Pastor Matthew Akinyele Awokoya was born on June 10, 1949 at Ijebu-Ososa, Ijebu Ode, present-day Ogun State of Nigeria, to the Christian family of late Chief Kokumu Awokoya (the Alare of Ososa) and late Mrs Elizabeth Ibidunni Awokoya.
He attended St. Thomas Primary School, Ijebu-Ososa. He had his secondary education at Ife Anglican Grammar School, Ile-Ife from January 1966 to December 1970. In the final year class, 1970, he was the Senior Prefect of his school. This marked the beginning of his distinctive leadership trait. He had his tertiary education at the University of Ibadan and postgraduate studies in London.
After graduation, in the early 1970s, he worked at the University of Ife, Ibadan campus (now the North campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan), Federal Government of Nigeria Medical Laboratory.
Pastor Matthew Awokoya was converted in 1971 at the Chapel of the Resurrection, University of Ibadan where he had a special encounter with the Lord. There, he made a covenant of total consecration and commitment to the Lord which charted the course of his life and ministry. In 1972, he joined the Apostolic Faith Church. There, he met the General Superintendent (GS) of Deeper Life Bible Church (who was at the time fondly called Brother Kumuyi). Due to their passion for bus and street evangelism at the time, they were excommunicated with other brethren from the church. He continued to be a dedicated member of the Bible Study fellowship at the staff quarters of the University of Lagos (Flat 2), which later became what is today the Deeper Life Bible Church.
As his call by God into full time ministry and his conviction became clearer, in 1977, he discussed the leading from the Lord with the GS, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi. That led the GS to send him out as the first person to go on a missionary journey out of Lagos. He went out to pioneer the work in the North Eastern States (Borno State, Adamawa, Gongola, Bauchi,Tabara etc) as a State Representative. He accepted a lecturing appointment with the University of Maiduguri in order to support the ministerial work. In addition, he pioneered the work in Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba (Gembu Mountain), and part of Gongola (now Adamawa).
He went to London for his postgraduate studies from 1981 to 1982. There, he teamed up with Brother Clement Bamgbade and his wife to evangelise around the city which birthed the Deeper Life Bible Church, United Kingdom.
At the University of Maiduguri Chapel, Pastor Awokoya got married to his beloved wife, Mary Awokoya, who has been his partner in all his missionary journeys. Prior to the wedding, he made it known to his wife that he wanted to dedicate his life to full time ministry and that he had a special call for the Ishmaelites. The union is blessed with seven children.
By July 1987, his vision and unwavering passion for the Ishmaelites stirred him to respond to the missionary call to a new country, Tchad. He got to Tchad at a time when the country was being ravaged by civil war. Together with his wife, he pioneered and established the Deeper Life Bible Church. For fourteen years while he was on the mission field, he faced numerous challenges. On September 30, 1989, Pastor Awokoya was arrested and imprisoned in the underground prison by the Tchad government during the rule of ex-President Hissène Habré for preaching.
In the year 2000, because of his endearing love and passion for the Arab mission, Pastor Awokoya was invited, alongside the GS, to attend the Arab World Evangelical Ministers’ Association (AWEMA) conference. This trip marked the beginning of Deeper Life Bible Church in Egypt and other Arab countries.
From 2001 to 2009 he returned to the home mission where he pastored as the State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Sokoto, Kano, Yobe and Borno States.
In 2009, he left Nigeria to start the Deeper Life Bible Church foreign missions first in Sudan and later in South Sudan. The work in South Sudan gradually grew until December 2013 when civil war broke out, which resulted in great casualties and the displacement of many. He, however, remained there with his wife praying to God for peace to return to the land while he continued to preach and fellowship with the brethren. Due to his unwavering love, dedication and commitment to the Arab mission field, he was fondly called the DESERT WARRIOR by friends and colleagues. Until his death on December 12, 2020, he continued to pastor the church in South Sudan.
