Pastor Damina Declares ‘No Offering Goes to Heaven,’ Challenging Church Traditions in Bold Sermon

 Abel Damina, senior pastor of Power City International Church in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s Christian community on June 8, 2025, declaring, “No offering goes to heaven,” during a sermon titled “Rethinking Tithing.”

Delivered to congregants and streamed via YouTube, Damina challenged the traditional practice of monetary offerings, arguing they enrich pastors rather than secure divine blessings. The statement, reported by Vanguard, intensifies debates about prosperity gospel in Nigeria, where Pentecostal churches generate ₦1 trillion annually, per PwC estimates.

Damina, a former mentee of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, criticized tithing as a “man-made doctrine” rooted in Old Testament Malachi 3:10, irrelevant to New Testament grace. “God doesn’t need your money; the church needs it for community welfare,” he said, advocating offerings be used transparently for orphans, widows, and schools, not private jets. He cited his church’s 2024 donation of ₦500 million to Uyo’s flood victims, per Akwa Ibom’s SEMA, as a model. Damina’s shift, from his 1990s prosperity preaching to reformist theology, follows his 2023 critique of “sow-a-seed” manipulation, earning him both followers and foes.

The sermon drew polarized reactions. RCCG’s Pastor Enoch Adeboye, speaking at Redemption City’s June Holy Ghost Service, defended tithing as a “covenant with God,” citing Genesis 14:20, per Daily Post. Deeper Life’s Pastor William Kumuyi urged moderation, warning against “extremes” in doctrine.

Nigeria’s Pentecostal boom, with 20 million adherents, fuels the controversy, as EFCC probes church fraud, per 2024’s ₦50 billion case against an Abuja pastor. Damina’s call for audits and charity-focused giving aligns with CAN’s 2025 transparency push but risks alienating megachurch leaders. His sermon, rebroadcast on AIT, challenges believers to rethink faith and finance, as Nigeria’s economic crisis, with 34% inflation, heightens scrutiny of church wealth. Damina’s evolving theology, documented in his book Rightly Dividing the Word, positions him as a polarizing reformer in a nation wrestling with spirituality and survival.