The saying, "what a man can do, a woman can do even better", may not be entirely true when it comes to church administration and management.
This notwithstanding that women are said to possess spiritual depth, relational skill, integrative thinking, tender courage and high in emotional intelligence, which are key to success in any endeavour, especially in church ministry.
Nigeria is a country with a rich history of Christianity, and women have played a significant role in its growth.
In recent years, there has been a growing number of female pastors in the country who founded churches or inherited ones founded by their late husbands.
As evident across the country, several Nigerian women have stepped into their deceased husbands' shoes to become church overseers.
For many of these women, it was a huge struggle fitting into the big shoes left behind by their founders.
Meanwhile, most of the women who took over the churches after their husbands' demise have faced significant challenges in maintaining the large followings and influence of the churches.
However, while some have gone into oblivion, others have struggled to sustain the momentum and keep up with the standards set by their deceased spouses.
Challenges
Some of the challenges in their management and retention of members, Sunday Vanguard observed, include lack of charisma.
Some of the widows do not possess the same level of charisma and leadership qualities that their husbands had, making it difficult to connect with the congregation and inspire loyalty.
Limited experience is another important factor.
Many of these women were not actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the church before their husbands' passing, leaving them with a steep learning curve and limited experience in managing a large congregation.
Succession question
Expectedly, each time a notable man of God passes on, there is apprehension about leadership succession in their churches because of doubts, and belief from some quarters that women should not head or manage churches, especially in patriarchal societies like Nigeria.
But with the churches largely seen as part of family businesses, it would be futile to try to dislodge the widows or even the sons or daughters of the founders after their demise, regardless of whether or not they adequately prepared for succession.
Meanwhile, some of the churches' members tried to resist the leadership of some of these women pastors, leading to a decline in attendance and support while others challenged the female pastors' authority, leading to power struggles and divisions within the church.
Again, it was observed that the some of these widowed pastors have different theological perspectives or preaching styles compared to their husbands.
The emotional connection and personal relationships that the late pastors had with their members was difficult for their widows to replicate, leading to a sense of disconnection, dissatisfaction, disagreements, and drift among the congregation.
As widows, they also face the added responsibility of caring for their families while leading the church and managing its financial resources.
The pressure to maintain their late husbands' legacies while forging their own paths has overwhelmed some of them. On the spotlight are:
Margaret Idahosa
Margaret is the wife of the founding Archbishop of Church of God Mission International (CGM), and was called into ministry after the death of her husband, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, to fill the vacuum created since her husband did not announce any successor before his death.
She took over the leadership of the church in March 1998, and became the first African female Archbishop.
Idahosa, 81, is renowned for her religious, educational, and philanthropic work.
Twenty six years later, the church has grown in leaps and bounds with investment in several endeavours - education and health among others.
A visit to Faith Arena, the international headquarters of the church in Benin City recently, showed a serene, clean and spacious environment with most of the buildings in splendid white.
The service started with Sunday School Class at exactly 8 am with members grouped in different locations inside the main auditorium which is a two storey structure.
The auditorium is designed in such a way that from wherever one is seated, he or she would see the altar.
By 8:25 am, a convoy of four vehicles arrived the premises and from an unmarked black Mercedes Benz mini-bus alighted the legendary Archbishop Margaret Idahosa accompanied by his son, Bishop FEB (Faith Emmanuel Benson) Idahosa, and other aides and they all walked into the auditorium where she took her seat in a decorated chair obviously specially made for her.
It was a family like atmosphere as a show of love pervaded the air with most of the men in their all white apparel with mufflers as that Sunday was their thanksgiving service after the Men's Convention.
Among the congregation were students of the Benson Idahosa University founded by the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa.
It was obvious that the philosophy of the late Idahosa with which he founded the church was planted in the widow which she had transferred to the children.
However, the octogenarian has managed to maintain a significant following, but encountered resistance from some members who opposed her leadership style.
She was involved in legal battles with her stepson, Bishop Faith Idahosa, over the control of the church.
There were also unproven allegations of mismanagement of church funds and assets.
This posed a problem in maintaining her husband's legacy.
