In a move that continues to inspire his followers decades later, Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel), recently recounted the story of why his wife, Pastor Faith Oyedepo, voluntarily surrendered her United States Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) shortly after their marriage.

The testimony serves as a cornerstone of the ministry’s teachings on radical commitment to divine assignment over the allure of Western comfort.

The incident occurred in the early years of the ministry, during a period when the couple was establishing the church’s foundation in Nigeria. Pastor Faith, who had secured the prestigious immigration status prior to their union, faced a pivotal choice as the couple navigated the challenges of a burgeoning local ministry.

According to Bishop Oyedepo, the decision was not born of legal necessity or external pressure, but of a shared spiritual conviction that their future was inextricably tied to their mandate in Africa.

“She didn’t need a prophecy to know where her home was,” the Bishop noted during a recent teaching. “She saw the vision of the mission and decided that a ‘backup plan’ in America was a distraction from the front-line battle in Nigeria.”

For many Nigerians, a U.S. Green Card represents the ultimate “escape route” from economic and social instability. By returning the document to the embassy, Faith Oyedepo made a public and private declaration that she was “all in” on her husband’s vision.

The Bishop explained that they both agreed they could not lead a revolution of faith while keeping one foot in a foreign land for the sake of security.

The act was symbolic of the “burn the ships” mentality that has characterized the growth of Winners’ Chapel. The Bishop often uses this story to illustrate the Pillar of Sacrifice, arguing that God cannot fully bless a person who maintains a “Plan B” outside of His specific instruction.

Since that decision, the ministry has expanded to over 65 nations, including a massive presence in the United States. Ironically, the Bishop often points out that by surrendering her right to reside in the U.S. as a permanent resident, his wife eventually gained the ability to travel the world as a global minister, far exceeding the mobility a simple Green Card would have provided.