General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has announced significant changes to the church’s long-standing marriage protocols, describing them as administrative not scriptural.
Speaking at the 2025 Global Family and Marriage Conference on Sunday, Kumuyi revealed that the church’s restriction preventing a woman from visiting her fiancé has been lifted. Under the revised guidelines, such visits are now permitted provided they are accompanied by a church elder.
He also clarified that the previously mandated six-month courtship period is no longer compulsory, emphasizing that it was never a biblical requirement but merely a human arrangement.
“We just felt couples needed time to know each other. We chose six months not because it’s in the Bible but as a practical guideline,” Kumuyi said.
He urged Christians to distinguish between divine commandments and church traditions, cautioning against elevating human rules to the status of Scripture.
“If we adjust the period from six to three months, we’re not altering the Bible. Six months is not a biblical doctrine,” he added.
Kumuyi also addressed the role of the church’s marriage committees, clarifying that they exist solely for guidance and have no biblical authority.
“There’s no marriage committee in the New Testament. We created it to help not to dominate or replace Scripture,” he explained.
He warned church leaders against overreaching, stressing that administrative structures must not overstep biblical boundaries.
This latest move is part of Kumuyi’s broader efforts to review and modernize several practices within the Deeper Life ministry many of which, he says, were based on tradition rather than Scripture.
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