Laju Iren: How I juggle marriage, ministry with filmmaking

Laju Iren, a pastor at Celebration Chuch International (CCI), has revealed how she manages her multifaceted life as a minister, wife, and filmmaker.

In a recent interview on the WithChude podcast, Laju, the wife of Emmanuel Iren, the founder of CCI, credited her ability to balance her roles to early self-awareness and the support of people around her, including her husband.

She also emphasized the importance of defining herself based on her relationship with Christ, rather than her various roles.

“Because I am a girl with many places, what I learnt very early is to first define myself based on who I am in Christ. Because there are going to be seasons in my life maybe I am not preaching as much or making films. I have a beautiful marriage which is amazing, but the thing is, if you keep defining yourself by roles, once any of those roles are not in their perfect positions, it becomes very difficult to find yourself,” she said.

“There have been seasons in my life where I was just a pregnant woman being on bed rest and raising a child.

“One great gift I have is self-awareness. If I am working on anything apart from ministry or family, it is most likely a three to four-month project. One thing that has really helped me is to realize that all the things I do do not define me. I am defined by Christ. Many people are called to be pastor’s wives. Of all the things I do, that one is a lot. I think it is a grace thing. I am also surrounded by incredible people. My husband is a lot of things. He is also a creative guy.”

Laju has written movies such as ‘Mistakenly Yours’ and ‘Loving Amanda’, which feature notable stars like Blossom Chukwujekwu and Teniola Aladese.