The Pastor and Spiritual Head of the Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide, Reverend Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa, has condemned the proliferation of unauthorised theological seminaries within the church, warning that certificates issued by such institutions would not be recognised.
Oshoffa, in a memo dated March 16, 2026, and addressed to all church regions, districts, zones, and shepherds, accused some operators of illegally using his name to legitimise their activities.
He described the development as disturbing and cautioned those behind the seminaries to immediately desist from issuing what he termed fake certificates to unsuspecting seminarians.
“It has come to my attention that some unauthorised theological seminaries operating within the C.C.C fold are unlawfully using my name to issue fake certificates to their seminarians without my consent or approval,” he said.
The cleric stressed that any certificate obtained from such institutions would be considered invalid by the church’s leadership.
“Let it be known that any certificate obtained from such unauthorised institutions shall not be recognised by the administration of the Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide,” he added.
Reaffirming the church’s position, Oshoffa declared that the Celestial Church of Christ Theological Seminary located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway remains the only approved institution for theological training within the denomination.
He, therefore, directed all intending and serving shepherds to enrol exclusively at the recognised seminary.
“All intending and serving Shepherds who wish to enrol for theological courses are hereby directed to enrol at the Celestial Church of Christ Theological Seminary,” the statement read.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over the rise of unregulated religious training centres and the integrity of clerical certification within religious organisations.
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