• Pastor William Kumuyi clarified that some Deeper Life marriage rules, including visitation bans and six-month courtship, were administrative, not biblical
• The cleric said that Christians must distinguish between God’s law and church principles, noting that such rules are flexible and not divine commandments
• Kumuyi cautioned marriage committees against overstepping, emphasising that they exist for guidance, not as replacements for biblical authority

The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has clarified that some of the church’s long-standing rules on marriage are not biblical but administrative guidelines.

Specifically, Kumuyi announced that such a law as banning a lady from visiting a man whom she intends to marry is nullified.

He further explained that intending couples can freely visit themselves during courtship, but only on the condition that she or he go with an elder.

Kumuyi modifies Deeper Life’s 6-month courtship period

Speaking to church members during the 2025 Global Family and Marriage conference, monitored by Legit.ng, Kumuyi also explained that the six-month courtship rule is no longer sacrosanct.

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The revered man of God explained that the aforementioned rule was introduced for practical reasons but should not be treated as divine law.

“We just felt you need some time to know one another. And then we said one month will be too short, two months too short. So, why not six months? But it is not from the Bible,” he said.

Kumuyi on principles versus the law of God

The cleric stressed that Christians must distinguish between God’s law and church principles, urging members not to treat human rules as scriptural commandments.

“As a Christian, you need to become so mature that you know the difference between the law of God and the principles in the church,” Kumuyi said.

He added:

“Six months is all right, but it’s not something inflexible. If we change it to three months, we’re not changing the Bible, because six months is not in the Bible.”

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Kumuyi corrects activity of church’s marriage committee

Pastor Kumuyi also explained that the church’s marriage committee was created solely to provide guidance, not to replace biblical authority.

“There’s no marriage committee in the New Testament. We created it to help you, not because we can give you a chapter and a verse. It is church administration,” he stated.

Kumuyi warned leaders not to wield undue authority, saying:

“Marriage committees should not exercise an authority that God has not given them. This is just church organisation, not divine law.”

Kumuyi speaks on death of first wife

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, has recounted the circumstances surrounding the death of his first wife, while blaming his absence from home for her passing.

The late Abiodun Kumuyi reportedly passed away on April 11, 2009, at the age of 57, after a brief illness. The couple got married on September 13, 1980, making their marriage span approximately 28 years. They were blessed with two children: Jeremiah and John.

Source: Legit.ng