By Dave Omokhodion.
Agreed you know Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo as a Nigeria-born British pastor, founder of Kingsway International Christian Centre based in United Kingdom. You may also have heard how he has retired from the ministry after pastoring for over 40 years and now into Real Estate Business.
But all of that is not what Pastor Ashimolowo is known for. Here are the details you should know, his beginning, his born again experience, his journey in the Christian race and finally his present lifestyle.
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo was born on March 17, 1952 into a Muslim home. His parents were both Muslims. And all his siblings too. Though he is of Yoruba descent, he was born and brought up in Zaria in the Northern part of Nigeria. This is why he could speak Hausa language fluently more than Yoruba. As a child he was raised up in Islamic way until when he became born again at the age of 20.
Becoming born again wasn't just to have experience of Christianity but because he wanted to have a personal relationship with God. His encounter with the gospel was dramatic. According to him he was in a drunken state of mind when a friend gave him a tract on salvation which later transformed his life. Actually there were three things he observed between Christianity and Islam.
He said in Islam he recognised there is no redeemer, secondly, there is no promise of an intercessor or a mediator between you and God. Thirdly, there is no after-life, of which even Mohammed said he's not sure of where he is going. So for him he want to follow a person who's sure of where he is going, and that is Jesus Christ.
His desire to know more about the Gospel got a better hold on him. At the age of 21, he received God's call into the ministry and at 22 he entered Life Bible College of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria.
During his sojourn as a Bible Student he said he discovered he had a clear understanding of what life is and the direction he was going. This was also confirmed by his Canadian lecturers, who believed that one day he could become an exceptional preacher.
After graduating from Life Bible College he was ordained into the ministry in 1980 under Foursquare Gospel Church. The church later reorganized his assignment by transferring him into mission work in the UK. He seized on that privileged to combine his mission work and study by entering Cleveland Tennessee's Lee University and graduated with degree.
Ashimolowo served as a missionary for several years with Foursquare Gospel Church until he said he had a call from God to start his own ministry in 1992. That ministry today is the Kingsway International Christian Centre.
A lot happened during his active service in the ministry. He is not just a dynamic preacher, but an erudite teacher and author. He is also a distinguished mentor who has successfully mentored several people across the globe.
At KICC, he was recognised as a father of faith based on some phenomenon achievement, both spiritual and materials. Many known successful Nigerians in UK can easily be traced to having personal encounter with him.
Most popular works of Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo is the "Winning Way" TV program that became an astonishing weapon against mental and spiritual backwardness among many christians. The program focused essentially on spiritual growth, empowerment, and community development.
Before retiring from active pastoral work Ashimolowo established both human and capital developments. So many pastors were trained under his watch and several Christians were also financially empowered by him.
Today Pastor Ashimolowo is regarded as one of the 5 richest pastors in Nigeria with an average net worth of $40 millions to $50 millions currently. This success story is largely atttibuted to his financial investment in different businesses, including books and real estate management.
He is happily married to Pastor Mrs. Yemisi Ashimolowo and they are blessed with four children.
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