I Was Wild Back Then” — Adeboye Reveals Why His Ex Couldn’t Believe He Became A Pastor

Adeboye made the disclosure on Saturday while ministering on the fifth day of the Holy Ghost Congress 2025, themed “God of All Flesh,” held at Redemption City along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.

Speaking before thousands of worshippers, including traditional rulers, the 83-year-old cleric said he is not proud of his past, describing his life as a powerful testimony of God’s ability to transform anyone, no matter how troubled their history may be.

He recalled an encounter with a former girlfriend who once came looking for a pastor and was stunned when he revealed that he was the one.

“Is there anyone in your family you think is too far gone for God to save? Is there anyone God cannot turn into a vessel of honour?” Adeboye asked. “The man speaking to you now—many people never believed I could be saved, let alone become a pastor. I’m not proud of my past; if anyone could be bad, I was bad.”

Sharing further, he said: “A former girlfriend once came to my room and said she wanted to see the pastor. When I told her I was the pastor, she was shocked. She asked, ‘You? A pastor? You mean when you pray, God answers?’”

Adeboye also recounted meeting a former university classmate decades after they last saw each other in 1967. According to him, the woman expressed disbelief at what he had become, an exchange he said required no further explanation.

The RCCG leader also narrated an incident from his childhood, revealing how he once played a role in separating his uncle from his wife after she treated him badly. He noted, however, that they later reconciled, and today, all her children serve as pastors in the church.

“As small as I was then, I told her I would drive her out of the house—and it happened,” he said. “But thank God, we met again after I became General Overseer, reconciled, and all her children are now pastors here.”

Adeboye concluded by stressing that no one is beyond redemption and urged believers never to give up on others.

“There is nobody God cannot save,” he said, reminding worshippers that no life is too broken for God to restore and transform.