Pastor Williams Kumuyi has firmly rejected the idea of passing his church to any of his sons. The founder of Deeper Christian Life Ministry made this clear in a video that's now circulating widely online.
Kumuyi addressed mounting public speculation about his succession plans. Many have been asking which of his sons might eventually take over the ministry.
"It's the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and nobody has the right to hand it over to his son," Kumuyi declared in the footage.
He noted that people have been searching for information about his sons. They wanted to know their identities and whereabouts, he said.
According to Kumuyi, the church doesn't belong to any individual leader. Jesus Christ alone owns it, he stressed repeatedly.
The pastor referenced Jesus's words to Peter as biblical support for his position. "Jesus said it's His church and not Peter's church; it is nobody's church," Kumuyi explained.
He pointed to the apostles as historical examples. Peter didn't hand his authority to a son, he noted, and Paul had no family to inherit anything.
John the apostle also didn't establish a dynastic succession, according to Kumuyi. All these faithful leaders focused on God's kingdom instead, he argued.
Kumuyi emphasized that God's kingdom transcends material concerns and personal gain. "It is righteousness and joy in the holy Ghost," he said in the video.
The pastor made his position crystal clear on his own future plans. "I'm not about to hand over to any son," he declared firmly.
His comments come as many Nigerian church founders have adopted hereditary succession models. This trend has sparked ongoing debate within Christian circles across the nation.
Kumuyi concluded with a prayer for God's will to be done. His stance differs sharply from recent developments in other major Nigerian ministries.
