Rev. Dr. Stephen Sunday Ajise

Rev. Dr. Stephen Sunday Ajise is a Christian minister, pastor, church leader and the Visioneer and Pioneer Leader of Fields of Grace Outreach Ministries. His life and ministry have been shaped by a longstanding commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, faithful pastoral service, Christian leadership, and the advancement of God's Kingdom.

Before assuming broader denominational leadership, Rev. Dr. Ajise served faithfully as a pastor within the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), including as Minister in Charge of First ECWA Church, Ilorin. He also served in significant leadership within the Ilorin District Church Council, where he was Chairman. His years of pastoral ministry placed him close to the realities of church members, families and communities and deepened his commitment to seeing the Church remain both spiritually faithful and practically responsive to the needs around it.
His pastoral leadership was characterized by a strong emphasis on Christian conduct, responsible leadership, unity, service and the practical expression of the Christian faith. In his public ministry, he repeatedly challenged believers and leaders to ensure that what they preach is reflected in how they live, emphasizing Christlikeness as an essential expression of Christian witness.

From Pastoral Ministry to Denominational Leadership:
Rev. Dr. Ajise's journey within ECWA eventually took him beyond the local church into wider denominational leadership.
He was elected Vice President of the Evangelical Church Winning All and was formally inaugurated into the position in 2020. He was subsequently re-elected unopposed for a second three-year term at the 70th General Church Council meeting in 2023.
As Vice President, he served as part of the ECWA Executive, working alongside the President, General Secretary and other senior leaders in providing direction and oversight for a denomination with churches, districts, departments and institutions across Nigeria and beyond. ECWA's own records identify him as Vice President and place the office within the denomination's wider governance structure.

His leadership responsibilities brought him into matters involving church administration, leadership development, church growth, evangelism, discipleship, institutional development and the advancement of the Great Commission.
One example of this wider leadership was his role in the inauguration of the new ECWA Jos Central District Church Council. In addressing the new leadership, he emphasized that the creation of new districts should serve the strategic advancement and spread of the Gospel rather than simply create leadership positions. He also stressed the importance of sacrificial commitment, effective leadership and Christlike conduct.

His public ministry also demonstrated an appreciation for the role of appropriate technology and communication in advancing the Gospel. During the unveiling of an ECWA digital marketing platform, he encouraged the use of available platforms for the advancement of the Gospel and expressed support for initiatives that could help the Church communicate its message more effectively.

A Shepherd Who Became a Denominational Leader:
After decades of active service in ECWA, Rev. Dr. Ajise completed his tenure and retired from active denominational service. Reports on his retirement describe his ECWA ministry as spanning 35 years of service. He was succeeded as ECWA Vice President by Rev. Chidi Joseph Madubuko.
His transition from active denominational leadership does not mark the end of his ministry. Rather, it represents another stage in a journey that has moved from pastoral ministry, to district and denominational leadership, and now toward a focused expression of his long-standing burden for the unreached, the vulnerable and underserved communities.

The Vision Behind Fields of Grace
It is from this background of pastoral service, church leadership and years of engagement with the wider mission of the Church that the vision for Fields of Grace Outreach Ministries emerges.
Rev. Dr. Ajise carries a particular concern for people and communities that are often underserved or overlooked. His vision is not limited to bringing people into the Church; it is concerned with reaching people where they are, proclaiming the Gospel, discipling new believers and responding to practical needs with compassion.

Fields of Grace Outreach Ministries therefore brings together two dimensions of ministry that have remained central to this vision:
1. The Gospel — proclaiming Jesus Christ to unreached and underserved communities, discipling new believers through biblical teaching and mentoring, and strengthening local fellowships.
2. Compassion — responding to practical human needs through humanitarian support, community development, care for vulnerable people, and the empowerment of rural churches and leaders.

The ministry's focus on people such as internally displaced persons, widows, orphans, prisoners, hospital patients and people struggling with drug addiction reflects this broader understanding of Christian service.

From Experience to a New Mission
The experience gained through years of pastoral ministry and denominational leadership has helped shape the perspective behind Fields of Grace Outreach Ministries.
It is a vision informed by the realities of local church ministry, the responsibilities of wider church leadership, the need for effective Gospel outreach, and the importance of equipping people and communities for lasting impact.

The vision is to build a ministry that does not merely visit communities, but develops meaningful relationships; does not only preach, but disciples; does not only identify needs, but responds with compassion; and does not only provide temporary assistance, but seeks to empower churches, leaders and communities for sustainable impact.
This is the burden behind Fields of Grace Outreach Ministries: to proclaim Christ, serve humanity, empower communities and take hope to places where it is needed most.

Continuing the Journey
Today, Rev. Dr. Stephen Sunday Ajise continues to serve the Kingdom through the vision entrusted to him as the Pioneer Leader of Fields of Grace Outreach Ministries.
His journey from pastor to denominational leader and now to ministry visioneer reflects a continuing commitment to God's work rather than a departure from it.
The season ahead is focused on translating years of ministry experience into a mission that reaches further into underserved communities, strengthens rural churches and leaders, supports vulnerable people, and carries the Gospel to places where the need remains great.

The journey continues with the same conviction that has shaped his ministry: that the Church is called not only to proclaim the Gospel, but to demonstrate the love of Christ through faithful service.

His guiding conviction
“Let what we preach be the same with what we are doing.”
This statement, made during his address to ECWA leaders, captures an important dimension of his approach to Christian leadership: that the message of Christ should be reflected in the lives, conduct and service of those who proclaim it.

“Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”
John 4:35

The fields are ready.
The mission continues.