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According to the church authority, the notable achievements of these organisations notwithstanding their operations, led to unprecedented problems, which later assumed unmanageable proportions.⁶ These included conflict of programmes, unhealthy rivalry, occasional breach of church policy and practices and improper relationship with the line of authority of the Church. ⁷ In an analysis of the questionnaire sampled for this study, many respondents agreed that there are cases of clashes of interests between youths and leaders in the church. The table below confirms this.

Table 11: The operations of the youth organisations conflict with the church’s authorities and its programmes.

In table 11, 120(22.1%) respondents disagreed that the operations of youth organisations at times conflict with the church authorities and its programmes.

337(62.2%) agreed while 85(15.7%) declined to comment. This implies that 62.2% of

6 C.A.C. 1995. The Rules and Regulations of Christ Apostolic Church Youth Fellowship. Lagos: C.A.C General Executive Council

7A. Alokan. 2010. Christ Apostolic Church at 90 1918-2008. Ile-Ife: Timade Ventures. 266-269.

Agree Disagree No comment Total

337 120 85 542

62.2% 22.1% 15.7% 100%

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the respondents are aware of cases of clashes of interests, programmes and personalities that sometimes occur between youths and leaders in the church.

However, in the course of this study, it was discovered that this problem arose as a result of the spirited attempts of the youth organisations to facilitate the capacity building of their members, especially at the assembly levels. In some assemblies, the Pastors do not want to give youths due recognition, they only want to use them as instruments without allowing them to get involved in the administration and day to day running of the church. They feel youths should only be seen and not heard.⁸ Some Pastors think youths want to hijack the control of the church, they see youths as threats to their authority, they see no good thing in them, they do not want them to develop and they do not want to support their visions.⁹ Hence, the Pastors use their authority and upper hand to discipline and silence youths.

Some leaders go against youths because they think they want to erode the legacies of the church.¹⁰ Such leaders are of the opinion that youths want to bring unacceptable and sinful modernisation into the activities of the church. It sounds unbelievable to discover that some Pastors exhibit hostilities for youths because youths make use of English language to conduct their programmes. The hostility becomes more pronounced where such youths claim not to be versed or fluent in using their mother tongue to conduct their worship services after four or five years training in higher institutions.

Due to the history of clashes of interest between the leadership of the church and members of youth organisations, some leaders believe that youths are rebellious, unreasonable and ungovernable. However, it is not in all cases. Many of these are as a result of envy, jealousy, lack of experience and understanding; lack of sound

8 Omowaye Andrew (Pastor). Interview Respondent. Ekiti State Coordinator, CACYOF. Interviewed on 20/10/13 at Chapel of Peace, Ijigbo Street, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

9 Jacobs Joe (Pastor), Interview Respondent, National Youth Officer, C.A.C Youth Fellowship.

Interviewed on 05/02/14 at C.A.C General Secretariat, Anlugbua, Basorun, Ibadan, Oyo State.

10 Adewole Benjamin Olutayo (Pastor) Interview Respondent, Assembly Pastor, English Assembly, C.A.C Oke Imole Zone, Agbowo, Ibadan, Interviewed on 03/02/14 at Thy Will Institute of Theological & Ministerial Training, Ashi, Ibadan.

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education and enlightenment on the part of such leaders. It is also because such leaders are illiterates or semi-illiterates.¹¹

In defence of youths, some youth leaders of the church maintain that youths engage in certain unwholesome practices only when church leaders lack integrity and are not laying good examples;¹² when they engage in sinful and ungodly practices;¹³ when they are not supporting the positive visions of youths or when they are resistant to positive changes.¹⁴ Hence, it is considered untrue that youths are unreasonable and ungovernable.

In the research findings as shown on the table below, many of the respondents disagreed with the opinion that youths are unreasonable and ungovernable.

Table 12: The youths of the church are unreasonable and ungovernable.

Agree Disagree No comment Total

40 462 40 542

7.4% 85.2% 7.4% 100%

On the issue of whether C.A.C youths are unreasonable and ungovernable, 40 (7.4%) agreed, 462(85.2%) disagreed while 40(7.4%) remained neutral. This reveals that the majority of the respondents hold the view that CAC youths are reasonable and governable.

It should be noted here that if the adult membership of the church continues to have a negative view of the youths and thereby prevent them from participating actively in

11Adewole Benjamin Olutayo (Pastor) Interview Respondent, Assembly Pastor, English Assembly, C.A.C Oke Imole Zone, Agbowo, Ibadan, Interviewed on 03/02/14 at Thy Will Institute of Theological & Ministerial Training, Ashi, Ibadan

12 Agunlejika Taiwo (Pastor), Interview Respondent, Osun State Coordinator of C.A.C Youth Fellowship. Interviewed on August 07/09/13 at C.A.C Babalola Memorial Camp, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State.

13Ale Samuel Alabi (Pastor) Interview Respondent, Ogun State Coordinator, CACYOF. Interviewed at C.A.C Rock of Praise, Imedu Olori, near Cele 2, Mowe, Ogun State.

14Gbuyiro Samson.O. (Pastor), Interview Respondent, Interviewed on 15/01/14 at C.A.C English Assembly, Oke Agbara, Ashi, Ibadan. C.A.C English Assembly, Oke Agbara, Ashi, Ibadan.

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decision making or from holding important positions in the church, the church will fail to make appreciable progress and become backward in many respects. No matter the level of their expertise and experience, adults and aged leaders alone cannot effectively run the church and carry it to greater heights among the committee of churches in Nigeria and the world at large.