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Victoria Akinola, 30, attended the Saturday crusade and said she was surprised by what she felt. "I feel the fullness of the Holy Spirit in me. I can now speak in tongues. I don't know how, but God did it," she said.

Career change
During both his morning and evening sessions, Bonnke told the crowds that after receiving this new power, many would go on to become evangelists and preachers—a highly regarded profession in Nigeria.

But with the problem of rampant corruption in both secular and religious circles throughout the country, some Christians here worry that people now seeking to preach or lead a church will fall into familiar traps of dishonest ministry.

Success Adeshida, pastor of Potter's House Christian Fellowship Ministry, says that although there are churches on almost every street corner in Lagos, the true gospel is not being preached in most places. "They focus on riches instead of focusing on God," he says. "A church here is a business."

Longtime SIM International missionaries Brian and Elaine Anderson agree. "The joke here in Lagos is, if you fail at business, start a church," Elaine says. Because pastors are so revered here, Adeshida believes that many abuse their power by mismanaging church funds or asking for money to spend on inappropriate things. "It's a sin to be poor in the church," he says, adding that a number of pastors preach a "blessing and prosperity" gospel.

"The focus is that whatever you want—not what you need—you will get," Adeshida says. Adeshida's concern seems to reflect a growing trend among those interested in ministry here. After the Saturday morning church leaders conference, dozens of booksellers lined the streets outside the stadium selling titles such as God's Will Is Prosperity and Seven Secret Success Keys to Church Growth.

Joy Ajoku, 30, is one of many who attended the crusades every night. "God is using him mightily," she said of Bonnke. "I have learned that if you have faith in God, anything you want, you will see it."

Other apprehensions that have surfaced this week revolve around the promise of miracles that Bonnke has extended at the crusades. Elaine Anderson says many Nigerians strongly believe that the ability to experience a miracle lies in the strength of one's beliefs. "The mindset here is that if you don't get a miracle, you don't have faith," she explains.

Yet Elaine says she understands why thousands of people have attended Bonnke's crusades in hopes of experiencing a miracle. "The occult is very real here," she says. They want to see God as powerfully as they see one of their witchcraft doctors."

Healing testimonies
Although occult and other superstitious practices are prominent in Nigeria, many Nigerians came to Bonnke's crusades in search of a miracle for health reasons alone. As the evangelist delivered a healing prayer specifically for the sick each night of the crusade, hundreds of people tried to make their way to the platform to profess miracles. A few made it onto the stage to share. Many more, however, were questioned and then turned away.

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November (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44