The General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, has dismissed speculation that he may eventually hand over the leadership of the church to one of his biological children, insisting that the ministry belongs to Jesus Christ and not to any individual or family.
Kumuyi made the clarification during a church service while addressing growing discussions about the future leadership of the ministry and whether succession could remain within his family.
According to the veteran cleric, some people have repeatedly questioned whether he would eventually choose one of his sons to take over the leadership of the church after him.
“Many people were speculating, is he going to hand over the church unto his son? Won’t he search for his first son, second son, where are they? Where do they live? Is he not going to hand over the church?” Kumuyi said.
Responding to the speculation, the Deeper Life founder stressed that the church is not his personal property and therefore cannot be inherited by any of his children.
“Well, it’s not his church. And because it’s not his church, Jesus said, upon this rock, I will build my church… It’s the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and nobody has right to hand it over to his son,” he stated.
Kumuyi maintained that leadership in the church should be guided by divine direction rather than family ties or hereditary considerations.
He further referenced biblical figures to support his position, noting that the early leaders of the Christian faith did not transfer church leadership to their children.
“Peter did not hand over the church to his son. Paul did not have any son or wife, but Paul did not hand over the church to his son. And John did not hand over the church to his son,” he said.
The cleric’s remarks come amid ongoing conversations in religious circles about leadership succession in major churches and ministries, particularly those founded and led by influential pastors.
By ruling out family succession, Kumuyi emphasized that the future leadership of Deeper Christian Life Ministry would not be determined by biological relationship but by principles consistent with the church’s spiritual mandate and direction.