THE Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Reverend Felix Ajakaye, has called on Christian clerics to imbibe and learn the principle of effective communication for them to be successful in their respective ministering activities.
He spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during a one-day training programme organised by Shores Consult in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for clerics with the theme, “Public Speaking and Communication Skills for Ministerial Effectiveness.”
The event was attended by clerics in the state including the wife of a regional pastor, Region 25, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Esther Abdullahi; General Overseer, Chapel of His Glory, Mrs Modupe Salami and other heads of various churches.
Ajakaye, who commended the organiser of the training, disclosed that ministers of God must be prepared to communicate effectively for their congregation to receive their messages during church services.
He lamented the increasing rate at which clerics pass their messages without corresponding feedback from the congregation, adding that delivering God’s work in churches should be to draw people to Christ and not to clerics.
Speaking on ‘The Power of Effective Communication,’ Ajakaye said: “As we need to prepare and be conversant with our environment for us to communicate effectively in our various churches, we should know that we are not the owners of the work. It is Christ’s own and we must accept this fact.
“Never engage in public speaking without adequate preparation, your speech must never be endless. Always remember that you are speaking to glorify God and for the benefit of your audience. Only the prepared speaker will have fruitful results.”
The Executive Coach, Shores Consult, Mrs ‘Peju Babafemi, stated that the training was conceptualised to help pastors in the state acquire necessary communication skills that would enhance their ministerial development and advancement of God’s kingdom.
Babafemi, who is the immediate past head of service in the state, said: “With the development in information communication technology enabling ministers and Christians leaders to reach a wide audience and interact with them in real-time, it has become crucial more than ever before for them to pay great attention to their public speaking and communication skills.”
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, Dr Adeyinka Aribasoye, commended Mrs Babafemi for the training, describing her as a forthright, visionary, pragmatic and Christ-loving woman.
Aribasoye declared that many clerics have missed the chance of bringing more people to the church and God due to their lack of basic knowledge of public communication with their congregation.
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