Editorial

On June 6, Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi, Founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, and one of Nigeria’s most impactful and influential spiritual leaders, clocked 80 years of existence this side of eternity. It was a landmark in the ongoing evolution of a truly remarkable life that has positively affected significant numbers of people, both within and beyond Nigeria  while also making invaluable contributions to the country, particularly in the spiritual sphere. This self-effacing pastor belongs to that category of religious leaders that must enjoy prodigious mention in any credible rendering of the social and spiritual history of this period. In August 2016, the influential magazine, Foreign Policy, named Kumuyi as one of the 500 most powerful people on the planet. Yet, the defining essence of his life and ministry are his humility, simplicity and modesty.

Were Pastor Kumuyi to be of an exhibitionist, showy and boisterous disposition, he indeed has much to be proud and boastful about. He presides over a church that ranks among the largest Pentecostal congregations in Nigeria, with thousands of branches across Africa and other continents. In Lagos alone, the Deeper Life Bible Church is reported to have about 500 branches while its estimated 800,000 affiliate members in the country are spread across 5,000 branches. The surging membership of the church is particularly remarkable because, unlike many other Pentecostal churches which enjoy large patronage partly because of such attractions as melodious music, striking interior decorations or the powerful oratory of flamboyant pastors, the Deeper Life Bible Church is known for sobriety, piety and severity both in its doctrinal beliefs and the practical life of its members.

Some critics of the church have decried what is perceived as the excessively demanding disciplinary code imposed on members manifesting, for instance, in ultra conservative dressing requirement shorn of attractive embellishments, shunning by women of adornments such as earrings, neck chains and other forms of jewelry and even, in the earlier years of the church, refraining from watching television or indulging in other forms of entertainment considered harmless by other denominations. Of course, it is only natural that with the passage of time and continued rapid development of information and communication technology, the church has moderated some of these doctrines even though it continues to place a distinctly high premium on strict holiness as a cardinal requirement of its members.

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This orientation of the Deeper Life Bible Church is understandable since, among those who profoundly influenced the spiritual development of Pastor Kumuyi were such puritan evangelical leaders as Charles Finney, John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon. Ironically, another influence on Kumuyi in this regard was Dr Tai Solarin, his principal at Mayflower School, Ikenne, Ogun State, where he had his secondary school education. Solarin was an avowed humanist and atheist who strove to inculcate in his students his disavowal of faith in the existence of God. In the words of Kumuyi, “When I went to secondary school I lost interest in the church because our principal taught us atheism. But after a while I thought again and started going to various churches in town. Eventually, in 1963, a group of singers and preachers from a gospel church got permission to come to the school. I understood the gospel message and was born again on April 5, 1964”. Although he refused to be converted to his principal’s atheistic philosophy, he apparently imbibed Solarin’s strenuous self-discipline and belief in hard work.

Easily one of the most profound and rigorous teachers and espousers of the scripture, Pastor Kumuyi’s sermons show evidence of meticulous study and research, which is obviously a function of hours of serious mental labour. A gifted teacher of God’s word, his messages reflect the power and clarity of his mind, which is not surprising since he obtained a first class degree in mathematics from the University of Ibadan, after which he taught at his alma mater, Mayflower, for five years. Thereafter, he attended the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where he obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and began teaching mathematics in the institution in 1973. His simple sermons are easily understood by those who are well educated as well as listeners with limited education.

It was as a teacher at UNILAG that he started a small bible study group made up of 15 students that in 1982 became the Deeper Life Bible Church. Before this, he had been expelled in 1975 from the Apostolic Faith Church for preaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a development that led him to chart an independent course in ministry.  The international headquarters of his church in Gbagada, Lagos, its International Bible Training Centre (IBTC), Ayobo, also in Lagos, as well as the church’s campground at Km 42 on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State, are sprawling complexes where the ceaseless flow of thousands of participants in various programmes of the church contribute significantly to the economies of the communities in which they are located. When the church inaugurated its international headquarters at Gbagada in 2018, it also built a flyover and pedestrian crossing to service users of the ever busy Oshodi-Badagry Expressway, a commendable example of its corporate social responsibility.

We wish the pastor, who was born in rural Erin-Ijesha in Osun State but has risen to global acclaim, many more years of service to God and humanity.