Pastor W.F. Kumuyi has shut down the rumour that he plans to hand over the Deeper Christian Life Ministry to one of his sons. The General Superintendent of the church addressed the speculation during a service on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

“Nobody has the right to hand over the church to his son,” Kumuyi said. “Peter didn't hand over the church to his son. Paul didn't have a son. John didn't hand over the church to his son.”

The founder of the megachurch, which started in 1973 with a handful of university students in Lagos and now has branches across Nigeria and dozens of countries, said some people had been asking whether he would eventually locate one of his children and transfer leadership to them.

“My friend, it's not always the will of God that you pass it to your son. And there are sons that don't understand that; that leadership in the kingdom isn't a family affair.”

Kumuyi, now 85, has four children — two sons and two daughters — from his marriage to his late wife, Abiodun, who died in 2022. His first son, John, is a pastor in the UK, while his second son, Jeremiah, is also a minister. Neither has held a top leadership position in the Deeper Life headquarters.

The cleric made it clear that succession in the church isn't a family matter. “Many people were speculating, is he going to hand over the church unto his son? Won't he search for his first son, second son, where are they? Where do they live? Isn't he going to hand over the church? Well God will choose, and God will tell who is to have the kingdom.”

Kumuyi cited biblical examples to back his stance. He noted that Peter, Paul, and John — key figures in the early church — didn't transfer leadership to their children. Paul had no wife or children, he pointed out, and still didn't hand over the church to a son.

The speculation about a family succession has been around for years, but it gained fresh attention recently as Kumuyi, who turned 85 in June 2026, has begun to slow down his travel schedule. He hasn't named a successor and has repeatedly said the church's leadership will be decided by God, not by human arrangement.

Deeper Christian Life Ministry, commonly called Deeper Life Bible Church, is one of Nigeria's largest Pentecostal denominations. The church is known for its strict dress code and emphasis on holiness. Kumuyi started it as a Bible study group at the University of Lagos in 1973, and it grew into a global network with millions of members.

Kumuyi's statement is a clear departure from the pattern seen in some other Nigerian megachurches, where founders have handed over to their children. Winners Chapel founder David Oyedepo handed over to his son David Oyedepo Jnr in 2023. The Redeemed Christian Church of God's late founder, Enoch Adeboye, handed over to his son Leke Adeboye in 2024.

Kumuyi, however, made it clear that Deeper Life won't follow that model. “It isn't a personal possession that can be inherited.”