We have all watched as The Great Bwana Mzungu to Africa, Bob Thiel, has relentlessly regaled us with myths and stories about how superfantaulous his African churches and leadership are. This blog and other Sabbatarian groups have let the Great Bwana Mzungu know that he has been participating in a con game with his leadership, but he doesn't care. Numbers matter more than integrity. While the regular members are most likely very sincere and devoted to God, it is the leadership of the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god" that is being called into question, particularly its so-called "evangelist" and its Chief Overseer, the Bob himself.
There was a news article today about a man from Florida who ministers in Africa. It is a fascinating story about how to do real ministry in Africa and how NOT to do the so-called ministry style of The Great Bwana to Africa, Bob Thiel.
How will you describe your missionary journey?
I see it as a divine mandate from God and He has been guiding my steps since I embarked on the mission. I reside in Florida; the United States of America and I have been living there for 21 years. Before that, I lived for 10 years in the United Kingdom. I left Nigeria in May 1992. By God’s grace, I am a trained pharmacist, but God needed me most as an itinerary missionary, so, I could not reject His ordinance. We have planted about 42 churches in Malawi and Mozambique. We also have some installation centres here in Ibadan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa. I travel around visiting Europe, especially the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland where we preach. I visit our churches in Malawi and Mozambique twice in a year to do training for pastors as well as organise programmes for the churches. It is the turn of Nigeria. We are visiting our missionary installation centres in Oyo, Kwara and Ekiti, Ogun and Plateau states.
Notice how Rev. Oni regularly travels to train his ministers, something the Great Bwana does NOT do.
He goes on to describe that he does NOT allow his ministers to mismanage money nor ASK for money. Bwana Bob has been an epic failure in this as his so-called evangelists regularly beg for money from Bwana Bob and OTHER Sabbatrain ministries after they have grossly mismanaged their congregations and finances.
How has the experience been in the vineyard?
I have been a pastor since 1993. I started pastoring in the United States in 2021. The experience has been good. It gives me the opportunity to actually live a Christ-like life and we try not to emulate the patterns of the world in what we do, rather we support and develop ministers to become self-sufficient and rely on the word of God. We don’t allow our pastors to mismanage the congregation as well as solicit for money, but we support them out of what God has blessed us with. We establish and support them.
Soliciting money also means forcing members into believing they are required to tithe.
How were you able to combine pharmacy with pastoring and how were you convinced that it is your calling?
God has been helping us in creating a balance. I have been able to work on my schedule. The work of God hardly clashes with my business, and I have also made sure that both must not affect each other. Also, I was convinced that it was a calling because it gives me pleasure and doing it without soliciting for help, though people give when they see the need to support. Presently, a woman is building a school for us on our church property in Malawi. This is because she saw a lot of the young generation suffering and lacking access to quality education, especially the women. They are made to embrace early marriage because the secondary school is far and when they complete their primary school, they give them out in marriage. Also, a man who owns an event centre in Ibadan and his wife have been with us in Malawi and they have supported the missionary work in many ways. We are very happy with the result so far and we bless God for all the support coupled with the great work He has placed in our hands.
I want to use this medium to tell pastors in Nigeria that being a cleric does not mean you should be collecting money from people through manipulation or lies. They will genuinely support if they see what God is doing in the ministry.
This is exactly why tithing is NOT required in the New Covenant. Believers will genuinely support a ministry that they see doing a real work and that is touching people's lives. Forced tithing does not do this. It only leads to bankrupting followers.
People do not voluntarily give to the Great Bwana Mzungu Thiel because they do not see Godly actively working through him. Plus, printing hundreds of booklets in hundreds of languages is NOT preaching a gospel. It is nothing more than putting ink on paper, an ineffective way of spreading the gospel. Again, it is all about numbers instead of truth. The gospel is spread through the personal lives of people and how they put their faith into action in the world around them. When people see that they are intrigued and ask questions. A real follower of Jesus will then share their beliefs without using idiotic booklets and animations as their fall guy. No one can be converted by a preacher bouncing and flailing his arms while seated in a chair in front of faded curtains, creased canvas banners, and crooked bookcases.
Imagine Bwana Bob Mzungu's evangelists doing the following:
How will you describe the gospel in the African countries you have been to compared to Nigeria?
It is the same. We have disciples that we train. They go to school and they come back to be evangelists and some are studying nursing. We encourage them to have their businesses, unlike what is rampant in Nigeria today where many pastors only depend on money from the church.
Bwana Bob's evangelists beg for money so they can eat in front of other church members in fancy restaurants while not talking to them about the gospel. Such a sterling example of spreading the gospel message! Bwana Bob is never going to live that one down!
Rev. Oni continues on revealing how well he knows Africa and its people, unlike Bob Thiel who sits in his fancy home on the central coast trying to act important and how fabulous he is as an African church leader. Bwana Mzungu could learn a few lessons at this Rev. Oni's feet.
Do you agree with the view that Nigeria is the leading country in the propagation of the gospel?
Where is the fruit for it? The way I will feel safe somewhere like Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa is not the same way in Nigeria. People are so greedy and self- centred. No fear of God. This is why the lives of people are not transformed. There is no decorum in Nigeria. People are ready to kill for money, even as low as it may be. Many Nigerians are not law-abiding, no regard for human life and this is actually happening in the church of God. Yes, Nigerians are religious, but not living the full life of Christ. The name Christians were given by unbelievers when they saw their way of life. We are to be the light, but we don’t have the same opportunity in Nigeria. We Christians are not good examples to our environments. When I was a student at the University of Ife in the early 80s, there was a love of humanity.
I will have to blame some of the ways we Christians have commercialised gospel and how we have turned it to business. It is supposed to be a business for God in order to draw them closer to Him as well as to populate the kingdom. This is why you see all manners of ungodly things pastors do to draw crowd to their ministries. We are supposed to be the shining light.
Sady we have witnessed over the last several years the darkness that fills Bwana Bob Mzungu's African church and its leadership. They along with the Great Bwana Mzungu are NOT shining lights for the gospel. They aren't even shining lights for their so-called kingdom to come.
Rev. Oni continues on:
What do you think can be done to address this?
We need to go back to the grassroots. We must shun competition in the vineyard. Let people see us as genuine Christians and put their trust in God.
Competion in Church of Godland has been appalling. That is all any of them are good at. It is a constant battle of one-upmanship on who is doing the greater "work". The incessant bragging is revolting and a slap in the face of the One they claim to follow. COG leaders, even pit congregations against each other when they try and make them see who can raise the most money or submit the most offerings. Such disgusting behavior.
This pastor knows exactly what he needs to accomplish to make these people followers of the Word.
What are the major challenges in the missionary work?
It took us time to change the orientation of people, especially in the poorest countries. We always train then to depend on the work of the heart and to stop begging. We also, gave the hope that God can turn their lives around if the depend on Him. To the glory of God many of them are now successful businessmen and women. We have successful change the orientation of people to depend totally on God and not man. Though it is very difficult to change the orientation of people, through the help of God we have been able to achieve that.
The Great Bwana to Africa and 100 Caucasians does NONE of this. It is all about promoting himself and talking about how great of a work he is doing instead of changing people's lives. This is why Bob has been such an epic failure in Africa and Malawi.
