The Prelate of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops and the President of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Bishop Francis Olubowale Oke, has been elevated to the Office of Archbishop in recognition of his more than 27 years of episcopal service, spiritual leadership and mentorship of bishops across the world.
The honour was conferred on him by the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops, during the ongoing annual Holy Ghost Convention of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries in Ibadan, Oyo State . This was contained in a Press Statement issued the Media Bureau of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries in Ibadan.
Bishop Oke, who accepted the elevation at the programme attended by members of the College of Bishops and Christian leaders, described the honour as a call to greater responsibility in advancing the cause of Christ globally.
Accepting the elevation, the new Archbishop, who is the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), said he had repeatedly declined the opportunity 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 now accepted the elevation because it was 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 Presbyter of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops, South-West, Bishop Felix Adejumo, after Bishop Julius Abiola presented the statement of purpose for the elevation. Bishop Abiola described the honoree as a father of fathers, pastor of pastors and bishop of bishops, saying his episcopal ministry had produced and strengthened other episcopal leaders.
According to him, Bishop Oke’s elevation was not merely a conferment of a title but formal recognition of a ministry already tested by time, proven through service, demonstrated through spiritual fruits and manifested through the raising and strengthening of other leaders.
The College said Bishop Oke had, since his canonical consecration in 1999, demonstrated longevity, stability, maturity and faithfulness in episcopal ministry, 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 had provided spiritual oversight and fatherly leadership to many of the more than 50 bishops associated with the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops.
The College said his ministry had become an episcopacy that has produced episcopacies, as he had identified, nurtured, mentored, affirmed, consecrated and commissioned other spiritual leaders. It added that his new office would carry greater responsibility for spiritual fatherhood, episcopal oversight, unity, counsel, mentorship and preservation of the integrity and witness of the Church.
The Colllege consequently charged him to strengthen the brethren, encourage bishops, defend the Christian faith, promote unity within the body of Christ, preserve godly episcopal order and raise succeeding generations of faithful servants of God.
Bishop Oke, in his response, expressed gratitude to God and members of the College for the honour, stressing that the institution maintained strict standards in the selection and consecration of bishops.
He said prospective bishops were subjected to thorough examination by presbyters before they could be admitted, stressing that the College was committed to admitting only people with proven integrity and impactful ministries. “The door is still open to anyone who is interested, but the standard remains the same,” he said.
Recalling his journey into the episcopacy, Bishop Oke said the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa had wanted to consecrate him as a bishop as far back as 1988, but he avoided the elevation because of his passion for evangelism.
He also recalled that when Bishop David Oyedepo was consecrated a bishop in Kaduna, he participated in the consecration and was told by Archbishop Idahosa that he ought to have become a bishop.. According to Bishp Oke, Idahosa told him, “You are next,” but he subsequently avoided opportunities for his own consecration for about a decade.
He said he eventually yielded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and was consecrated a bishop in the United Kingdom in 1999, with the consecration repeated three months later at the Garden of Victory, Ibadan.
Oke traced the origin of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops to his desire to mentor younger ministers, noting that his ministry began after he responded to God’s call in 1976.
He said the mentorship fellowship, initially known as the Calvary Grace Covenant Fellowship International, grew as ministers sought spiritual guidance and leadership.
According to him, the fellowship later evolved into the College of Bishops following a meeting at Premier Hotel, Ibadan, where members agreed to constitute the body and adopt the name Calvary Grace International College of Bishops.
He said the College now has members across Nigeria, Africa, North America, Canada, the United States of America and Europe, with its first European member recently consecrated as bishop.
