Biography of Bishop Dr. Mike Okonkwo

Born 6th September, 1945, Bishop Dr. Chukwunweike Michael Okonkwo is a Nigerian Pastor who hails from the Igbo extraction of the country. He was born into the family of Pa and Ma Okonkwo of Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. He started his primary education at Salvation Army Primary School Enugu, but later moved to Ijero Baptist Primary School in Ebute Metta, Lagos. He however completed his primary education at St. Marks Primary School, Offa in Kwara State. He started his secondary education at Mayflower College, Ikenne and completed it at Merchants of Light Grammar School, Oba Anambra State in 1963.

Dr. Mike Okonkwo joined the Nigerian Ports Authority in 1964 where he worked only for 3 months before crossing over to the banking industry with African Continental Bank (ACB) with the mind of making a career in banking. He was a pioneer member of staff of the Martins street branch, Lagos from 1964 to 1966. Dr. Mike Okonkwo was deployed to the eastern branch of ACB during the civil war, which eventually interrupted his banking career.

During the war, he underwent the military training but had no opportunity to practice what he had learnt because the war ended the very night he was deployed to the warfront. After the war, he continued with his banking career at the Ogbete road branch of ACB where he was a pioneer staff.

Dr. Mike Okonkwo had an encounter with Jesus in November 1970 and for the 1st time, he started attending Church services regularly in the United Church of Christ, (UCC) which has her headquarters in Enugu. The call of God upon his life was evident and so he was ordained into the ministry in 1971. He took up his first pastoral responsibility in Lagos in November 1972 with UCC. He was released as an Evangelist on the 20th of June 1976 and was instrumental in establishing most branches of the Church in Lagos.He served faithfully in UCC under the leadership of Apostle Egbo from 1971 to 1980. It became obvious due to circumstances beyond his control that he had to leave UCC, because God has a plan for his life. The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM was founded on the 4th of January, 1981.

Dr. Mike Okonkwo is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord. He passionately preaches Power in the Word to a multicultural and diverse audience with over 180 branches in Nigeria and ten countries across the globe. He is an Apostle to this generation, whose life has impacted millions around the world. A father to many, and a pastor of many pastors across the globe, Dr Mike Okonkwo is also a dynamic conference speaker, crusade evangelist, author, television and radio host, a strong and respected voice in Nigeria, and an advocate of balanced Christianity.

Dr. Mike Okonkwo graduated from the Morris Cerrullo School of Ministry and the Covington Theological Seminary in USA, and holds several doctorate degrees and honorary awards. He is the Convener of the Communion of Covenant Ministers International (CCMI) a gathering of Pastors designed for Fellowship, Spiritual Covering, Mentoring, Strengthening, and Networking, through conferences, seminars and other interactive sessions. He is a co-host of the National Ministers Conference (NMC). He is a Trustee and also a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

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With a pastoral staff strength of over 250 men and women, the ministry has several arms all geared at reaching the “unreached” wherever they can be found. To this end, the ministry has a Prisons Outreach, which ministers to inmates in various prisons and remand homes; Word Ambassadors-this group of people organises crusades in various towns and villages; and the ‘’We Care’’ Ministry, which ministers to the less privileged through relief items, food stuffs, free basic medical care, soft short term loans and encouraging petty trading in order to make each individual self sustained.

Others are Dunamis Publications, which co-ordinates all literature generated from the ministry, Maranatha Power Play House, which ministers the word through various anointed drama presentations, The Singles Fellowship, set up to encourage the singles on how to enjoy and make the most of their single-hood while preparing them for the responsibilities of the married life, and The Intercessory Unit, the arm of the church that is dedicated to prayer not only for the ministry and programs of the ministry, but for the Body of Christ as a whole and Nigeria as a nation.

Still in a bid to positively affect the less privileged, Bishop Mike Okonkwo in partnership with his wife under the aegis of the Women of Global Impact, sponsors free cervical screening for women in rural areas and annual donation of food and clothing to the less privileged women with particular reference to widows in the villages. A peace loving man, he risked his life to ensure the reconciliation of warring parties during the Ogbunike communal clash which invariably led to the sustained peace the town enjoys today.

Bishop Mike Okonkwo is happily married to his heartthrob, Bishop Peace Okonkwo and they are blessed with a daughter.

Full Biography of Bishop Mike Okonkwo  

Bishop Dr. Mike Okonkwo is a dynamic preacher of God’s word, crusade evangelist, a spiritual mentor to many pastors, a loving husband, and father, an author, and the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) with its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.

TREM is a mega-church with over 180 branches in Nigeria and a handful of them internationally.

