Founder of the International Central Gospel Church, Pastor Mensah Otabil has advised pastors against seeking quick fixes or relying on desperation to achieve success in ministry, urging them instead to embrace hard work, discipline, and dedication.
In an Instagram post made by gospelhypers on October 10 ,2024, he emphasized, “Don’t be desperate. Don’t go kneeling before everybody to lay hands on you.” He criticized the trend of pastors seeking instant spiritual interventions for success, sharing personal experiences where pastors approached him in public, hoping for immediate change through prayer. “Sometimes I’m walking in the airport, and a pastor kneels on the ground, raises their hand, and asks me to pray for them. I think, ‘Are you embarrassing me?’” he remarked.
He underscored that true success in ministry is not the result of a single prayer or someone laying hands on you but comes through consistent effort and discipline. “This I didn’t get from laying on of hands. Nobody laid hands on me. I worked hard. I laboured, I sweated, I studied, and I still study and work hard,” he explained. He further highlighted that the path to success requires perseverance, saying, “There is no cheap impartation in life.”
While recognizing the value of mentorship, he acknowledged that not every pastor will have access to a mentor. To those feeling unseen or unappreciated, he offered encouragement, saying, “God knows you, and He will find you, and He will use you.” However, he cautioned that success is not instant. “He will not solve your problems overnight. He will only give you an introduction. The rest of it, you have to follow through in the valley until that trickle becomes a mighty river.”
