Twenty-five years after answering the call to Christian ministry, founder and shepherd of Pillars of Truth Christian Ministries, Apostle Kemi Togun, has described her journey as one marked by grace, sacrifice, seasons of preparation and an enduring experience of God’s faithfulness.

Reflecting on the past 25 years, Togun said the journey had been more than the establishment and growth of a ministry, describing it as a period through which God prepared her for the responsibility she would eventually carry.

“God was not only preparing me for ministry. He was preparing me for the person I would need to become to carry the ministry,” she said.

According to her, the 25-year journey could best be understood through four distinct seasons: seven years as a protégé, 13 years as a full-time missionary, two years in what she described as her “Cave of Adullam,” and three years as a shepherd.

She explained that each season brought its own lessons, challenges and spiritual formation.

“Twenty-five years can be counted in numbers, but for me, they are better counted in lessons, tears, sacrifices, prayers, people, places, battles, victories and encounters with God,” she said.

Learning Before Leading

Togun described her first seven years in ministry as a period of learning, service and submission.

Rather than occupying the centre stage, she said she spent those years observing, serving and learning from others.

“I had to learn before I could lead. I had to serve before I could shepherd. I had to listen before I could speak with authority,” she said.

The period, she explained, taught her humility, patience, obedience and the importance of remaining faithful even when there was no public recognition.

“Those years became the foundation upon which everything else would later stand,” she said, recalling the biblical admonition in Luke 16:10 that whoever is faithful in little will also be faithful in much.

Thirteen Years in Missionary Service

Her next 13 years were spent as a full-time missionary, a season she said took her beyond familiar territory and taught her what it meant to depend entirely on God.

“Missionary life was not always easy. There were days of joy and days of tears,” she recalled.

According to her, the experience reinforced the understanding that Christian ministry was ultimately about people and service rather than public recognition.

“Ministry is not about the microphone. It is about people. It is about souls. It is about sacrifice,” she said.

She added that there were times when she had to encourage others while privately carrying her own burdens, but her conviction that she had been sent by God kept her moving.

The missionary years, she said, taught her endurance, compassion and the importance of continuing to sow even when the results were not immediately visible.

“I learned not to measure my obedience by immediate results. I learned to sow and leave the increase in God’s hands,” she said.

The ‘Cave of Adullam’

Togun identified the following two years as perhaps the most defining period of her journey, describing them metaphorically as her “Cave of Adullam.”

She characterised the period as a time of separation, silence, waiting, reflection and deep personal dealings with God.

“The cave was a place of separation. A place of silence. A place of questions. A place of waiting,” she said.

Drawing a parallel with David’s experience in the biblical Cave of Adullam, she said the period enabled her to confront issues that could not have been addressed amid the demands and noise of ministry.

“There were things I had to surrender. There were expectations I had to release. There were wounds I had to allow God to heal,” she said.

For Togun, the experience also changed her understanding of seasons of silence.

“Not every season of silence means God has abandoned you. Sometimes silence is where God speaks deepest,” she said.

She added that the experience humbled her, healed aspects of her life and deepened her dependence on God.

Learning the Weight of Shepherding

The past three years, she said, have represented another significant phase: shepherding a congregation and taking responsibility for people entrusted to her care.

“Leadership is a sacred responsibility. It is not simply about preaching. It is about carrying people before God,” she said.

She explained that shepherding requires prayer, compassion, correction, availability and a willingness to stand with people through difficult seasons.

But she stressed that the role of a shepherd should never be confused with ownership.

“I am not the owner of the sheep. They belong to God. I am only a steward,” she said.

According to her, that understanding has remained central to her leadership philosophy.

“I am not celebrating twenty-five years because I believe I have arrived. I am celebrating twenty-five years because I can see how far grace has brought me,” she said.

‘God Was Strong When I Was Weak’

Looking back, Togun acknowledged that the journey had included moments of tears, uncertainty, misunderstanding and weakness.

“There were moments I thought I would not make it. There were moments I cried. There were moments I questioned. There were moments I felt misunderstood,” she said.

Yet, she said, her conviction that God was with her enabled her to continue.

“Not because I was always strong. But because His grace was always stronger than my weakness,” she said.

Quoting 2 Corinthians 12:9, she said her testimony was not one of personal strength but of divine strength sustaining her through periods of weakness.

“My testimony is not that I was always strong. My testimony is that God was strong when I was weak,” she added.

‘Hitherto Hath the Lord Helped Us’

As she marks 25 years in ministry, Togun said she considers the biblical declaration in 1 Samuel 7:12 — “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” — an appropriate description of her journey.

“He helped me when I was learning. He helped me when I was serving. He helped me when I was on the mission field. He helped me in the cave. He is helping me now as I shepherd His people,” she said.

She said her focus entering the next phase of ministry was not personal fame or recognition, but greater faithfulness to God, His Word, His people and the calling entrusted to her.

“My greatest prayer now is not: ‘Lord, make me great.’ It is: ‘Lord, make me faithful,’” she said.

“Make me faithful to Your Word. Make me faithful to Your people. Make me faithful to the calling. Make me faithful when nobody is watching. Make me faithful until the end.”

For Togun, the journey remains unfinished.

“Seven years as a protégé. Thirteen years as a missionary. Two years in the cave. Three years as a shepherd. Twenty-five years of grace,” she said.

She added: “If there is anything beautiful in my story, it is because His grace wrote it. If there is anything good in me, it is because He has been working on me.”

As she looks toward the future, Togun said she remains committed to surrender, service and trust in God.

“I am still here. Still standing. Still serving. Still shepherding. Still surrendering. Still trusting,” she said.

And her concluding confession remains one of gratitude: “Lord, You have been faithful.”