Rev. Divine Chidera, Head of the Leaders’ Forum, has expressed worry at the recent political tension in the country and said the atmosphere could only be calmed by a Church that is in order.

He has therefore appealed to religious bodies in general and the Church in particular to call to order people, particularly politicians, whose actions and utterances could plunge the country into chaos and violence.

Rev. Chidera said this at a non-denominational forum organized by the Leaders Forum for Pastors and Leaders under the theme: “Order in the Church” in Accra.

The Leaders’ Forum was inaugurated in February to package ministers and their ministries towards achieving the ministry’s set goals and objectives.

The Forum would help ascertain goals and projections of member ministries, monitoring and encouraging the execution of such goals and projections.

Rev Chidera said, the Church could not help in ensuring peace if members are not united and ordered as God wished.

He said, a Church that is not in order could not call the nation to order at this critical time adding “we must be mindful that the Church is a bona fide of Elohim who cannot be in disorder.”

“The devil will always want to keep the Church disorganized in order for him to pursue his agenda of violence and destruction. In such a situation, the Church cannot have a unified statement to overcome the devil,” he said.

Rev. Chidera said there was the need therefore for the Church to do away with all denominational differences and fragmentations and become united.

Rev. Bunmi Olusola, one time Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said for the Church to remain united and orderly, two essential ingredients of truth and grace were needed to be incorporated into its system.

He said another critical virtue that the Church needed to adopt so as to achieve total orderliness was to embrace and build relationships.

“Just like our savior Jesus Christ, the church would have to build both vertical and horizontal relationships. The vertical relationship is the one that the Church develops with God while the vertical has to do with the fellowship that exists among members.

Rev Olusola said, relationships remain the only pivot and powerful tool for development and success everywhere.

He said for the church to remain orderly, there was the need for members to eschew ego and be supportive of one another.

Pastor Angel Chinedu, Welfare Director of the Leaders Forum, said the Forum assists member churches to evangelize their locality if the need arises by the use of vehicles and public address systems and by mobilizing special evangelistic squads”, he said.**