Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has voiced worry about the detention of one of the church’s pastors abroad for referring to an audience as “ladies and gentlemen.”
During the church’s monthly Thanksgiving ceremony at the RCCG Throne of Grace in Lagos on Sunday, December 1, Adeboye noted that the statement was deemed discriminatory since it excluded other gender identities accepted in the country where the pastor was serving.
“The end is nearer than you think. Things are getting worse, and this is a wake-up call. One of my pastors abroad was arrested for simply addressing a gathering as ‘ladies and gentlemen,’” Adeboye said. “Some people reported him for discrimination, asking, ‘What about those who are neither ladies nor gentlemen?’”
Additionally, Adeboye told a disturbing a story of a woman who called her dog her husband. “I took him to the vet before coming. He doesn’t talk,” the woman reportedly said when asked about her spouse.
He warned that these incidents reflect a broader moral decline and serve as signs of the end times. “Those of you already in Christ, take this matter seriously. Do not let anyone weaken your stand. God is holy. Those still playing church—singing, clapping, and enjoying things without genuine commitment—remember, Jesus is coming back. The devil wants to harvest you, but you must not give him the opportunity. I want to see you in my Father’s house,” Adeboye urged.
Adeboye recently questioned church workers’ fashion trends, such as braided hair for males and fake eyelashes and heavy cosmetics for women. Speaking at the RCCG’s 72nd annual conference in August, he expressed unhappiness with these styles and made it clear that they would no longer be permitted on RCCG altars.
