Archbishop Francis Olubowale Oke
By Elegbede Abiodun
“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.
Prelate of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops and President of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Bishop Francis Olubowale Oke, has accepted the mantle of Archbishop after more than 27 years in the episcopacy.
Oke, who is also the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), was elevated to the office in recognition of his decades of episcopal service, spiritual leadership and mentorship of bishops across the world.
The elevation 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.
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Media Bureau of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries in Ibadan.
Oke, who accepted the elevation in the presence of members of the College of Bishops and other Christian leaders, described the honour as a call to greater responsibility in advancing the cause of Christ globally.
The new Archbishop said he had repeatedly declined opportunities to become an archbishop since his consecration as a bishop in 1999, choosing instead to concentrate on evangelism and preaching the gospel.
He, however, said he accepted the elevation because he believed 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 conferment.
Abiola described Oke as “a father of fathers, pastor of pastors and bishop of bishops,” noting that his episcopal ministry had produced and strengthened other episcopal leaders.
According to him, Oke’s elevation was not merely the conferment of a title but a formal recognition of a ministry that had been tested by time, proven through service and demonstrated through spiritual fruits and the raising and strengthening of other leaders.
The College said 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 while providing 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 Oke’s 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 come with greater responsibilities for spiritual fatherhood, episcopal oversight, unity, counsel, mentorship and the preservation of the integrity and witness of the Church.
The College 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.
In his response, Oke 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 examinations by presbyters before they could be admitted, adding that the College was committed to admitting only people with proven integrity and impactful ministries.
“The door is still open to anyone interested, but the standard remains the same,” he said.
Recalling his journey into the episcopacy, 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 ceremony and was told by Idahosa that he ought to have become a bishop.
According to 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 in 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 and Europe, adding that its first European member was recently consecrated as a bishop.
