The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has addressed the issue of succession in the church, saying he would not be pressured or controlled by anyone
Speaking at the leaders’ meeting of the church, the clergyman made it clear that he would continue to lead with conviction and would not be pressured to quit his leadership of the church.
Questioning recent emphasis by some church members on the topic of succession, Pastor Kumuyi said: ‘I’m wondering why this young man is emphasising successor, successor. Are they tired of me? Are you tired of me?
‘Anyone trying to control me, I will not take it; not even from my wife. I am the head of the home.
‘I have been preaching before I married my first wife, and even before I married the second wife after the first passed away.
‘I stand where I stand with conviction, and nobody will put me under’.
Kumuyi recalled that a leader in the church had mentioned succession twice in a recent teaching.
He said while he initially chose not to comment, those that are close to him know the extent of his commitment to work in the ministry.
He identified some Bible characters and their successors, noting that it was God who chose successors for them.
Kumuyi, who was visibly pained that some members of the church did not seem to like seeing him around, said: ‘You are not going to fight your shepherd, your pilot. I reject any member of the church, whether you are a worker, choir member, or security person, who tries to control me.
‘I don’t generally sleep until 2 a.m., sometimes 2:30 a.m., digging into the Word and preparing to give my best to the church. Yet there are some people who still want to restrict where I preach, how I preach, and how long I preach. I will not take that’, he said.
The preacher urged church members and workers — including the choir, ushers, security teams, and family members — not to attempt to weaken his convictions.
‘Don’t try to kill my conviction. You will not succeed. It will only make me resist you more and still teach the truth.
‘When we get to the other side, you will not say, “He didn’t tell us”. I told you, I am telling you, and I will keep on telling you’, Kumuyi declared.
He recounted how he spent so much time digging into God’s word just to give the church the best, saying: ‘If God gives you a pastor that is still very active at this age, with a good voice running everywhere to preach the gospel and you are asking for a successor, it makes me think you are tired of seeing me around.
‘You don’t want to make me feel I’m imposing myself on you’.
Declaring that a successor is coming, he said: ‘When the time comes, God will choose a man after His own heart. Don’t try to drive me away, even though I know you cannot’.
He added that unlearning unproductive practices was necessary for spiritual growth, stressing that opposition to the pastor’s God-given mandate was ‘useless’ and without reward in heaven.
‘I will keep on teaching until I go’.
