The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has announced key changes to some of the church’s long-standing marriage regulations, stressing that they are administrative guidelines rather than divine commandments.
Speaking during the 2025 Global Family and Marriage Conference, Pastor Kumuyi clarified that Christians must learn to distinguish between God’s law and church principles, noting that while divine commandments remain unchangeable, church rules can be adjusted to serve practical needs.
Among the notable modifications, the cleric officially nullified the church’s long-enforced restriction preventing a woman from visiting the man she intends to marry. He explained that intending couples may now freely visit one another during courtship, provided an elder accompanies them.
Kumuyi also addressed the church’s traditional six-month courtship rule, declaring it no longer sacrosanct. According to him, the timeline was introduced merely as a practical guideline, not a biblical injunction.
“We just felt you needed 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,” Kumuyi stated. “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.”
On the role of marriage committees within the church, Pastor Kumuyi issued a strong caution, reminding leaders that such committees exist only to guide members and not to impose 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 said. “Marriage committees should not exercise an authority that God has not given them. This is just a church organisation, not divine law.”
The development marks a significant shift in Deeper Life’s marriage practices, reflecting Pastor Kumuyi’s emphasis on scriptural clarity and the importance of not mistaking church traditions for God’s commandments.
