Fake Pastors in Nigeria: 5 Ways To Identify Them
The Good Book said “Not everyone that calls me Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven”. It therefore should not be surprising that there are many pastors that will never make Heaven, even if they are the ones speaking in tongues the loudest or they have the biggest congregation imaginable.
There are several fake pastors on the prowl. They dress, talk and appear like real pastors, but they are fake in real sense. This write up is designed to guide you to ensure you do not get caught by the trap of these wolves in sheep clothing. Check below for 5 various ways to identify fake pastors in Nigeria.
They only preach sweet things
A pastor should not just talk about how sweet God is; he should also tell you how severe God can be, especially on issues of sin. He should not just preach prosperity; he should also preach salvation.
If you find any pastor doing the contrary, you will not need a prophet to tell you that pastor is just a fake and hungry pastor looking for fast buck or to fulfill some hideous agenda.
They guide without being able to lead
A pastor should not just guide a Christian; he should also lead the Christian. The pastor only requires the facts of the Holy Bible to guide his follower, but he will need the leading of the Holy Spirit in order to be able to lead his followers.
If a pastor is not able to give you words directly from the Holy Spirit or he teaches you to shun such revelations, then that pastor is fake. Why is that? This is because anyone can read the Holy Bible and use the content to advice others, but not everyone can hear from the Holy Spirit and use the words to lead others; only true men of God have that privilege.
The easy life kind of pastor
If your pastor is the type that loves to take things easy and try to avoid offending his church members, then that pastor is a fake one.
A true pastor will tell his church members the truth of the Word of God, even if it does not go down well with the church members. A true pastor will tell you what God wants him to tell you, but a fake pastor will tell you what will make you feel happy.
Placing more emphasis on tithe than other biblical truths
A fake pastor will seek to place more emphasis on tithe and offerings, but will want not tell you the importance of other truths of the scripture. Such a pastor is a fake and hungry element seeking to make quick money off his helpless church members.
Laying of hands
Be wary of a pastor that just lay hands on people’s head without any prompting or without you asking of prayer. Any pastor that seeks to do that is nothing other than an agent of the devil. His uncontrolled and constant laying of hands on members is most probably a means via which he initiates his congregation to Satanism. So, be wary of such ungodly pastors.
You are 100% correct.It tallies with what a man of God preached about signs of fake pastors.They are everywhere.They perform miracles whether God likes it or not,it must just happen.They put on fake humility at times and you giving to deceive people.In occult,giving or charity is one bait they use to catch their target. People mistaken giving for love.They don’t preach holiness,judgment, Rapture since they are not going to heaven,it is not important to them.They have informants and highly secretive and at the time paranoid and insecured
Thank God for the news he has shared to us I believe this will help to figure out fake pastors all around the world and they will confess to the lord before the people of tha lord.
As we have fake pastors so we have fake members also. Fake pastors are those who distort the gospel and the cardinal points; Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, Sin which God abhors, Salvation which needed to live eternally, Judgement, the resurrection and eternal life.
Miracles are only spiritual gifts given by God to His people (not pastors alone) according to His will and the ability of the recipient to handle. Miracles, prophecy, and Speaking in Tongues, which the only gift from the Lord should not be used as the foundation for a ministry. However, it sad that many churches are founded on these gifts, thus making the gifts more important than the giver.
Certainly, we need money to run a ministry but any work done in God’s way will get all that is needed to do it. There is no need for (a) Calling for sowing a seed in the church, (b) no special offering to proclaim a prayer and fasting for a church member, (c) No demand for money before revelation or prophecy – its a free gift, (d) there should be transparency in matters of leadership, finances and activities – remember the church is Christ’s not any individual’s. Any church that does not account for the money raised by its members will be judged by God. Tithes and offerings are raised by the members and therefore, they should know how their money is used. The pastors and his/her leadership should be subject to scrutiny by its members.
Any pastor that puts himself above his members as such that he should not be asked about church matters is building his own kingdom, not the Lord’s Kingdom. Jesus was available to respond to every question from his disciples and the crowd. We are only God’s servants not lords of the people we serve.
Furthermore, any church/ministry should have a written constitution to guide its operations. In this Constitution, members should be able to read the history of the church/Ministry, Aim, Objectives and pillars of the church/ministry, administrative structure, succession plan, financial and spiritual accountability.
A church may be founded by a single member, but it belongs to the people who attend it. Therefore, they deserve to know everything about it and they should be made active and not passive members.
Raise questions where:
1. One pastor preaches all the time.
2. No financial report explaining income and expenditure
3. There is no functional Church board.
4. The salary of the pastor(s) is not determined by the church board
5. There is no constitution.
6. There is no discipline of wrongdoers
7. There is no annual conference to hear reports from church officers including the pastors and discuss future plans of the church.
8. There is no succession plan for leadership. (I mean here the church does not state who takes over after the current leadership and how it is done. )
9. The pastor’s wife is regarded as Associate Pastor/Overseer except if she is theologically trained and called by God into that ministry.
10. The wife is regarded as successor after the retirement or death of the pastor-husband/overseer. It is not a divine plan.
11. The church is not open to auditing.
Feel free to contact me on my email.
Hello sir , please can you call on my number . I have some confession to make and I want it to be revealed by you to me 0701 859 9117
thank you sir
My name is pastor Felix eyo an I love what u say sir how can one run a church sir in very good way
can some one tell which church I can worship in Nigeria ??
MOUNTAIN OF FIRE NW
don’t no which church to worship now in nigeria,
am interested in this case
i have to gear it up
fake pastors are everything,we needn’t to judge here bcos it’s only God dat knows who is truly serving him rite….
knowing fake pastors is very obvious,let jus pray for God guidance nd protection.
Pls d bible is not a history or govt textbook dat you just glance tru n begin to talk. Pls, let us b careful so dat we canot ignorantly scare unbelievers thinking we are working for God
To be friends with someone is to know how loving the person is not the bad part.so I find your first point obnoxious.
To be friends with someone is to know how living the person is not how bad he/she is.So I don’t believe your first point,it is obnoxious.
I don’t know where you got this false ways of Identifying fake pastor that is not mention like in the Bible. laying of hands is biblical, humility or easy going pastor is biblically right why God resist the pride. please you have to read Matt 7:21 very well.
You knew a fake pastor by
1 Not conformity to the words of God
2 kinds of behavioral fruits he bears
3 symptom of workers of iniquities
4 love for money or wealth acquisitions
5 Oppressive ideology
6 Adding to the words of God
7 Introduction of New doctrines that is not biblically
Thanks for your contribution.
Nice article! There are even more points to unmasking fake pastors.