Bishop Mike Okonkwo is by far and arguably the most revered, most notable, and most prosperous gospel voice of the Igbo extraction from the eastern region of Nigeria.

With over 30 years of experience in ministry, Dr. Mike Okonkwo has made a name for himself and as far as the gospel is concerned this side of Africa, he is one of the fathers to be reckoned with.

His profile is typical of an easterner, full of numerous endeavors and characterized by unsteady locations, which all makes it very much interesting.


Bishop Mike Okonkwo was birthed on September 6th, 1945 to the family PA Okonkwo in his hometown of Ogbunike, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria.

His educational tale isn’t one of a localized nature.

First, his primary education started at the Salvation Army Primary School in Enugu State, Nigeria.

This was truncated and reconnected back at Ijero Baptist Primary School, Ebutte Metta, Lagos, Nigeria.

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His primary education would live out its full span at St. Mark Primary School, Offa, Kwara State.

His secondary education followed suit with the dynamic style but was only one location and school short of the primary.

He started his secondary education at Mayflower College, Ikenne, Ogun State, and completed it at Merchants of Light Grammar School, Oba Anambra State in 1963.

We are certain Mike couldn’t keep track of all his classmates in the course of his educational journey which seemed more like a tourism experience.

Bishop Dr. Mike Okonkwo
Working Experience Prior to Ministry

Armed with only his secondary education which seemed like a degree back then, he joined the Nigerian Ports Authority in 1964 and after four months he ditched the job for banking and worked at African Continental Bank (ACB).

His banking career almost became history after the Nigerian civil war said so, subsequently, he joined the Nigerian Army probably to compensate for the loss of his banking career.

Things went really funny for that move when the war ended the same day he was deployed to the war front which then forced him back to the bank.
Joining The Lord’s Army & TREM

Since the war ended the day he was deployed, little did he know another army was waiting for him and so in late 1970, an encounter with God resulted in him joining the United Church of Christ (UCC) where he has ordained a pastor one year after?

He worked his exuberant self out with the UCC establishing branches around Lagos until God decided it was time for him to work on something else, hence The Redeemed Evangelical Church came into existence through him in January of 1981.


TREM has since grown into 180 branches across the massive expanse of Nigeria’s land.


Bishop Mike Okonkwo is happily married to Bishop Peace Okonkwo and the union is blessed with a daughter.


Bishop Dr. Mike has also continued to stay relevant in the Christian community as seen in his major leadership roles in the body of Christ .He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the God’s Army Bible Training College and the President of the Communion of Covenant Ministers’ International (CCMI)

Inaugural National General Secretary, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) 1986 – 1995

Deputy National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) 1995 – 1998

National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) 1998 – 2007

Member of Trustees Council Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 1998

Trustee, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)

Member, Nigerian Interreligious Council (NIREC) 1998

National Vice President, Christian Association of Nigeria, 2003 – 2008

Trustee, Women of Global Impact Initiative
Awards & Recognitions

National merit awards, Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) by the federal government of Nigeria.

Award of Honour – Salvation Broadcasting Network

Meritorious Achievement Award: International Affairs Leadership Golden State University, University of Honolulu, Ephraim Moore University, International Theological Seminary, Spiritual Life Ministries. Trinity College of Ministerial Arts (1987)

Name inscription on Jerusalem 3000 Scroll with Number 6571 (1997)

Award of Excellence – Ifite Welfare Association

Distinguished Platinum Award – Ogbunike

National PFN Women Wing Leadership Award

Grand Defender of the Christian Faith Award

Daughters of Dominion Merit Award

Award for Divine Honour

Distinguished Role Model Award – University of Lagos Joint Christian Fellowship.

Bishop Genie J. Evans Memorial Leadership Award

Kingdom Promoters Award

Distinguished Christian Leaders Merit Award

Kwame Nkrumah African Leadership Award
 

Books by Bishop Dr. Mike Ojkonkwo 

Literature

Leadership Publications

Kings on Earth

Faith Publications

Faith is Now or Never

Jesus and Now

The Mystery of the seed

Christian Living Publications

Wisdom for the Day (Annual Publication)

Kingdom Prosperity (1993)

Breakthrough on Your Knees (1995)

From Zero to Hero (1997)

Obedience: The Key to Divine Destiny (1998)

Controlling Wealth God’s Way (2005)

Living Aggressively (2007)

Overcoming the Siege (2010)

It’s Time for a Paradigm Shift (2010)

Are there Believers in the Church Today? (1997)

Daily Seed for Greatness (2011)
Philatronphy & Other Endeavors

Founder, Mike Okonkwo Scholarship Fund

Founder, Empowerment for the Less Privileged (ELP) Foundation, formerly Mike Okonkwo Foundation, A non-governmental humanitarian organization.

