Chris Oyakhilome Ph.D.is a Nigerian Christian Minister. He was born December 7, 1963, and founding president of Believers’ Loveworld Incorporated. This establishment is also known as Christ Embassy, one of the most popular ministries in Africa, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s teachings are boldly expressed in his books, Rhapsody of Realities. Chris Oyakhilome Ph.D was on every screen every Sunday morning back in the early 2000s before and shortly after cable TV arrived. Miracle upon miracle, signs upon wonders, the Christ Embassy pioneer, rose to fame across the nation, continent and the church grew rapidly. Over the years things like Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s house, networth, sermons, private jet and messages have become frequent topics for conversations.
Pastor Chris, as he is fondly called, was born and raised in Edo state and he is the eldest son of his parents. He is an alumnus of Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State, where he met his ex-wife. He also has a Ph.D degree. Christ Embassy operates both nationally and internationally. There are active branches in the United Kingdom, United States, Nigeria, South Africa and Canada. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s family members are also heavily involved in the ministry. His younger brother, Pastor Ken Oyakhilome was formerly a pastor at the South Africa branch of Believer’s Loveworld Inc. and he is currently the overseer of the Texas church branch in the United States. His younger sister, Katty Worghiren (nee Oyakhilome) is the director of Loveworld Music Ministry, Loveworls Creative Arts Academy and Loveworld Children’s Ministry.
Chris Oyakhilome started Believers Loveworld as a fellowship back in University. Over the years the ministry became an incorporation. He married Rev. Anita Ebhodaghe in 1991, with whom he has two daughters Sharon and Charlyn Oyakhilome. After 25 years of marriage, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and his ex-wife, divorced due to unreasonable behaviour. Both daughters live in England with their mother. Sharon Oyakhilome also called CSO is making it as a gospel artist and recently got engaged.
Oyakhilome is known for numerous healings, philanthropic work which include helping the poor, dispossessed and the sick materially and spiritually. He is a minister who can also be termed a motivational speaker because of his messages of hope to the people. His name and ministry have face numerous controversies and scandals over the years. Healing miracles became media sensations with his name and ministry tagged along with it. People’s love for miracles had them pouring in in millions every Sunday. Pastor Chris was often criticised and accused of television false healings and allegedly hiring people to act handicapped or troubled in some form or the other. His claim to have the ability to heal medical conditions has also sparked controversy. In 2011 Christ Embassy was banned from airing claims of faith healing of medical conditions including HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and heart diseases by South Africa’s Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) after a report made by Treatment Action Campaign. Numerous believers stopped taking their medication under the impression that they had been healed after prayers. This left their case worsened, patients dead and others infected. Other controversies tailed the Pastor centred around his divorce, wealth, teachings and marital/extra marital practices of family members.
The Raphosdy of Realities book is distributed in both hard and soft copy worldwide, with Pastor Chris.s ministry broadcast worldwide as well. The Nigerian Televangelist is the most followed African personality on social media with over 1,000,000 twitter followers. Pastor Chris also has a social networking site, Yookoos, which is used to spread the gospel.
Chris Oyakhilome has graced numerous lists, ranging from largest congregation to richest pastors in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Pastor Chris is among the billionaire pastors and is known to live lavishly flying in private jets. According to Forbes, Chris Oyakhilome’s estimated worth is a whopping $50million dollars. Asides the church with over diverse members, his has monetary interests in magazine, newspaper, TV station, satellite TV, record label, real estate and hotels. The Jerri-curl ambassador is known to have a fleet of cars, two private jets and a four-story residence in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. The building is called ‘White House’ and boasts of a penthouse. Pastor Chris is rumoured to have 30 SUVs and has gifted out a goof number of them to a few gospel artists. He bought an airline in 2006 and renamed it Skypower. He acquired his first private jet that same year. His second private jet was gifted to him by the Music department of his church, in 2017, for impacting their lives. Loveworld TV was the first Nigerian TV channel to broadcast internationally for a full 24-hour basis.
Worldwide fame has gotten Chris Oyakhilome a few honours in and out of his home country Nigeria. He was honoured with a Doctorate degree in divinity at the Benson Idahosa University and the Vice-Chancellor described it as a legendary event. This is because Pastor Chris’s teachings have transcended nations across the globe with Rhapsody of Realities being translated in 837 languages. Chris Oyakhilome has a degree in Architecture and a Ph.D. in Theology and Pneumatology and has received numerous other awards/honors. Some of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s teachings have sparked social media outrage in recent times, especially his views on marriage and gender equality. In summary, a Facebook post from his ministry’s account cited an excerpt from a clergyman’s message about who a husband is and what is his role. Husbands in this excerpt were regarded as masters as opposed to male partners. Nigeria is a nation where narratives are changing regarding gender equality and marriage, therefore, his views did not sit well with numerous people online. His recent divorce further fuelled the basis of criticism.
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome has built and empire on the gospel, a onetime household name, he is the second richest pastor in the world and one of the most influential religious leaders in the 21st century. Christ Embassy has gone from being a Sunday special on TV, to becoming a worldwide message provider. Pastor Chris’s Inner-City Mission Project declares that “every child is your child”, this project saves, and assists orphaned and indigent children in inner cities across the globe. His other initiative also seeks to empower, enlighten, educate, and highlight leadership potentials in youth Africans.
