The Commonwealth Of Zion Assembly (COZA) is no doubt one of the most talked about churches in the country today. It is also one of the fastest growing ministries you can possibly find around. The meteoric rise and growth of the church is one that has continued to astound many. COZA is headed by it’s founder, the young and vibrant, and, yes, controversial Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo. The dashing looking man of God has been in the news for, most of the time, the wrong reasons. In the last few years, he literally has been in and out of the eye of the storm. At some point, when the pressure became unbearably intense, he had to step aside as head pastor of the church he founded.
Indeed, if truth be told, not very many churches can pass through what COZA has been through and still be standing. If anything, the church appears to have bounced back stronger every single time a damning allegation is hurled at it and it’s very likeable Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo.
In truth, in the early days of these crushing allegations, some members were said to have walked away from the church. But a large chunk of it’s core members, many of whom knew the pastor intimately and had no doubts of the mandate of God upon his life, stood by him and stayed with the church. A few months down the line, surprisingly, new members flooded the church. Many of those who previously left also reappeared and the ministry began to flourish again.
Pastor Biodun’s enchanting wife, the very gorgeous Modele Fatoyinbo, played a pivotal role in ensuring the church remained strong and intact even in the face of the horrendous assaults it contended with at the time. Not only did she stand firmly by her husband, she also became more visibly involved in the running of the church which helped trigger a recovery process, for both her husband and the church, that was fast and wholesome. Today, the church which had only a little over 3,000 members some years ago, now boasts of a massive auditorium that sits conveniently over 15,000 worshippers. That is nothing short of awesome!
Many COZA members can still recall that occasion a few years back when the pretty Modele Fatoyinbo stepped out before the congregation to declare her unbreakable love and support for embattled husband. It was in the heat of the pressure on Pastor Biodun to step down as head pastor of COZA. She totally earned the respect and admiration of many women within and outside the church when she assured her husband that no one could take his place.
She said, “Pastor doesn’t want me to talk. It’s fine. I just want to tell you, pastor, because we have strangers, that on behalf of your sons and daughters. We have strangers in this house — strange sons and daughters. But God will close the heavens over them in the name of Jesus.
“I just want to say we love you. You are our pastor; nobody can take your place. It’s always good to assure people that you love them, not only when you feel that everything is fine with them, even much more when you feel that they are not (loved).”
Turning to Fatoyinbo, she said, “You know your friends when you’re in trouble. So, we don’t want you to doubt in your heart. As for Modele, until I see Jesus, my surname cannot change. So, you better calm down.
We love you and you have always taught us well. You have always stood on that stage to teach us that even though anybody might be coming from anywhere, God loves them and accepts them. You have never preached condemnation; you have never peached that we cannot change or make it. “Nobody on earth can take your place in our lives in spite of ’20 years’? Where are you coming from? Nobody can take your place.”
And, true to her convictons, nobody could take his place. It would’ve been an enormously diificult task for anyone to accomplish. Truth is, only few of Pastor Fatoyinbo’s contemporaries can hold a candle close to him. He is a man incredibly gifted in the word of God.
City People’ Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) spoke to a few members of COZA to know how the church has been able to survive and continue to blossom despite the rape allegations levelled against its founder and leader. How come the entire church didn’t crumble under the weight of the condemnation that followed? Why do new members keep joining the church? Why did the old members that left return? How come that despite all of the negative publicity the allegations brought the church, a large number of the congregation stayed with the church? And the following is what we found out.
Anyone who has listened to Pastor Fatoyinbo will agree that he is an incredible preacher of the word of God. His knowledge of the bible is almost uncanny. When he teaches the word, he unearths certain parts of the bible you either never knew existed or he avails you of deeper interpretations you never knew those parts possessed. He is that good with the bible. That shouldn’t be much of a surprise as he learnt from the feet of one of the masters of the word, Bishop David Oyedepo. And the fact that he, Fatoyinbo, also belongs to that exclusive class of men of God blessed with the gift of the garb makes it all so easy for him to impart his amazing knowledge of the bible to the ever appreciative congregation. Many of the members could not bring themselves to walking away from the cover of the grace of a man they consider a fantastic teacher and a profound man of God.
