CREATIVE WAYS OF ALLEVIATING PAINS OF THE NEGLECTED PASTORS

The P5 Agenda

You’re a man of many parts. But very recently, I observed you’re connected to a group known as the P5. What is the P5 and why the P5?

P5 is fellowship of like-minded pastors, who came together to support one amongst a thousand in his quest for high political office. The idea came to light when one of us in the clergy, Pastor Umo Eno, aspired to become the Governor of Akwa Ibom State. Then we felt it was most appropriate to team up and pull supports for our own brother.

Then we heard of a group of influential governors known as the G5 governors, that actually gave us the motivation to refer to ours as the P5 Family, we are five pastors who have a single mind and purpose – to support Pastor Umo Eno’s aspiration then before he became a candidate and went forward to win massively the gubernatorial election under PDP for Akwa Ibom State.

That’s a great idea. So after politics, what’s next on the P5’s table?
Yes, P5 is still on and it’s beyond politics. Just maybe politics was the motivation that brought together. P5 wants to see how we can be of help to pastors. Our drive is towards the welfare of pastors; unlike some of us that are privileged to access some measure of success, there are lots of pastors in rural areas that nobody looks after them. And the times are very tough; P5 has the goal of reaching out to supporting these pastors.

Some of them cannot afford payment of rents and school fees for their children, others have health challenges and no money for good medical attention.
So, we’ve a goal of becoming a conduit of blessings materially to these disadvantaged ministers in the rural areas. We want them too to have a sense of belonging to God’s big family. Rural pastors don’t need millions of naira but just basic material needs like accommodation, foods, clothings, medicals and education of their children. So, after politics, we are focused on humanitarian services towards the neglected ministers of the gospel.

Another goal of P5 is ensuring that pastors’ children are given proper attention and are well-groomed to become responsible people. There have been issues with ministers children becoming difficult, and that brings pain to the church and the family. It is our conviction that waywardness should not identify with pastors children if they are given proper attention, education and guidance.
One of the steps we are taking in providing effective guidance to pastor children is looking at the pastors themselves. The task of grooming well-behaved ministers’ children is grooming the ministers themselves to understand and appreciate the responsibilities of parenthood; that’s where the work starts from. Many of us ministers are so busy, we’re engrossed with the ministry and neglect home fronts to our own regrets.

To close this gap, the P5 plans vacation for pastors so they can come with their family away from their homes. This is to help create an atmosphere of friendship and family bonding; this can happen once a year outside the country. We want to let pastors know they must have time for their children, we pastors do ministry work with less burden, and especially devote time for their children.
Additionally, we’re working on a mentoring programme for pastors’ children.

We want them to know that being a pastor’s child doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect; that’s one of the conflicts pastor’s children go through. Church members see them as if they are not human beings, but they are human beings.
They are susceptible to making mistakes or errors. But you see, when you make an error, when it comes to the things of God, the best thing is to rise up from it.
And the Bible says, If you confess your sins to him, he’s faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)

So, we have good plans for the pastors and their wives, the female pastors and their husbands and the children. So P5 is beyond politics; we are in the ministry, we’re also in business. We’re also expecting to partner institutions to ensure improved knowledge, exposure and welfare for pastors through retreat and workshops.

Who are the founding members of the P5?
P5 is made up of five founding members; Prophet Dr. Williams Mbuk, Apostle, Samuel Efiong,, Apostle Hope Wills, Reverend Peter Lugard Omiunu and myself.

Let’s look at the administration of Pastor Umo Eno which motivated the formation of P5 in the first place. What’s your assessment of this government so far?
Pastor Umo Eno has not disappointed us. One of the things that made us rally around him was because we believed that his emergence was an opportunity for the church to make a bold statement.

