William Folorunso Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. He has written several Christian publications and devotionals.
Biography
William Folorunso Kumuyi was born 6 June 1941. Kumuyi was born into a Christian family in the Nigerian town of Orunwa, in Ogun State. He finished his secondary school education in 1961 at Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun State. He then went to the University of Ibadan, where he earned a first-class honours degree in Mathematics in 1967 and was named the year’s overall best graduating student.
He then went on to the University of Lagos for a postgraduate programme in Education. In April 1964, he became a born-again Christian.
John Wesley, Charles Finney, and Charles Spurgeon influenced Kumuyi. His father was a devout Anglican priest. Kumuyi was also “a one-time member of the Anglican Church (now Anglican Communion), Celestial Church of Christ, Scripture Union (SU) movement, and Apostolic Faith before breaking away to create Deeper Life.”
Career
Kumuyi began teaching mathematics at his alma mater, Mayflower School, in 1962. He became a mathematics lecturer at the University of Lagos in the early 1970s.
Kumuyi started a Bible study group with 15 students who had come to him for Bible training in 1973 while working as a mathematics instructor at the University of Lagos. The Deeper Christian Life Ministry was founded on the ground of this training. Kumuyi was removed from the Apostolic Faith Church in 1975 for teaching about the Holy Spirit’s baptism.
He continued his ministry, which was renamed the Deeper Life Bible Church in 1982. The Christian ministry is believed to have over 800,000 affiliates as of 2005
Kumuyi is the author of several books. Some of these include The Hour of Decision, How to Know God’s Will, Kumuyi: Defender of the Faith, Daily Manna, etc.
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Ministry
The Deeper Christian Life Ministry, along with its church branch, the Deeper Life Bible Church, now has over a million members in over 60 countries. In August of 1973, it began as a 15-member Bible study group in Pastor William Kumuyi’s official lodging (Flat 2) at the University of Lagos. Some persons who knew Pastor Kumuyi as a member of the Scripture Union (SU) approached him (even at strange hours) during his postgraduate days at the University of Lagos to ask him questions about the Bible and Christian living.
Pastor Kumuyi soon realised that instead of spending so much time dealing with them individually, it was better for them to meet as a group on Monday evenings at his apartment to study the Bible.
The Bible study attendees quickly outgrew the flat, so they relocated outside and took up residence in the front of the building. More people came and the Bible Study Group grew to the point where, in 1976, they needed to find a new location outside of the university campus. The group was non-denominational, and individuals came from many churches to study with Lecturer Kumuyi, as Pastor Kumuyi was then known. The Bible Study Group membership soon surpassed 1,500.
The Bible Study Group was transformed into the Fuller Life Bible Church in 1983 due to its exponential growth and the need to encourage believers in Jesus Christ to live the deeper Christian life commanded by the Bible.
By 1988, the congregation had grown to 50,000 members, and it now has 120,000, making it the world’s third-largest Christian church. According to Dr. Johan Combrinck, the Deeper Life Bible Church has planted 500 churches in Lagos, 5,000 in the rest of Nigeria (with an independent estimate of over 800,000 members in Nigeria alone), and 3,000 elsewhere (with missionaries in 40 African countries) as part of the movement’s missionary contribution.
Kumuyi started the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, with its international headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos. Experts rated the church auditorium at the international headquarters as the fourth largest globally, with a capacity of 30,000 attendees.
The auditorium was inaugurated on April 24, 2018; the Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, and some other dignitaries attended the opening.
Other noteworthy venues of worship of his Christian ministry include the Deeper Life Conference Centre in Ogun State at Kilometer 42, Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, and the International Bible Training Centre (IBTC) at Ayobo Lagos.
Kumuyi family
In September 1972, Kumuyi met Abiodun Olowu. She joined his fledgling Christian ministry and became one of his Bible study pupils. On September 13, 1980, they married in Lagos and have two children, Jeremiah and John. On April 11, 2009, Abiodun Kumuyi passed away.
Kumuyi married Folashade Adenike Blaize in London on October 13, 2010, precisely 18 months after his first wife died. Folashade served as the Administrator of the London-based Deeper Life Bible Church.
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Kumuyi net worth
The net worth of Pastor William Kumuyi is estimated at N4.15 billion ($10m). He is also one of Nigeria’s wealthiest preachers.
Controversies
Pastor Kumuyi is one of the controversial pastors in Nigeria. His stand on issues ranging from politics to the economy, etc., has gotten both negative and positive reviews from many people.
William Kumuyi, general superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, says it is wrong for “genuine believers” to disrespect political leaders over their seeming failure to keep electoral promises. The cleric said this on Monday in a post on his Facebook page.
Following his choice to meddle with some of his church’s principles, the revered cleric is currently facing severe pushback from some congregation members.
For example, he has softened his stance on using some musical instruments in church.
Bob Fitts, a well-known international gospel singer, has been invited to join him at his next global crusade, which will take place this weekend in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
Many people believe the pastor’s purpose is to bring changes he desires in his ministry to bear on the Deeper Life church and its members by starting a series of global crusades.
Kumuyi has been utilizing the global crusades to announce a number of modifications to his ministrations, particularly the inclusion of music and musicians, to some of his followers’ astonishment and outright displeasure.
To many people’s surprise, the Deeper Life founder had invited some music pastors, who had previously been barred by the church, to minister alongside him to support his new position.
Don Moen in Enugu, Nathaniel Bassey ministered with him in songs during the Showers of Blessing Through Christ crusade in Port Harcourt, and Pastor William McDowell during the Wonders of the Cross crusade in Uyo are examples of such music ministers.
However, internal opposition to Kumuyi’s new ways grew stronger in the week leading up to the Ibadan crusade, with some of his children in the Lord’ protesting the invitation of Fitts and other artists.
They believe that unorthodox music has never been a part of Deeper Life’s worship style and should not be now, even if the wise Kumuyi brings it.
Conclusion
Kumuyi is one of the seasoned men of God in Nigeria. Aside from being a minister of the gospel, Kumuyi is also the founder of a private university. The Deeper Christian Life Ministry owns the Anchor University, a private Christian university. The university is in Ayobo, Ipaja, Lagos State, Nigeria’s southwestern region.
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