01/09/2025
PASTOR W.F KUMUYI CANCELS DEEPER LIFE CHURCH STRICT MARRIAGE RULES, SAYS THEY WERE NOT BIBLICAL
The General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM), Pastor William Kumuyi, has announced major changes to the church’s long-standing marriage rules, describing them as administrative guidelines rather than biblical commands.
Speaking during the 2025 Global Family and Marriage Conference on Sunday, Pastor Kumuyi explained that certain practices which had defined Deeper Life’s approach to marriage over the years were never scriptural injunctions but merely human arrangements aimed at order.
Visitation Rules Lifted
One of the most notable changes is the cancellation of the rule which forbade young women from visiting men they intended to marry during courtship. Kumuyi clarified that such restrictions were not biblical and that couples preparing for marriage are now permitted to visit one another, provided that an elder is present to give guidance.
Six-Month Courtship Period No Longer Mandatory
Kumuyi also announced that the six-month compulsory courtship period introduced by the church has been scrapped. According to him, the duration was simply an administrative suggestion meant to give intending couples time to know each other better, but it was never mandated by Scripture.
“We just felt couples should have time to know one another. We said one month was too short, two months too short, so why not six months? But it is not from the Bible,” Kumuyi explained. “Six months is okay, but it’s not fixed. If it becomes three months, it does not mean we are changing the Bible, because six months is not in the Bible.”
Call for Balance Between Scripture and Tradition
The cleric used the occasion to warn Christians against confusing church traditions with God’s commandments. He urged believers to cultivate maturity in differentiating between what the Bible teaches and what is introduced for administrative purposes within church settings.
“As a Christian, you need to be mature enough to know what comes from God and what comes from church principles,” he said.
Marriage Committees Not Scriptural Mandates
Addressing the role of marriage committees in the church, Kumuyi pointed out that their existence was never commanded in the New Testament. Rather, they were established by the church to provide guidance and support to intending couples.
“There is no marriage committee in the New Testament. We created it to help, not because there is a chapter or verse that commands it. It is simply church administration,” he clarified.
He further cautioned church leaders not to overstep their limits, emphasizing that marriage committees must not go beyond what the Scriptures allow.
A Broader Review of Church Practices
This development is part of a wider review of practices within the Deeper Life Ministry, as Pastor Kumuyi continues to distinguish between biblical doctrine and administrative traditions. Many of these adjustments, he explained, were introduced for organizational purposes but had often been misunderstood or treated as divine laws.
Source - Nsikakabasi Akpan
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