One of the members of the private staff of Idahosa who was present when he died in March 1998, Mrs Vera Akpeji, told Sunday Vanguard that the success of the church hinged on the ability of the widow to carry everybody along.
"I will say the grace of God is what has taken the church to this level. Also, Mama was open to all when Papa Idahosa died", Akpeji told Sunday Vanguard.
"Even though there were some issues, Mama Idahosa called on everybody to join hands with her. This sincere call by Mama motivated many of the workers to join her to build the church to this level."
Also, Deacon Peter Ogbeide, who said he joined the church in Iyaro in 1974 before it moved to the Miracle Centre, said Archbishop Margaret Idahosa is an example of the capacity of women which is usually underrated.
Ogbeide, who disclosed that he worked as a labourer to build the church as a young man, said: "After Papa Idahosa's demise, we never expected that there would be continuation of his ministry but we were shocked that Mama Idahosa continued and sustained what her husband started and what he stood for.
"It is a very good thing to see that she continued the legacies, the expansion of the church, the building of the university which is now in a permanent site, the Bible School and several others."
Nkechi Anayo-Iloputaife
Nkechi was married to the late founder of Victory Christian Church, Bishop Harford Iloputaife.
On February 4, 1995, the Iloputaifes' lives took an unexpected turn.
She and her husband had just returned home from greeting relatives in Lagos when armed gunmen burst into the house and attacked everyone inside.
After beating the pastors, they ordered them to lie on the floor.
The gunmen did shoot, hitting the bishop in the head and his wife in her right arm. Thinking they were both dead, the gunmen left.
The bishop died five days later in hospital at the age of 36 years but Nkechi survived.
Life of service
The widow was described by her church members as a unique leader who has truly lived a life of service as she has dedicated most of her time and resources to giving back to the ministry and society especially the less privileged.
"Pastor Nkechi always celebrates her birthday with orphans and the needy despite the pressures of the ministry", said a church member who did not want her name to be mentioned.
"Being a woman in a male-dominated sector, her effort is nothing short of remarkable.
"There are various initiatives that she put in place for members and non-members. "These initiatives have been helping in the growth of the church. She has over the years provided scholarships to more than 50 children."
Another worshipper, who simply identified herself as Tina, said: "Despite challenges involved in ministry, mummy has been so resolute and dedicated in her service to God and humanity.
"She is a mother with the heart of gold, visionary leader, and evangelist.
"She has set up vocational and business training for the needy and provided finance for small business start-ups.
"Another wonderful initiative was the creation of a program called 'Shalom Shop'. This is a shop where you can purchase anything such as foods, clothes, shoes, electronics etc without paying immediately. "The shop also provides school items such as books and writing materials and it's funded by Apostle Nkechi and runs on the back of donations from church members. It has been in existence for over nine years".
Despite these wonderful initiatives, Nkechi has struggled to maintain the church's membership and influence, with some members defecting to other churches.
She has also struggled to maintain the church's financial stability even as allegations of nepotism and favoritism in the appointment of church leaders once rocked the church.
Evelyn Joshua
Before the sudden demise of her husband, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (TB Joshua), the founder of the Synagogue Church of Nation (SCOAN), on Saturday, June 5, 2021, little was known about Prophetess Evelyn Joshua because she was supporting her husband and contributing to the growth of the church from the background.
One of the ways she supported was by establishing and nurturing the Sunday School Department of the church.
After assuming office as the leader of SCOAN and becoming the President of Emmanuel Global Network (Owners of Emmanuel TV), cynics said Evelyn was too soft to step into the TB Joshua's shoes.
Some members said they missed the late founder's charismatic leadership style.
But Pastor Evelyn has been able to stabilise the church in her capacity as a prophetess and Senior Pastor and has weathered the storm of deliberate and calculated campaigns targeted at her person and the SCOAN.
When our reporter visited the church premises recently, he observed a lot of changes.
Unlike the era of the late TB Joshua, the security personnel were more friendly and courteous while worshippers in their thousands thronged the church building and environs for a divine touch or healing.
Many of the worshippers approached by our reporter refused to speak except one Mr. Uche who said he had been in the church for over 10 years.
