The General Overseer of Daystar Covenant Assembly, Apostle Tony Dorofi, has decried greed, jealousy, tribalism and unhealthy rivalry among Pentecostal pastors, warning that the practice is undermining the growth and unity of the church in Taraba State and Nigeria.
Dorofi made the remarks during the ninth anniversary celebration of Daystar Covenant Assembly, where he urged Christian leaders to practise the unity they preach and embrace mutual respect and cooperation.
He expressed concern over what he described as the tendency among some pastors to discredit fellow ministers to attract followers and gain personal recognition.
“What is destroying development in Pentecostal churches is greed, selfishness, pull-down syndrome and jealousy among pastors,” he said.
The cleric also raised concerns over alleged tribalism and nepotism within the Pentecostal community, accusing some ministers of spreading unfounded claims against their colleagues.
He warned that such practices could weaken relationships among church leaders and hinder the collective development of Christianity.
“We pretend to talk about unity, we preach unity, but yet unity is far from us,” Dorofi lamented.
He urged pastors to uphold biblical teachings and emulate Jesus Christ by demonstrating humility, love, tolerance and mutual respect, stressing that the progress of one ministry should not be seen as a threat to another.
Supporting his position, the guest speaker, Archbishop Charles Yohanna, called on pastors and Christians to shun unhealthy competition and embrace cooperation.
Yohanna said rivalry driven by envy and the desire to outshine others could breed hatred and division within the Christian community.
“In Christendom, we should not compete, but we should try as much as possible to complement one another, because engaging in unhealthy competition will breed hatred and envy among pastors,” he said.
Also speaking, Evangelist Philip Mulip urged Christians to shun idleness and engage in legitimate businesses and other productive ventures to improve their livelihoods and contribute to economic development.
He called on Christians to support government efforts to strengthen the economy of Taraba State and Nigeria, cautioning against actions capable of frustrating development initiatives.
Mulip stressed that believers should actively contribute to the progress of their communities through productive engagement and responsible citizenship.