City People also found out that Pastor B, as he’s fondly called by his members, has enjoyed an enduring relationship he developed over the years with many of the members. He knows many of them by their first names. From the elderly to the young, Fatoyinbo is familiar with members who have been with the church for a while. He asks after them when he notices he hasn’t seen them in church and tells members close to them to check up on them. This gives the members a huge sense of belonging, knowing their Pastor genuinely cares a great deal about their well being.
He interacts with his congregation and oftentimes gets involved in their spiritual lives and helps them establish a much stronger connection with their God. And of course, he is man of God who goes out of his way to support members financially whenever they are faced with issues bordering on financial challenges.
Not only that. It was revealed that it’s on record within the church that he has set up many members in business. “Many members are flourishing in their various businesses today all because of Pastor Biodun’s large heart. He is simply uncomfortable knowing a member is in need of some assistance and he hasn’t offered any help,” gushed a member excitedly.
Another member added: “Giving is second nature to Pastor B, he does that very often and so effortlessly. Even when you’re trying to keep your personal financial issues to yourself and away from him, once he gets wind of it, he will come through for you. No doubt about it, giving gives Pastor B immense joy. How can you walk away from a Pastor who carries your matter on his own head?’
We also learnt that Pastor Fatoyinbo values his pastors and workers in the church a great deal. Another member spoken to said of him; “You cannot know Pastor Biodun and walk away from him the minute he faces a challenge, which if you ask me, is normal for a man of God to face. The love and respect he shows you as his pastor and worker won’t make it easy for you. He is not the type of leader that embarrasses his pastors or yells at them at the slightest provocation like a lot of men of God do. He handles issues with tact and with a maturity that belies his age,” the female member offered.
City People found out that all his pastors have benefitted richly from him. From cars to money and expensive gifts, he consistently showers on them. He not only gives cars to his pastors, dozens of members have come for regular church services in commercial cabs or on bikes and went home driven in their own cars, courtesy of Pastor B. According to a member, “as at the last count, Pastor B has given out well over a hundred cars. He even once gave his barber a car gift to celebrate the new year because, according to him, the guy has been faithful. As he gives to people below him, he also gives to his mentors. He is a man who understands greatly that as you bless those around you so shall the heavens lift up your head.”
Many will find it interesting to know that Pastor Fatoyinbo invests heavily in philanthropy. Clearly, he is a man who, by nature, delights in giving. Just as he gives out dozens of cars, he also pays school fees and helps members see their wards through school. He has set hundreds of people up in business, takes care of the widows and the poor within the church and even outside of it. A lot of artisans and petty traders operating within the locality of the church also benefit from his generosity. This is why, during one of the protests that was held against Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo by civil society organisations in the wake of the rape allegation, many of these artisans and petty traders also rose in defence of the man they love and joined members of the church to forcefully prevent the protesters from gaining access to the church’s auditorium.
Annually, the church also gives gifts of food and clothing materials to peaople outside the church during Easter and Christmas. It is usually a mega event that people now look forward to every year.
As a leader, Pastor Fatoyinbo is described as a man of Excellence. He runs the church with transparency and fairness, putting in place structures and mechanisms that are necessary to run a ministry the size of COZA. This enables the church run seamlessly, whether he is within or outside the country, no matter how long he would be away for. He doesn’t spare any expense to bring the best to COZA. He is a builder of men. He raises leaders and talents. If he recognises some talent in you, he will help you to express it.
Clearly, you cannot posses all of these qualities and not have people who will stand by you in your moments of despair. Pastor Fatoyinbo has earned his place of pride among his members and thousands outside of the church. He deserves some respect. If nothing else, the man should be left alone to do that which God has called him to do, in peace, with joy…..
-WALE LAWAL
(08037209290)
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