The widow of the late Rev. Dr. Z.A Olumolawa and incumbent general overseer of Christ Disciples Bible Church, Ketu, Lagos, Rev. Mrs. S.T Olumolawa says the fire of God needs to be rekindled in the lives of leaders to lead their followers properly in this 21st Century Church. She expresses this in the below interview with Christian Benefits as she leads some seasoned ministers of the gospel in igniting fresh fire for the 21st Century Church on church leaders and workers at this year’s Leadership Power Conference starting March 14-16,2024. She also speaks on the passage of her late husband and founder of Christ Disciples Bible Church, and how she has been sustaining his many legacies, including the annual Leadership Power Conference. Excerpts.
Please, will you kindly introduce yourself ma?
I am Rev. Mrs. S.T Olumolawa; the wife to the late Rev. Dr. Z.A Olumolawa, the founder and the late general overseer of Christ Disciples Bible Church, Ketu, Lagos.
Can we have a look at your upbringing?
I was born at Ajibode, near Ota, Ogun state. I had my childhood training in Lagos and in the north. As a railway worker, my father was usually transferred from place to place. This gave me the privilege to know many places in the north like Kafanchan and Makurdi among other places. However, my parents returned us their children to the west for our higher education. I had my teacher training in Lagos. After my training I started a career as a teacher at Igbesa, Ogun state. When I got married I transferred my teaching services to Lagos state where I worked many years until I voluntarily retired to support my husband fully in the ministry.
What about the rebirth encounter part of your growing up?
I was privileged to meet my father in the Lord (now late) at Christ Gospel Mission during my first station as a teacher at Igbesa. He visited me, preached to me and I started attending Christ Gospel Mission, Igbesa where I eventually met Christ, and also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I worshipped in that church until I met my husband. After we got married, I joined my husband in his church in Lagos where he was a pastor before we moved on and started Christ Disciples Bible Church around 1980.
Since the transition of your late husband and founder of the church, the Late Rev. Dr. Z.A Olumolawa about three years ago, how has the journey been both at home and in the ministry?
Since my husband passed on October 6, 2021 the journey has not been so easy. However, with God by our sides we are pressing forward. Whatever happens to one in life, one will still give all the glory to God.
How will you describe your late spouse as a husband and as minister of God?
Daddy is such a husband that no woman will want to lose. We understood each other. I took him as my brother and he took me as his sister He was so gentle that he handled people gently. I never regretted being married to him till he passed on. As minister of God, he was a dedicated, humble, simple and very faithful servant of God.
What are some of his legacies that you are building upon since his transition?
One major legacy he left behind that keeps the church going is building the people on the word of God. While some preachers build their churches on prophecies and technologies daddy built the church and the members on the word of God. So, building the church and the members on the word of God is keeping the church going. He groomed us in the word. The foundation of the church is the word. That is why most of our church members are still standing even after his death. Most of our pastors are still with us. Most of our branches are still alive and active. Just few pastors have left the church after daddy’s passage. Since daddy had groomed us in the word we know the word. We know what it takes to stand for the Lord under any circumstance. That is what has been keeping us. Also, daddy carried me along in the work of the ministry when he was alive till he passed on. That is really helping me now. Some ministers limit their wives behind the scene. Daddy didn’t do that to me. When he was starting the ministry I asked him, were you the only person God called? He said no, we are to run the ministry together. That propelled leaving my teaching job to join him in the ministry. So, we practically started the ministry together. He carried me along in all the ministry’s activities till he passed on.
What exactly is the vision or the mandate of Christ Disciples Bible Church?
As the name of the church implies, the primary mandate of the church is to raise disciples for Christ. We do this through our various leadership training programmes. To the glory of God all our pastors were raised through our Leadership training programmes. None of them was hired from outside the church. We trained them from their salvation to workers, officers, ushers, choristers and ministers in the church.
Tell us about the Leadership Power Conference 2024 holding March 14-16 2024 by the church
If we look at what the Church has become today, we will see that the Church of God is very sick. And I think the sickness started from Church leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. We are seeing unimaginable things in churches today. All the problems come from leadership. In those days some people, stood out dishing out the word of God in the proper way, and that is what is keeping many people till today. Our annual Leadership Power Conference is daddy’s vision long before he transited. He started the conference while he was alive. After his death we continue the vision as one of his legacies. We have never missed one.
What should the participants expect from this year’s Leadership Power Conference 2024?
The theme of his year’s Leadership Power conference is Fresh Fire for the 21st Century Church holding from March 14-16 2024 at our church auditorium. We are expecting that through this programme the participants from all walks of basically church ministers and workers will receive fresh fire. The fire of God needs to be rekindled in the lives of leaders. When the leader receives a fresh fire, he will take the fire to where God has placed him, and the fire will radiate among those people he is leading. Through the conference we want to gather leaders; pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets, apostles, reverends and workers etc in the church of God to remind them of those things they probably knew before but have now been neglected. We want to use this conference to encourage the leaders that whatever that is happening in our nation today has been predicted in the Bible. So they should guard their loins. It is now up to individual leaders to make up their minds that no matter the circumstances surrounding them they will not be tired in their works. The Bible encourages us that those that wait upon the Lord, he will renew their strength. So we are using this year’s conference to renew the strength of leaders. By the time they receive renewed strength from the Lord, they will be able to forge ahead in the works that God entrusted in their hands. This year’s conference will feature sharing of the word of God, prayers, counseling, discussions and interaction. Although the conference is free, there are helpful conference materials for the participants at a token. We believe at the end of the conference there shall be great testimonies for renewal, transformation and fresh fire ignited in the lives of the participants.
Apart from the Leadership Power conference 2024 what are the other programmes people should expect from Christ Disciples Bible Church in the course of this year 2024?
Aside our regular programmes such as Miracle Night every first Friday, weekly Bible study and Worship Service every Sunday, our other programmes for 2024 are as follows: Leadership Power Conference March 14th to 16th, 2024. Mass choir prayer retreat, April 27th 2024, Deacon & Deaconess Conference May 25th, 2024, National Workers Retreat, June 22nd, 2024, National Youth Convention, July 27th, 2024, National Women Convention Aug 21st to 24th 2024, National Children Convention September 13th &14th 2024, National Men Convention September 27th 2024, National Youth Workers Summit October 19th 2024, Founders’ Day November 11th 2024 and Zion Festival November 17th 2024 We have a Leadership school. We are starting soon another programme at Christ Disciples Bible Church (Ibafo1)
