went through the believers class and became a worker. By 1999, I was appointed an alter minister under Pastor Chris Lambo. In 2001, I was appointed a parish pastor, and my first parish was in Royal sanctuary Gowon estate until I was transferred to another Parish in Ikotun. At the time, I was an area pastor, then from there, I was transferred to another place where I stayed for four years. By 2017 I was appointed a zonal pastor.
When I joined as a youth, I was the president from 1996-1998. As at the time I left, I was a pastor in charge of zones. I was the coordinating pastor for Youth And Young Adults (YAYA) in Lagos, province 72. I also became a coordinating pastor for protocol. I also served in different capacity where I helped people grow. Apart from my background in an Anglican church, I served faithfully in RCCG.
How will you describe your tears in RCCG, and to what extent has it impacted your Christian growth. RCCG has been a solid ground to build faith, relationship with God, and to experience a holy and righteous life, and how to serve. I was nurtured, raised and built by God, and most of the things I know where learned from RCCG. I also learned what it takes to serve God without seeking gain in RCCG. It is something I can recommend to anyone.
How did it feel leaving the church to start a new ministry?
It wasn’t easy. It took a long time to eventually step out, and that period of waiting lasted from 2014 to 2025. Part of the reason I waited that long was out of reluctance and uncertainty of where to go or start from. Families I have build relationships with, mentors that groomed me, and mentees I trained were all there. There was a bond I didn’t want to break until I received warning from the last word of knowledge. So I had to spend time in the place of prayer to break free from the emotional attachments. Some steps of faith are easier to preach than to practice, but it important to bear the consciousness that sometimes obedience can be painful yet it is highly profitable. Until you obey God in a way that costs you, you have not started.
What is the clear mandate the Lord gave you, and some of the gifts he endowed you with to fulfill the mandate?
The clear mandate is to raise people of character, power, and influence. I had to seek clarity to understand what he required of me. He explained to me that character is the first way to assess a believer, which changes relative to Salvation. Behavioral change is the deep heart of salvation. Then people who will embody the power of God to influence their generation. The first thing a Believe receives upon salvation is power. Like in John 1:12; the power to become sons of God. The last is influence, and it thrives on people whose lives will influenced others to be drawn to Christ. These includes people who exercise their authority in Christ in their various spheres of influence. In Matt 5, scripture referred to believers as the salt of the earth. The salt influences things around it. When I received the mandate, I knew there’d be so much work to do. There are different kinds of believers in the church today, so it takes a lot of building to achieve the mandate.
What are some of the church programmes in line with this mandate?
Apart from the traditional Sunday service, we also run discipleship. Discipleship is a platform that gives the opportunity to dig into people’s lives, and help them build the character that God wants. We plan to have an elaborate Youth Empowerment Programme, where they will be empowered spiritually and physically—because we can’t raise people who are heavenly-minded and earthly-useless. God wants us to showcase his blessings, so he doesn’t operate with mediocrity. He is not a failure so he wants his children to showcase his glory here on earth so that when men see them, they will glorify God and be drawn to him. We also plan to dig into family-life including character issues, relationship issues which is now prevalent in today’s society, and the devil is very interested in it as well. There is all manner of aberrations, sexual pervasion, and many unthinkable evil. God wants us to show want it means to be in God’s will both in marriage, and in relationships. We will also be focused on raising men, without looking down on the women folk. In scriptures, everytime God needed to make a move, he usually sought after a man. It is not an accident that Hod created Adam first, as a male man before he created Eve as a female man. He used men to fulfill his will across different generations. In fact, when God was to come in flesh, he came as a male man. I see that there is a lot of duty, responsibility, and work for the male man. So many men don’t know what exactly it takes to be a man as a head in the home, as a model in the society and so on.
Where did we get it wrong in the rise of marital crises, even among men of God.
That is where the importance of the fruit of the spirit comes in. The spirit of the spirit is more difficult for people to cultivate than the gift of the spirit. The fruit is our proof of the life we have accepted in Christ. Exercising them helps to accommodate others, and in the case of marriage—one’s partner. It helps keep the journey going in spite of differences. Adam chose his wife and stayed with her even after the fall. The exception for divorce is if life is threatened. The Lord values our souls above marriage. Mamy men in the scripture didn’t get married, yet it didn’t stop them from fulfilling the work of God. In the end, there is no marriage in heaven. However he’s the one that created the institution, and man the mandate to procreate. It is to raise children that will seve Gid, and to preserve the generations of mankind. However, when life is threatened, let there be separation so the devil will not take advantage of the crash. When clashing couples are separated for a while and peace is restored, then they can get back together.
