After more than 27 years of episcopal service, the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Olubowale Oke, has been elevated to the Office of Archbishop.
The elevation was conferred on the Prelate of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops and President of Sword of the Spirit Ministries during the ongoing annual Holy Ghost Convention of the ministry in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The development was announced in a statement issued by the Media Bureau of Sword of the Spirit Ministries.
Oke, who accepted the new mantle before members of the College of Bishops and other Christian leaders, described the elevation as a call to greater responsibility in advancing the cause of Christ across the world.
The new Archbishop disclosed that he had repeatedly declined opportunities to become an archbishop since his consecration as a bishop in 1999, preferring to concentrate on evangelism and preaching the gospel.
He, however, said he had accepted the latest elevation because he believed it was in line with the will of God and the collective decision of the College of Bishops.
“I accept the elevation with all my heart. Since it seems good to you and to the Holy Spirit, it seems good to me also. I concur with you,” Oke said.
The elevation was proclaimed by the South-West Presbyter of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops, Bishop Felix Adejumo, after Bishop Julius Abiola presented the statement of purpose for the elevation.
Abiola described Oke as a “father of fathers, pastor of pastors and bishop of bishops,” saying his ministry had produced and strengthened many episcopal leaders.
According to him, the elevation was not merely the conferment of a title but a formal recognition of a ministry tested by time, proven through service and manifested through the raising and strengthening of other leaders.
The College said Oke had, since his canonical consecration in 1999, demonstrated longevity, stability, maturity and faithfulness, with his influence extending beyond local congregations, denominations and national boundaries.
It noted that he had participated in the consecration and establishment of bishops in different parts of the world and provided spiritual oversight and fatherly leadership to many of the more than 50 bishops associated with the College.
The College said his ministry had become “an episcopacy that has produced episcopacies” through the identification, mentoring, affirmation and commissioning of other spiritual leaders.
His new office, it said, comes with greater responsibilities for spiritual fatherhood, episcopal oversight, unity, counsel, mentorship and preservation of the integrity and witness of the Church.
Oke was consequently charged to strengthen fellow Christian leaders, encourage bishops, defend the faith, promote unity within the body of Christ and raise a new generation of faithful servants of God.
The PFN President thanked God and members of the College for the honour, saying the body maintained strict standards for the selection and consecration of bishops.
He said prospective bishops were subjected to thorough examination by presbyters and only ministers with proven integrity and impactful ministries were admitted.
“The door is still open to anyone who is interested, but the standard remains the same,” he said.
Oke also recalled his journey into the episcopacy, revealing that the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa had wanted to consecrate him as a bishop as far back as 1988.
He said he initially avoided the elevation because of his strong passion for evangelism.
According to him, he was present during the consecration of Bishop David Oyedepo in Kaduna, when Idahosa told him that he should also have been made a bishop.
“You are next,” he recalled Idahosa telling him.
However, Oke said he continued to avoid opportunities for his own consecration for about a decade before eventually yielding to what he described as the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
He was consecrated a bishop in the United Kingdom in 1999, with the consecration repeated three months later at the Garden of Victory in Ibadan.
Oke traced the origin of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops to his passion for mentoring younger ministers, following his response to the call to ministry in 1976.
He said the fellowship, initially known as Calvary Grace Covenant Fellowship International, later evolved into the College of Bishops after members agreed at a meeting in Ibadan to formally constitute the body.
The College now has members across Nigeria, Africa, North America, Canada, the United States and Europe, with its first European member recently consecrated as a bishop.
