Pastor William Kumuyi has announced major changes to Deeper Life’s marriage rules, scrapping compulsory six-month courtship.
He clarified the regulations were church traditions, not biblical commands, urging balance and maturity.
The General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has announced a review of the church’s marriage regulations, clarifying that they are administrative measures rather than biblical commands.
Speaking at the 2025 Global Family and Marriage Conference on Sunday, August 31, Kumuyi revealed that the long-standing rule preventing women from visiting their suitors has been abolished. He explained that intending couples are now allowed to visit each other during courtship, provided an elder is present.
He further disclosed that the six-month compulsory courtship previously enforced by the church is no longer binding. According to him, the duration was a human arrangement meant to give couples time to know one another but has no basis in scripture. “We thought six months was reasonable, but it was never a biblical requirement. If the church chooses to make it shorter, nothing in the Bible has been altered,” Kumuyi said.
The cleric stressed the importance of distinguishing between God’s commandments and church traditions. He reminded Christians that maturity means recognizing the difference between divine law and internal church policies.
Kumuyi also noted that marriage committees in the church were set up purely to provide guidance. “You won’t find marriage committees in the New Testament. They are our own structures to support you, not divine directives,” he explained.
He warned leaders not to overreach their roles, stressing that no committee or rule should impose authority beyond what is written in the scriptures.
