Growing the Local Church is A Mandate – Pastor Iruofagha James
The founding pastor and the General Overseer of Glory Christian Ministries int’l., (GCM), Pastor Iruofagha James has given the assertion that growing the local Church is a heartbeat of God that must be implemented.
He made this known while speaking on Growing the Local Church to herald the church annual summit, theme, “COME!… stepping out into the miraculous.” and her 32 years anniversary celebration held at the church headquarters in Ijeshatedo area of Lagos from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 March, 2025.
Pastor James asserted that, “when Jesus said, “I will build my church” in Matthew 16:8, He was referring to the body of Christ – the Universal Church. Because He is the builder of the Universal Church”.
Quoting the scriptures to further buttress his point, James said, Jesus mentioned another kind of church – “the local church” and every member of the Universal Church must become a part of a local church.
When a man chooses to receive the life and love of God through Christ, He receives him with open arms and plants him in a local church. The local church’s leadership is appointed by the head of the Universal Church, Jesus Christ.
Shedding more light, he stated that, a local church is the home of every saved believer in different localities, executing different mandate or commissions under the lordship of the Holy Spirit who is the Lord of every church and each local church is defined by the unique priorities or vision they are called to execute on the behalf of and as a representative of the Universal Church.
Emphasizing on priorities or vision of the local Church, he admonished, “those values system must be inculcated into the lifestyle of its membership and must be expressed in their conduct and activities.”
“A Church is God’s solution center to the community. Therefore, every local church must prioritize: soul winning, discipling young believers into mature Saints, ministering to the needs of saints and their communities”, he said.
“A local church is expected to grow. God’s blessing is not for private participation, it must seek to be above their corporate culture and commitment to keep growing. As a local Church, the most important project after you is the person sitting next to you”, he declared.
Other activities lined up for the 3 days summit includes open air crusade, word explosion, celebration and thanksgiving service.