During the time of separation, how do they deal with temptations?
That is why it is more advisable not to be separated. It would require the help of mentors who can intervene and counsel. There are quite a number of marital counsellors with testimonies today. God knew what he was saying when he said it is not good for amn to be alone because he knows our intricacies, including our weaknesses. Until a person steps out of their marriage circumference, their vulnerability will not appear to them.
Is there any covenant the Lord released to you to back your call?
One of the things I thank God for is that I have enjoyed his covenant for years. To the glory of God I can’t remember when last we buried a member in our church, including the elders because we have a covenant of life. I’ve also never had to burden any member for funding. He instucted me never to borrow on his behalf, that whatever he commissions is left to him to sponsor.
How would you react to the idea of borrowing towards God’s work?
My understanding is that God is able to do whatever he commissions me to do. People interpretation the scripture based on the different revelations they receive. The same scripture that accounted for how an ass was borrowed also Instructed to owe no man. People function according to their measures of faith. Many people go into borrowing to compete with other ministries. We have a covenant of divine provision. Scripture said “come unto me all ye that labour and I will give you rest”. We also have the covenant of peace; we’ve never had any crises in church because God is a God of peace. The covenants we enjoy are enacted by Jesus, abd nit by man; it is the blood of Jesus that brought us into the covenant. Scripture refers to Christ as the mediator of the new covenant. There is no church that can operate without the covenant of the blood of Jesus. Our own terms of the covenant is to fear God, serve him, walk in righteousness, and believe him
What informed the name of the ministry, Great Rock Church?
I got the name from John 1:14-15. Bible. introduced Jesus to us as the word of God, and as the rock that God used for Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness. When I got there, the Lord told me that is where he is taking me. Asides that, all my life, I’ve always believed that grace has its very unique place in the life of the believer. The journey of salvation itself is by grace. Scripture says we are saved by grace. Also no man can become anything outside of grace because says man cannot prevail by his own strength, and Apostle Paul also quoted “I am what I am by the grace of God.” That what separated Noah from the people of his time; he found grace in the sight of God. Every iyam invited to minister somewhere, and they ask for my profile, I tell them I don’t have a profile; I am a child of God who keeps working by grace. My favourite hymn is “Saved by Grace Alone”
Asides from the call, is there anything that made you start a church despite the backlashes faced by pastors from the society?
The backlash is part of the reasons I delayed in starting. We already have too many assemblies, and denominations. Yet, it is a sad tale of “the more the churches, the more the problems”. However God will keep seeking people who will listen to him, and do what he wants, so I asked the Lord what pattern of ministry he wants me to do. He asked me to go back to the scripture, where I discovered that the core of the ministry is to feed his people, and not myself. Some of the issues we have in the body of Christ today is because pastors feed themselves instead of the people. Unattractive as ministry looks, it is the voice of the call that matters. I am the kind of person who is not interested in titles and positions, so I’m contented with whatever the Lord gives me. I’ve never competed with anyone, and I will never.
What are some of the sacrifices you made to answer the call?
There is quite a number of them. By the time I was leaving, I was the most serious zonal pastor in Lagos, which means I had the likelihood of becoming a provincial pastor. I am a people person who loves relationships. I had built so many relationships that I was going to walk away from. One year to my leave, I just kept imagining how I was going to leave them like a father who know when he will die. Also, knowing that it takes a lot to build another foundation again challenged me. I told the Lord about my concern with starting much older, and he reminded me that he’s the one that gives strength. When I also tried to convince him to do what he wants to do through in RCCG, his response was that half obedience is disobedience. When I got to that point, I knew he wasn’t giving me an option, and there was no option having to rationalize things with him again. Then, I also had to make financial sacrifices. Even if God will raise people to support you, he has to see what you have done. We had to pause some other things to focus on this one because the work of God is more important than any other thing
Please tell us your relationship with pastor Wole Oladiyun?
