The National Vice President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, (South West) Archbishop Alagbala John OsaOni has called on the Church to begin to focus on making disciples rather than getting more members.
He made the call on Friday, February 23 at the annual Global Mandate Conference taking place at the Agape General International Church, Maryland, Lagos.
The Conference attracted about 200 missionaries from across Africa including some pastors in Lagos. It started on February 22 and will end on Sunday, February 25
Osaoni who spoke on “Looking on the field” observed that the difference between the gospel message of the 70s and that of the 2000s is that the former placed emphasis on discipleship while the latter emphasises membership.
He reasoned that the only way the church would make an impact in the society is to begin to emphasize discipleship.
“That is the great commission. That is what we have been called to do. Unfortunately, we are busy bringing members into our churches that are not being discipled.
“We need to change our mindset. We need to think of discipleship not membership because many people are getting saved, but the back door is open. We need to do something about it. The place of discipleship cannot be overemphasised,” he said.
He also called on church leaders to focus on building God’s kingdom rather than their empires.
About the kingdom
“God has used me to support many ministries this year. It should be about the kingdom and not about ourselves. The real purpose of our life is the kingdom. As the money comes we distribute. God places a high premium on soul winning..” he said.
He recalled how he built a 27-bedroom apartment because he had a prosperity mindset. “That house is still there now, we now had to think of using it for the kingdom”
The PFN leader said further, “Life is a journey of mindset. You can’t grow beyond your thought life. The essence of looking into the field points to the fact that we need to focus on something of utmost importance which is tailored towards winning souls”
One of the things necessary for soul winning according to him is giving. He called on believers to continue to give towards missions while pointing out that the heartbeat of God is mission.