The Prelate of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops and President of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Bishop Francis Olubowale Oke, has been elevated to the office of Archbishop after more than 27 years of episcopal ministry.
The elevation was conferred on Oke 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 honour, according to a statement issued by the Media Bureau of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, was in recognition of Oke’s longstanding spiritual leadership, service and mentorship of bishops in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
Oke, who is also the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, accepted the elevation, describing it as a call to greater responsibility in advancing the cause of Christ globally.
The new Archbishop said he had repeatedly declined opportunities to attain the position since his consecration as a bishop in 1999, preferring to concentrate on evangelism and preaching the gospel.
He, however, said he accepted the latest 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,” he said.
The elevation was proclaimed by the South-West Presbyter of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops, Bishop Felix Adejumo, after Bishop Julius Abiola presented the statement of purpose for the honour.
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.
He said the elevation was not merely a conferment of a title but recognition of a ministry tested by time, proven through service and demonstrated through the mentoring and raising 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 and national boundaries.
It noted that he had participated in the consecration and establishment of bishops in different parts of the world and provided spiritual oversight and fatherly leadership to many of the more than 50 bishops associated with the College.
The College said Oke’s ministry had become “an episcopacy that has produced episcopacies”, having identified, nurtured, mentored, affirmed, consecrated and commissioned other spiritual leaders.
It 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.
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 examination by presbyters before admission, adding that the College was committed to admitting only ministers with proven integrity and impactful ministries.
“The door is still open to anyone who is 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 that he avoided the elevation because of his passion for evangelism.
He recalled that after 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 him, Idahosa told him, “You are next,” but he subsequently avoided opportunities for his own consecration for about a decade.
Oke 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, Ibadan.
He traced the origin of the Calvary Grace International College of Bishops to his desire to mentor younger ministers, saying his ministry began after he responded to God’s call in 1976.
According to him, the mentorship fellowship, initially known as the Calvary Grace Covenant Fellowship International, expanded as ministers sought spiritual guidance and leadership.
He said 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.
Oke said the College now had members across Nigeria, Africa, North America, Canada, the United States and Europe, with its first European member recently consecrated as a bishop.
