Pastor William Kumuyi has announced major changes to Deeper Life marriage rules, cancelling the six-month compulsory courtship and the restriction on visits, stressing that such traditions are not biblical but administrative.
The General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has unveiled a series of important reforms to the church’s marriage guidelines, stressing that many of the rules previously enforced by the ministry were not divine commandments but administrative decisions designed for order and guidance.
Pastor Kumuyi made these clarifications on Sunday, August 31, during the 2025 Global Family and Marriage Conference, where he spoke extensively about the need for Christians to clearly differentiate between the eternal word of God and church-made traditions that could be modified with time.
One of the key reforms he announced was the cancellation of the restriction that forbade a lady from visiting a man she intended to marry.
He explained that the rule was not scriptural but was simply adopted by the church leadership to maintain caution.
Under the new guideline, prospective couples are now free to visit each other during courtship, provided that an elder is present to give guidance and ensure accountability.
Another notable change was the removal of the compulsory six-month courtship period that had been part of the church’s marriage policy for years.
Pastor Kumuyi clarified that while the guideline was introduced to give couples enough time to study and understand each other, it was never a biblical requirement.
“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,” he explained.
“According to him, the duration of courtship should be flexible, depending on the maturity and readiness of the couple. Reducing it to three months or extending it beyond six months does not in any way contradict God’s word.
Pastor Kumuyi strongly emphasised that Christians must be spiritually mature enough to understand the difference between God’s commandments and human traditions created for administrative purposes.
He cautioned against giving human regulations the weight of divine authority, warning that such attitudes could lead to confusion in the body of Christ.
“As a Christian, you need to be so mature that you know the difference between the law of God and the principles in the church.
“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.
Addressing concerns about the role of church marriage committees, Pastor Kumuyi explained that these bodies were never established as replacements for biblical authority.
Rather, they were created to provide guidance, counsel, and administrative order for members preparing for marriage.
“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 clarified.
Kumuyi concluded his message with a stern warning to church leaders, particularly marriage committee members, urging them not to exercise authority beyond what the scriptures allow.
He reminded them that while administrative structures may be necessary in large congregations, they must never overshadow or override the authority of the Bible.
