In a sermon that has gone viral on social media, Nigerian preacher Pastor Abel Damina of Abel Damina Ministries International (ADMI) declared that church offerings and tithes are not given to God but are spent by people.
“No offering goes to heaven; men spend it every time we gather offerings in this church. All the offerings we give to God go to men,” Damina said during a Sunday service.
Known for his controversial takes on established Christian doctrine, Damina used the platform to criticise what he described as manipulative teachings within the church.
He accused some pastors of misleading their congregations about the spiritual impact of tithing and giving.
“Even those tithe mongers that say when you pay tithe, the doors of heaven will open—the doors have been opened since Jesus rose from the dead. The doors have never been closed. They are just working on people’s minds,” he said.
This is not the first time the Akwa Ibom-based pastor has stirred debate among Nigerian Christians.
In January 2025, he made headlines by claiming that smoking and drinking are not sins under Christian doctrine, a stance that drew strong reactions across religious communities.
Addressing criticism of his views, Damina responded to fellow pastors who condemned his anti-tithing message.
“I heard some of them saying I am evil because I said you should not pay tithe, that ‘he and his children would pay tithe’. He has to talk like that to keep collecting from people,” Damina said.
He further alleged that many pastors who demand tithes from their followers fail to live by the same rules privately, calling out what he sees as hypocrisy in religious leadership.
Damina’s message continues to draw both praise and backlash, reinforcing his reputation as one of Nigeria’s most outspoken and controversial preachers.
