Pastor William Kumuyi, General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, has clarified that some of the church’s long-standing marriage rules are administrative guidelines rather than biblical commands.
Speaking on church traditions, Kumuyi announced the abolition of a rule that barred a woman from visiting a man she intends to marry. He explained that intending couples may now visit each other during courtship, provided they are accompanied by an elder.
“We just felt you need some time to know one another. And then we said one month will be too short, two months too short. So, why not six months? But it is not from the Bible,” Kumuyi said, noting that such guidelines should not be treated as divine law.
He stressed that Christians must distinguish between God’s law and church principles, which are flexible and subject to change. “Six months is all right, but it’s not something inflexible. If we change it to three months, we’re not changing the Bible, because six months is not in the Bible,” he added.
Kumuyi further explained that the church’s marriage committee was created to provide guidance and organization, not to replace scriptural authority. “There’s no marriage committee in the New Testament. We created it to help you, not because we can give you a chapter and a verse. It is church administration,” he said.
He also warned leaders against wielding undue authority: “Marriage committees should not exercise an authority that God has not given them. This is just church organisation, not divine law.”
