Banky W Is Now A Pastor In The US: Every Role He Has Held

Banky W, the R&B singer who founded EME and gave Wizkid his first big break, is now an associate pastor in the United States. The 45-year-old revealed on Instagram on October 8, 2026, that he serves as Associate Pastor and Global Ambassador at Union Church, a multi-campus church based in Maryland. The news marks one year in the role and adds a new title to a career that has already taken him from music to film, business and politics.

Banky W shared the news in a long Instagram post that opened with a joke about his old nickname. “I used to joke that the ‘P’ in P.Banks stood for Professor, not Pastor,” he wrote. “I guess God heard and said, ‘Why not both?'”

He said he now serves “as an Associate Pastor and Global Ambassador at @weareunionchurch, and as a teacher and leader at Union College.” He works under Union Church’s senior pastors, Stephen and Zai Chandler, and said he is “forever grateful for how much God has used them to impact my life, my faith, my family, and my future.”

The post closed by marking the anniversary. “One year down. A lifetime of purpose ahead,” he wrote, asking fans to wish him “a happy 1st #Unionversary.” That puts the start of his time at the church in October 2025.

Why He Turned to Ministry After the 2023 Election

The 2023 election was the turning point, in his own words. “In 2023 I lost an election. And while the experience inspired me in many ways, it also broke my heart into a million little pieces,” he wrote. “When the dust settled, I took those pieces back to God. And I surrendered.”

He said he kept asking God to pick one path for him. “Is it leadership or ministry? Entertainment or business? Marketplace or ministry?” The answer he arrived at was that he didn’t have to choose. “It wasn’t either/or. It was all of the above,” he wrote. “God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment.”

He has been saying a version of this for a while. Speaking at The Liberty Church Global in July 2025, he told the audience that “some people only know me as a musician. Some people only know me in film. Some people, believe it or not, only know me as a pastor. Some people only know me as a politician.” His summary was short: “Purpose is permanent, but callings are multiple.”

The new role doesn’t mean he has left his other work. “So yes, I’m still a filmmaker, musician, and entrepreneur,” he wrote. He also said he travels “back and forth between Lagos and the DMV,” the area around Washington, D.C., and promised “more to come on the business, film, and music fronts.”

What Is Union Church?

Union Church is a non-denominational Christian church led by Pastors Stephen and Zai Chandler. It started in Maryland in 2011 with about 50 people and now draws thousands every week, with campuses across Maryland and newer locations in Falls Church, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

That location fits his life since 2024. Banky W moved to the US with his wife, actress Adesua Etomi, and their son in September 2024. He said the move was “for family” and “for finding purpose,” and it came as he started a master’s degree in Policy Management at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He graduated in May 2025.

A Timeline of Banky W’s Roles Over the Years

Banky W’s career has moved through four stages, from singer to actor to politician to pastor, and some of them overlapped. Here is each stage, in order.

The Early Years (1981 to 2001)

1981: Olubankole Wellington is born in New York on March 27 to Nigerian parents. The family moves back to Lagos when he is five.

Singer and Label Boss (2002 to 2015)

Music came first. He started out as an R&B singer and ran his own label, which gave Wizkid his start.

2002: While studying in New York on a scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and working at the tech firm GlobalSpec, he co-founds Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) with Tunde Demuren in Albany.
2003: He releases his first EP, Undeniable, and starts building his name as an R&B singer.
2008: His album Mr. Capable comes out, followed by The W Experience in 2009.
2009: He wins Best Vocal Performance (Male) at The Headies for “Don’t Break My Heart” and co-hosts the ceremony with Kemi Adetiba. Around this time EME moves to Lagos and signs a young Wizkid, along with Skales, Niyola and Shaydee.
2010: “Strong Ting” wins Best R&B Single at The Headies.
2013: “Good Good Loving” wins Best R&B Single at The Headies. He also releases the album R&BW.
2014: Wizkid leaves EME after releasing his album Ayo with the label.

From Music to Movies (2016 to 2019)

In 2016 he added acting, and his first big role came in one of Nollywood’s biggest hits. He kept singing, but film now took a bigger share of his time.

2016: He begins his acting career as Dozie in The Wedding Party, one of Nollywood’s biggest box office hits.
2017: He plays Dozie again in The Wedding Party 2, releases the album Songs About U, and marries Adesua Etomi in Cape Town in November. The same month, he shares that he has had a third surgery for a rare skin cancer in his shoulder.
2018: He stars as Bassey Otuekong in the film Up North.
2019: He appears in the film Sugar Rush.

From Label Boss to Politician (2018 to 2023)

By 2018 he had stopped signing music acts and turned to public office. He spent the next five years running for a seat in the House of Representatives.

2018: EME closes its record label and becomes a media, marketing and talent agency, with him as CEO. In November he announces his first run for office.
2019: He contests the Eti-Osa seat in the House of Representatives on the Modern Democratic Party ticket and loses to the APC’s Babajide Obanikoro.
2022: He joins the PDP and wins its ticket for the Eti-Osa House of Representatives seat in May.
2023: He loses the February election to Labour Party’s Thaddeus Attah, coming second with 18,666 votes to Attah’s 24,075. A tribunal orders a rerun in some polling units in September, but the Court of Appeal confirms Attah’s win later that year.

From Politics to the Pulpit (2020 to 2026)

Faith had been part of his story since at least 2020. After the 2023 loss, it moved to the centre, alongside a return to the classroom in the US.

2020: He is seen preaching at Tony Rapu’s This Present House in Lagos, and Nigerian media begin calling him a pastor.
2021: He and Adesua welcome their first son, Hazaiah, and he releases The Bank Statements.
2024: He enrols at Georgetown University in July, saying he “gave up being a CEO to become a student.” In September he moves to the US with his family, and in October he and Adesua welcome a second son.
2025: He earns his master’s degree in Policy Management from Georgetown in May. In October he starts at Union Church as Associate Pastor and Global Ambassador.
2026: He marks one year at Union Church on October 8 and confirms he also teaches at Union College.

Banky W’s career has rarely followed a straight line.

His EME label launched Wizkid, then stopped signing music acts altogether, and is one of several Nigerian record labels started by musicians.

His move to the US also puts him on the growing list of Nigerian celebrities who relocated abroad.

His wife has a playful take on all of it. “I didn’t want to marry an artiste, a pastor and a politician but God gave me all three,” Adesua Etomi once said in an interview.

For now, Banky W says ministry sits alongside everything else rather than replacing it. Fans waiting on new music or films will have to watch his page, since he has only said more is coming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Banky W now a pastor?

Yes. Banky W serves as Associate Pastor and Global Ambassador at Union Church in the United States. He announced it on Instagram on October 8, 2026, after one year in the role.

Which church does Banky W pastor in the US?

He serves at Union Church, a non-denominational church led by Stephen and Zai Chandler, with campuses in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

Did Banky W quit music and acting?

No. In his announcement he said he is still a filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur, and that more is coming on the business, film and music fronts.

Why did Banky W move to the US?

He moved with his family in September 2024 to study for a master’s degree in Policy Management at Georgetown University, which he completed in May 2025. He said the move was for family and for finding purpose.

How many times has Banky W run for office?

Twice. He ran for the Eti-Osa seat in the House of Representatives in 2019 on the Modern Democratic Party ticket and in 2023 on the PDP ticket, and lost both times.