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POVERTY DOES NOT DETERMINE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP: Challenging a Prosperity Ideology in the Church

By Pastor Abunerry Ayella.
28-1-2026
South Sudan

Recently, social media has been awash with debate following a statement attributed to a Nigerian pastor: “I will not follow a poor pastor.” In response, Dr Abel Damina publicly challenged this claim in a five-minute online video, rightly questioning both its theology and its pastoral integrity. I followed his attempt to correct the statement with keen interest. Unfortunately, this controversy exposes a deeper problem within contemporary Christianity, namely, the distortion of spiritual leadership and the identity of the so-called “man of God”.

This article offers a biblical and theological rebuttal to the idea that poverty disqualifies a pastor from spiritual leadership.

A sound theologian is not overly concerned with material accumulation, nor does God measure spiritual authority by wealth. Scripture does not encourage pastors or believers to prioritise material gain. Jesus Himself did not anchor leadership on financial capacity. His criteria were humility, obedience, and faithfulness. Poverty was never presented as a disqualification for God’s calling; rather, faithfulness to the message was paramount. The gospel, not the messenger’s wealth, was always central.

Poverty Is Not a Barrier to Spiritual Leadership

When we examine the lives of the twelve apostles, none was materially wealthy. Jesus did not choose them because of what they possessed but because of what they could faithfully deliver. Peter was a fisherman who often laboured without success. Matthew, though a tax collector, was morally compromised rather than materially exemplary. Yet Christ entrusted His mission to them.

This reality exposes the irony of Pastor Korede Komaiya’s rhetoric. Scripture does not present pastors as individuals called to accumulate wealth. Jesus warned against gaining the whole world at the cost of one’s soul. Material wealth may carry influence in politics, but spiritual leadership is divinely ordained and rooted in obedience, not affluence.

The Virtues of Humility and Simplicity

A troubling trend within modern Christianity is the rise of arrogance disguised as blessing. Some pastors parade wealth, travel with heavy security, and live extravagantly while congregants struggle in poverty. Ironically, many of these leaders rose through the sacrificial giving of those very members.

The question we must ask: Can a pastor be rich and truly humble? Scripture repeatedly warns against the dangers of material obsession. Paul cautioned Timothy that the love of money leads many into ruin (1 Timothy 6:6–10). When wealth becomes the focus of ministry, manipulation replaces discipleship, and the gospel is eclipsed by material promises.

Financial Status Is Not a Qualification for God’s Call

God has never selected His servants based on financial strength or academic status. Moses was a shepherd, Elijah lived as a dependent prophet, and Paul sustained himself as a tentmaker. In every generation, there were wealthier and more socially prominent individuals, yet God chose differently. His ways remain distinct from human systems.

To teach believers that they should not be pastored by poor pastors is to invent a new theology, one foreign to Scripture. Such teaching borders on the lawlessness Jesus warned against when He said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:23). Pastors are servants, privileged to care for God’s flock, not celebrities qualifying followers by economic status.

Obedience to the Message, Not the Messenger

Pastors are messengers entrusted with the Word of God. They are not owners of believers, nor are believers their personal followers. Pastor KK’s most concerning error lies in the language of ownership: “I will not follow.” Christians do not belong to pastors; they belong to Christ alone.

Scripture calls believers to obey the message delivered in faithfulness, not to idolise the personality or prosperity of the messenger. Paul reminds the church that ministers are merely servants through whom God works (1 Corinthians 3:5–7), carrying divine treasure in fragile vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7). Respect for leadership is biblical, but allegiance belongs to Christ.

Conclusion

The biblical record is clear: poverty does not disqualify a pastor from spiritual leadership. Jesus did not consider financial status when appointing leaders for His church. What mattered, and still matters, are humility, simplicity, obedience, and faithfulness to the gospel. The church must return to evaluating ministry by the truth of the message rather than the material condition of the messenger.

To reject a pastor because of poverty is not biblical Christianity; it is a theological distortion. The call of God is not measured in wealth but in faithfulness. Believers must distance themselves from teachings that recklessly abuse the Scripture.

Shalom!

Mavker, Kotev, and Rabii.

(BABS, DTh, DPLG).

 

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