Biography
Femi Adeleye is a Nigerian Christian leader whose life has been given to the work of the church among students and teachers in Africa and to the defense of the gospel against false teaching. He is a man whose public record is smaller than his influence. Those who have heard him speak or read his book speak of a clear mind and a pastoral heart.
He grew up in Nigeria in a time when the nation was changing quickly and when the church in Africa was growing at a pace that astonished the world. He became a follower of Christ and was soon drawn into student ministry. He served with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, which works among university students in many countries, and he held a leading role in its work in Africa. In that work he spent years traveling to campuses, encouraging student groups, training leaders and calling young people to hold to the Scriptures in a world of pressure and temptation. He helped to shape a generation of African Christian leaders who went on to serve in church, business, government and education.
He was also concerned for the health of the church itself. As he watched the growth of Christianity in Africa, he saw that growth in numbers did not always mean growth in depth. He saw many believers drawn to teaching that promised wealth and health to those who gave generously and had enough faith. He saw how much damage it did, especially to the poor who gave what they could not afford and were left worse off. He felt a duty to speak.
His book Preachers of a Different Gospel, published in 2011, took up this subject with care. It examines the prosperity message and compares it with the whole teaching of the Bible. He wrote it as a pastor and a friend of the African church, and not as an outsider. He did not mock the believers who had been caught up in these teachings. He wrote with concern for them and asked how the church could return to the clear message of Christ and His cross. He urged churches to preach the full counsel of God and to teach believers to value holiness, suffering and faithfulness as much as blessing.
He has also written and spoken about the place of the Christian in public life. He has called believers to integrity in their work and to courage in the face of corruption. He has said that the church must not be silent about injustice and that Christians must be seen as honest in their dealings. In his teaching, he joins a concern for personal faith with a concern for the common good.
He has lived and served in more than one African country and has been a bridge between local congregations and international networks. Colleagues speak of him as a patient listener and a person who gives time to younger leaders. As with many in the student movement, he gave his strength to work that is not widely noticed and does not bring wealth or fame.
It must be said that the full account of his life is not easily found in print, and what is written here is only what can be said with confidence. He stands as a representative of a generation of African leaders who did the quiet work of building up the church. Their names are less known beyond their own countries, and their labor has shaped the Christian life of a continent.