Why I’ll never hand over Deeper Life Church to any of my biological sons - Pastor Kumuyi

• Pastor Kumuyi dismissed rumours that one of his sons could succeed him as leader of Deeper Life Church.

• He said the church belongs to Jesus Christ and cannot be inherited or transferred based on family ties.

• Kumuyi cited biblical figures like Peter, Paul and John, saying they did not pass church leadership to their children.

The Founder and General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has made it clear that none of his biological sons will automatically succeed him as leader of the church.

Speaking during a recent church programme, the respected cleric addressed growing speculation about who could take over the leadership of Deeper Life Bible Church in the future.

According to Kumuyi, some people had gone as far as searching for information about his children because they believed he might eventually hand the ministry over to a family member.

“Many people were speculating, is he going to hand over the church to his son? Some were searching for his first son and searching for his second son, asking where they are and where they live,” he said.

The renowned preacher stressed that Deeper Life does not belong to him and therefore cannot be treated as a family inheritance.

“You see, he’s not going to hand over the church. Well, it’s not his church. Jesus said, ‘Upon this rock, I will build my church.’ Jesus said it is His church. It’s not Peter’s church. It’s nobody’s church,” Kumuyi declared.

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Pastor Kumuyi, who founded Deeper Life in 1973 as a Bible study group before it grew into one of the largest Pentecostal ministries in Nigeria and across several countries, said leadership in Christ's church should never be based on family connections.

“It’s the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and nobody has the right to hand it over to his son,” he added.

The preacher also cited examples from the Bible, noting that some of the most influential leaders in early Christianity did not transfer spiritual authority to their biological children.

“Peter did not hand over the church to his son. Paul did not hand over the church to his son. John did not hand over the church to his son,” he said.

Kumuyi urged Christians to focus on advancing God's kingdom rather than becoming preoccupied with personalities or family succession debates.

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He reminded believers that the kingdom of God is centred on spiritual values, describing it as "not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."

His comments come at a time when succession planning remains a major topic of discussion in several large churches and religious organisations, particularly as founding leaders grow older and questions arise about who will take over after them.

Reaffirming his position, Kumuyi said he remains committed to whatever direction God chooses for the future leadership of the church.

“I was not about to hand that over to any son. The will of the Lord be done in Jesus’ name,” he said.