16th May, 2019
By Paul Dada
When people like me write about the failure and imperfections of the church system, some people won’t bother to look at the merit of our submissions, but dismiss them as the rants of incurable critics of the church.
Unknown to them, they don’t know that it is love for the church that propels us to write these things. In my own case, my aim is to make people at least think.
In the past few days, we have been inundated with the stories of those who committed suicide because they were suffering from depression. Many more people in comment sections of FB posts also admit they have suffered from same.
At this time I am not concerned with what constitutes clinical depression or what may just be discouragement or sadness because of a negative situation. Whatever the case, all cannot be well with those who take their own lives.
So, what is the relevance of a close-knit fellowship to this depression and suicide talk?
Okay, let us look at the story of one of those who reportedly committed suicide few days ago.
Micheal Arowosaiye, a worship leader at an RCCG assembly in Abuja, was said to have taken his own life because he had accommodation problems. Another version of the story says he was not of RCCG but Shepherd House Assembly. This version claims that he had been having affairs with the female choristers of his church. A chorister anonymously leaked some nude pics he sent to her. The church leadership got to know about it and suspended him for three months. And this led him to commit suicide.
The truth is the way most denominations are run, it is easy for a clinically or non clinically depressed to be left alone to their problems.
Churches are full of too many activities and there is hardly any room for serious and deep interpersonal relationships.
People attend church services which are not even interactive. It is “stand up, sit down, sing another song, listen to the sermon” and “bye, bye, brethren, see you at the next meeting.”
Church is all about “pay your tithe,” ” don’t miss choir practice, ” and “make sure you don’t miss the prayer vigil on Friday.”
It is all about long and tiring pastors’ meetings, planning committee meetings, ushers’ meetings, women leaders’ meetings. Church life revolves around useless meetings.
There is little or no room for people to share their problems. The church does not operate like a family. There is no complete trust in fellow members of the church.
What we have is church politics; one leader trying to outsmart another so they can take their position. Malice, bickering and competition take the centre stage.
Churches are more excited about raising funds to construct fancy buildings, than making contributions to help the needy.
And when people fall into sin, we seem more interested in spreading the gossip than helping the defaulter to get back to their feet.
Tell me why we would not continue to have sad and despondent people who belly their problems with fake smiles and zeal for church activities.
Trust me, many more church people will commit suicide this year, next year, and years after.
It will continue to happen so long we are comfortable in our rebellion against God whose blueprint for the church we have abandoned.
Paul Dada is a journalist and Editor of Makeit Global