Founder, Mike Okonkwo Educational and Youth Initiative (MOEYI)

Founder, Mike Okonkwo Football Tournament

Founder, Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools

Founder, Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture
Project Forte – A channel for discovering and encouraging creativity in young talents.

Chief Host of Breeding Leaders for Empowerment and National Transformation (BLENT).







Dr. Mike Okonkwo is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord. He passionately preaches Power in the Word to a multicultural and diverse audience with over 180 branches in Nigeria and ten countries across the globe. He is an Apostle to this generation, whose life has impacted millions around the world. A father to many, and a pastor of many pastors across the globe, Dr Mike Okonkwo is also a dynamic conference speaker, crusade evangelist, author, television and radio host, a strong and respected voice in Nigeria, and an advocate of balanced Christianity.

 

Dr. Mike Okonkwo graduated from the Morris Cerrullo School of Ministry and the Covington Theological Seminary in USA, and holds several doctorate degrees and honorary awards. He is the Convener of the Communion of Covenant Ministers International (CCMI) a gathering of Pastors designed for Fellowship, Spiritual Covering, Mentoring, Strengthening, and Networking, through conferences, seminars and other interactive sessions. He is a co-host of the National Ministers Conference (NMC). He is a Trustee and also a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).


 

He is the Patron and Founder of the Empowerment for the Less Privileged (ELP) Foundation, a non-governmental organisation committed to alleviating the plight of the less-privileged in the society through donations to hospitals, establishment of free vocational training centres, running free preparatory schools for students in the secondary schools, and facilitating regular public enlightenment campaigns on health issues amongst others. He also pioneers a scholarship fund for talented students.

 

With a pastoral staff strength of over 250 men and women, the ministry has several arms all geared at reaching the “unreached” wherever they can be found. To this end, the ministry has a Prisons Outreach, which ministers to inmates in various prisons and remand homes; Word Ambassadors-this group of people organises crusades in various towns and villages; and the ‘’We Care’’ Ministry, which ministers to the less privileged through relief items, food stuffs, free basic medical care, soft short term loans and encouraging petty trading in order to make each individual self sustained.

 

Others are Dunamis Publications, which co-ordinates all literature generated from the ministry, Maranatha Power Play House, which ministers the word through various anointed drama presentations, The Singles Fellowship, set up to encourage the singles on how to enjoy and make the most of their single-hood while preparing them for the responsibilities of the married life, and The Intercessory Unit, the arm of the church that is dedicated to prayer not only for the ministry and programs of the ministry, but for the Body of Christ as a whole and Nigeria as a nation.

Still in a bid to positively affect the less privileged, Bishop Mike Okonkwo in partnership with his wife under the aegis of the Women of Global Impact, sponsors free cervical screening for women in rural areas and annual donation of food and clothing to the less privileged women with particular reference to widows in the villages. A peace loving man, he risked his life to ensure the reconciliation of warring parties during the Ogbunike communal clash which invariably led to the sustained peace the town enjoys today.