"Skeptics had thought that The Synagogue would die with the visioner, Prophet Joshua, either from leadership crisis or from perceived lack of acceptance or lesser anointing by Pastor Evelyn", Uche said.
"Her leadership is still pointing to the unbroken continuity of God's presence and power in SCOAN".
While there is a deliberate and sustained campaign to preserve legacy of the late prophet, the new leader of SCOAN has been struggling to maintain the church's international standing and following.
SCOAN has a significant international following, and the prophetess has struggled to maintain this standing and attract new international members.
Emmanuel TV, the face of the church, experienced reduced viewership following some allegations against the church and its inability to produce new content after TB Joshua's death.
Just a few years in the saddle, Emmanuel TV's YouTube channel was terminated for allegedly violating hate speech policies.
Not only that, the TV station was removed from DSTV and GOTV on account of poor viewership by MultiChoice, just as its satellite channel was closed by StarSat and other pay-TV platforms.
Meanwhile, signs that the crowds SCOAN was pulling when TB Joshua was alive have gone are everywhere in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos where the church is located.
The traffic jam usually caused by worshippers anytime there was service is no longer there.
And when the founder was alive, hospitality was a thriving business in the area as church services attracted people from far and near in search of 'miracle' and many of them usually lodged in nearby hotels.
The development prompted the building of scores of hotels in the area, with many taking loans to do so.
Even the large crowds were such that many landlords were said to have let out their houses to worshippers who could not afford to stay in hotels for a fee.
But today, many hotel owners in the area are lamenting poor patronage because 'miracle' that was bringing worshippers from across the country and beyond to the church is gone with the death of the SCOAN founder.
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Sarah Omakwu
Sarah is the widow of Inalegwu Omakwu, founder and Senior Pastor of Family Worship Center, Abuja.
The husband died in Los Angeles, United States of America in 2003, after battling brain cancer for three years.
Sarah took over the leadership of the ministry as Senior Pastor, steering the church and also serving as the chief operating officer of the Christian Broadcasting Network International. Pastor Sarah, as she is fondly called, is known for her charismatic leadership style and her commitment to helping the vulnerable. Church members expressed positive sentiments about her leadership and ministry.
A worshipper, who gave his name as Emma, told Sunday Vanguard: "Pastor Sarah is a mother to many, a true vessel of God's love and care.
"Her teachings have transformed my life, and her compassion has helped me through difficult times".
"She is a powerful woman of God, an inspiration to many", said another church member who didn't want his name mentioned.
"Her dedication to serving the Lord and humanity is remarkable", the member said. "Under her guidance, the church has grown, and so have I. Her sermons are insightful, and her love for God and humanity is contagious."
While Sarah has maintained a loyal following, she has faced challenges in expanding the church's reach and influence beyond its existing membership.
Mercy Ezekiel
Reverend Mercy Ezekiel officially became the General Overseer of the Christian Pentecostal Mission, CPM, in 2021, after the death of her husband and founder of the ministry, Bishop Obiora Ezekiel.
The deceased, who passed on at 78, battled health challenges which resulted in his blindness about 20 years before his death.
And Rev Mercy had been managing the church in her capacity as Senior Pastor before the death of her husband.
She was also the National and International Coordinator of the church.
Her passion for soul winning, evangelism, prophetic gifts and many more, according to some of the church members, have kept the ministry moving and alive.
"Mummy is a woman of passion, as her name is Mercy, so she is, always caring and showing mercy to people, especially the needy", a CPM member who spoke anonymously told Sunday Vanguard.
"Being a woman endowed with spiritual gifts, and filled with the anointing of God for deliverance, she founded an outreach known as Meez Outreach.
"There is also a faith clinic, a non-denominational outreach where men and women with problems come to pray and, by faith, their problems are solved through the power and the anointing of God in Rev Mercy's life.
"Business Commission is for businessmen and women while the prenatal clinic is a forum for women looking for the fruit of the womb and God has used Mercy Ezekiel to put laughter in many families."
Rev Mercy has managed to maintain a significant following, but has faced challenges in form of resistance from some members who opposed her leadership style.
She has struggled to maintain the church's growth and expansion.
Her leadership is also characterised by allegations of nepotism in the appointment of church leaders.