Politicians have been the ones standing for elections, but Umo Eno is not a politician. Even some of the things he does now as a governor should let you know, he’s a child of God.
Even though we have faith-based group like Fathers in Faith for Good Governance, P5 is unique in approach to reaching out to pastors.
People say when someone gets to power, he will change. No, I don’t support that saying, what happens is that responsibility has changes once someone gets to power.

I really give it to Pastor Umo Eno, In fact, he’s somebody that if you send a message, he replies. He has settled outstanding pensions, gratuities, and more, showcasing his remarkable generosity and dedication. Then, he also shows benevolence to pastors as his major constituency, which is a very good step.
Both the civil servants and elderly people are praying for him.

He’s very pragmatic and visionary. What makes me love him so much is that he has been able to forge unity across party lines, that’s a sign that we have a child of God as our Governor in the State. The Bible says, Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. (Mathew 5:9). This requires a lot of negotiation and consensus, giving up on certain rights, because unity doesn’t come cheap. Jesus said, when we love one another, the people will know that we are his disciples. The unity and peace he has brought to the State, also creating an environment for business to thrive, particularly the Ibom Air, which is the pride of our people.

You’re a pastor, entrepreneur and educationist; a multitasking person. How do you cope?
Handling multi tasks is a gift I’ve developed over time. I’ve gathered singles, the youth and the children. I am also into education, it’s all about the passion. Education is powerful. Somebody said that every school opened, is closing the prison, because education has capacity to empower people.

When you see youth blocking the road, it’s because they are not educated, with education you’ll engage yourself in meaningful venture. So I get excited doing multiple tasks, and still very effective in ministry. Our church is growing and expanding with branches in other states and overseas.

How do you explain this to pastors who are supposedly limited, because some pastors think, it’s only preaching they’re called to do?
Actually, some pastors come to me for mentoring. Those who see what I’m doing have shown interest in maximizing their potential. So, I have been sharing my experience with them. Experience cannot be bought in the market, myself have gone through a lot of experiences, and that has helped me mentor some pastors and saved them from going through what I’ve been through before now.

For instance, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno who has been my mentor in entrepreneurship, would share his own experiences then, and I would be fired up again to face the challenges.
Those experiences he shared with me have helped my business at every point in time. For pastors who desire to break the norm and embrace entrepreneurship, the first step is to desire it. If you don’t desire it, you won’t have enough energy to pursue it. So, I encourage pastors to engage in any venture, and do it alongside the ministry.

I’ve always known that I cannot be a poor pastor. When I had the instinct that God was going to call me; I told God, if you are calling me, I don’t want to be a begging pastor. It’s so frustrating when you see pastors die, church members have to beg people to contribute for the family to bury him, because he left no money behind.
While I’m following Jesus’ pattern of ministry, I admire Bishop David Oyedepo’s pattern, I was privileged to be ordained by him in 1995. I love his approach to ministry; money is never an issue in that ministry. So, pastors should be thinking about posterity.

They should not only be thinking about today, they should not be thinking only of miracles; they should build structures for the future.
So a pastor must first desire a life where money will not be an issue. And then when you see Christians who are business-minded, move closer to them.
That was how I drew closer to Pastor Umo Eno 25 years ago. The difference between a rich pastor and a poor one is the way they think. One of the benefits of being closer to a rich pastor is the way they think; if you pester the rich for money, you lose them. It’s their thinking that is making them better than you.

Pastor Bolaji Adeisrael is a multi talented leader whose abilities to relate with youths,
the men and children has endeared him to several of his admirers. Aside pastoring
Beautiful Gate Int’l Church, he is also an entrepreneur and conference speaker. His
strong passion for development of young ones inspired him to establish Beautiful Gate Int’l
Schools, Eket. His relationship building skills have helped connect with a wide range of people,
either on leadership development issues, entrepreneurship or finance, with profound interest
in helping people succeed. In this conversation with IMA NKANTA,
Pastor Adeisrael reveals his latest push – it’s about connecting with like minded pastors
to brighten the countenance of fellow pastors – The P5 Agenda.