I thank God for alignment with the right people. The people God will use in ones future may have been planted years before time. I have known daddy Wole Oladiyun many years ago through one of my mentors in RCCG, Dr. Olumide Ajayi. They are friends so he introduced me to Pastor Oladiyun. At the time, I was the training manager for Central Bank of Nigeria, Entrepreneurship Development Centre. We went to train CLAM brethren on Entrepreneurship Development; I led the training faculty so I had interactions with Pastor Oladiyun through my mentor. I discovered that he mirrors the kind of Christ I read in the bible; very approachable, friendly and fatherly. He always has loads of books to give for every meeting, but my mind wasn’t going there. When it was clear that I was going to respond to the assignment, I started praying about who he wants to commission us, and he dropped three people’s names in my spirit man, and Pastor Oladiyun was one of them. My father in the Lord, Bola Odutola was also one of them. So I approached Pastor Oladiyun while carrying pastor Ajayi along. Every man must have people in his life who encourages his dream, and Pastor Ajayi has been that to me. He drove me, abd followed through the deliberation process. That was how Pastor Oladiyun was used of God to inaugurate the ministry, and that decision wasn’t a mistake at all.
What’s your educational background, and beyond the ministry, what else do you do?
I studied Agroeconomics in OAU, and did my MBA in FUTA. I believe the Lord brought me into training industry through my mentor, Pastor Ajayi. I was nurtured into training industry so I became a trainer of the CBN EDC in Southwest. I was working under African Leadership Foundation, and I was funded by one of our past president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Up until 7-8 years ago when I left the training organization to start my own firm, I became a consultant to African Leadership Foundation at Ota and that is foremost African Leadership Organization on the continent. Also, by God’s grace, I have 2-3 other businesses. I run an edu-consult business for people that seek admission to the university in Nigeria and the abroad, HOARAT Edu-Consult business. We also have TELIMS Investment Limited, and a USA business that my wife runs. I am also a relationship manager to RBRS, a Canada-based graduation, one of the biggest mentoring outfit in the world. Lastly, I am the Country Manager for E-Stars Foundation, a British organization. It is the award-winning promoter of E-sport Education, and they are partnering with African schools. As the country manager, I take E-stars to schools in Nigeria alongside people that are working with me. I am also the Pastor of Great Rock Church. So I have both secular engagement and spiritual engagements.
How do you manage both without one affecting the other?
I believe that God gives grace. David was a Poet, Songwriter, Composer, Warrior, King and so on. The same God that gave people such abilities is the same God we serve. Except God specifically tells a person to focus solely on ministry, I believe they can be relevant in both spiritual and secular settings. If God calls you into many things, he will give you the grace to carry them out. As of now, I don’t feel any pressure from the ministry, secular or family setting, and by God’s grace, I’m not found wanting in any of the things he has called me to do because he’s a God of grace. It is proof that in the kingdom of God, there is no space for laziness. I don’t dictate price for people that call me to minister in their church because it isn’t my primary source of income. I’m not doing the work of ministry because I’m looking for what to eat.
Kindly tell us about your family.
I am greatly blessed to have my wife as my wife. She was indeed prepared for a time like this. In 1997, when I was trusting God for who to marry, God gave me her name, and I didn’t even know her at the time. It was when I got to meet her I knew she was the one. We all have what has been written of us by God so it is left to us to pray for revelation of what he has for us. I asked God what had written of her, a d he revealed to me that she’s a fertile person. At the time, I was just a worker. We got married in April, 1988, and I became a minister in the same year. As we grew, it became clear to me that she was built for such purpose. She’s been a very strong supporter in faith; strong in prayer and intercession. She is also very meek and humble, and that endears people to her. Meekness and humility are virtues that draw people, and I believe it is part of the things that draws people to pastor Adeboye. God gave me five children; three boys and two girls. Two are from my wife, and three through my late brother. I am the second child of my family, born after my late elder brother. His wife is also late. To the glory of God, the children my brother raised and my biological are all done with school; two of which are now married, and another will be married this year. To the glory of God, they’re all believers, serving the Lord faithfully.
If Christ tarries, where do you see the church in the next five years?
I see the church influencing the society, setting a standard for others to follow. I also see the church influencing leadership of communities, influencing leaders in the business industry. I am not competing with anybody or planning to build a cathedral, but men. Jesus focused on raising men and the men he raised have turned the word ablaze for Christ, and I think that is my assignment as God gives grace. Men are the legacies and testimonies that God gives us in ministry. There’s a difference between Cathedrals and building men. While none of them is bad, it more essential to build men first