 Dr. Chukwuemeka Mike Okonkwo MFR [1] is the Presiding Bishop of TREM was born on September 6, 1945. Born in Enugu State, Nigeria, he hails from Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Education
His educational quest began at Salvation Army Primary School Enugu, but later moved to Ijero Baptist Primary School in Ebute Metta, Lagos. He however completed his primary education at St. Marks Primary School, Offa, Kwara State. He proceeded Mayflower College, Ikenne where he started his Secondary education and completed it at Merchants of Light Grammar School, Oba Anambra State in 1963.
Career
Dr. Mike Okonkwo started his career with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in 1964 where he worked for 3 months before occupationally migrating over to the banking industry with ACB Lagos hoping to make a career in banking. He was a pioneer member of staff of the Martins street branch, Lagos from 1964 to 1966. Dr. Mike Okonkwo was deployed to the eastern branch of ACB during the civil war, which eventually interrupted his banking career.
He underwent the military training during the Nigerian Civil War, but had no chance to practice what he had learnt because the war ended the very night he was deployed to the warfront. He continued with his banking career at the Ogbete road branch of ACB where he was a pioneer staff when the civil war ended.
The Establishment Of The Redeemed Evangelical Church (TREM)
Dr. Mike Okonkwo had an encounter with Jesus in November 1970 and for the 1st time, he started attending Church services in the United Church of Christ, (UCC) which has her headquarters in Enugu. The call of God upon his life was obvious, so he was ordained into the ministry in 1971. He took up his first pastoral responsibility in Lagos in November 1972 with UCC. He was released as an Evangelist on the 20th of June 1976 and was useful in establishing most branches of the Church in Lagos.
He served faithfully in UCC under the leadership of Apostle Egbo from 1971 to 1980. It became clear due to circumstances beyond his control that he had to leave UCC, because he believed that God has a plan for his life. The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM [2] was founded on the 4th of January, 1981.
Achievements As A Pastor
Dr. Mike Okonkwo received a certificate of license from International Deliverance Churches, Dallas [6] , Texas In 1980. In 1981, he graduated with a diploma degree from the Morris Cerullo School of Ministry, San diego, California, USA. By 1982, he earned diploma with International Bible Institute and Seminary, Orlando, Florida [5] . The same year, he acquired a Bachelor of Bible Theology in the same university. The Covington Theological Seminary, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, USA gave him a waiver for Masters Degree. He subsequently went in for a Doctorate degree program in Divinity which he successfully completed and was conferred with Doctor of Divinity degree with all rights and privileges pertaining thereto. The Board of Directors of International Bible Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA, upon recommendation by the Faculty conferred on him a Doctor of Letters Degree in 1984. The United Christian International Bible Institute, Cleveland, Tennessee, USA awarded him a Doctor of Divinity certificate in 1987.
Dr. Mike Okonkwo is a holder of the ordination certificate and the certificate of fellowship of World Ministry Fellowship Shreveport [9] , Louisiana, USA. He also holds an ordination certificate from the National Christian Fellowship Conference, (NCFC) USA, the Church of God Mission International Nigeria, United Christian Church and Ministerial Association, USA.
The Government of Israel awarded Dr. Mike Okonkwo Attestation of Pilgrimage by thereby authorising him to bear the title Jerusalem Pilgrim.


Dr. Mike Okonkwo holds a Meritorious Achievement Award from the International Affairs Leadership Parliament, by the Golden State University, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Ephraim Moore University, International Theological Seminary, Spiritual Life Ministries, all in USA and the Trinity College of Ministerial Arts in Nigeria .

Dr. Mike Okonkwo was granted the prestigious Scenic Center of the South Certificate by the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, in 1989. The Faith Christian Fellowship International Church Incorporated, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA [19] , through his able leadership extended the right hand of fellowship by giving an Associate Church Certificate to TREM.
In 1997, Bishop Mike and Dr. Peace Okonkwo had the honour of having their names inscribed on the Jerusalem 3000 scroll number 6571 and is thus recorded in the history of Jerusalem with a certificate given consequently.
Dr. Mike Okonkwo was consecrated the Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) on the 7th of May 1988.
Back home in Nigeria, Dr. Mike Okonkwo is a member of the pioneering fathers of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the 1st National Secretary General and former President of PFN [20] . He is the convener of the Communion of Covenant Ministers International (CCMI) [21] , past National Vice President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Trivia
He is a speaker in popular demand around the world for Seminars, Conferences, Crusades, Conventions and ministers’ training. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Arlington Church [22] , Arlington, USA. He is the Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) [24] . He is the Chief Host of the popular Television and Radio network, Power in the Word. He is a father of fathers, a Pastor of Pastors, an Apostle of our time.


Dr. Mike Okonkwo believes in the integrity of the Word of God and integrity as a man of God. He has lived a life of integrity before the multitudes that God has drawn into his ministry. As a man easily touched by the feeling of the people, he became a man of prayer, spending hours praying for the flock over which God has made him the Overseer. His long hours of prayer and fasting have brought forth testimonies that have beaten the imagination of the learned.


Bishop Okonkwo is the Patron and Founder of the Empowerment for the Less Privileged Foundation , a non-governmental organisation committed to relieving the plight of the less-privileged in the society through donations to hospitals, establishment of free vocational training centres, running free preparatory schools for students in the secondary schools, and facilitating regular public enlightenment campaigns on health issues amongst others. He also pioneers a scholarship fund for talented students.
 

Dr. Mike Okonkwo is an author of several books in English and two translated to French.


Bishop Mike Okonkwo is married to Bishop Dr. Peace Okonkwo and they are blessed with a daughter, Uche Mike-Okonkwo.

Download Sermons and Messages by Bishop Mike Okonkwo

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Bishop Dr. Mike Okonkwo is active on social media. You can connect with him via his official handles on Twitter
Facebook: @bishopmikeokonkwo
Website: trem.org


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