Deeper Christian Life Ministry

Deeper Christian Life Ministry
Deeper Life Bible Church

Deeper Life Bible Church HQ, Gbagada, Lagos
Location Lagos
Country Nigeria
Denomination Non-denominational
Weekly attendance 120,000
Website www.dclm.org
History
Founded 1973 (1973)
Founder(s) William F. Kumuyi
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) William F. Kumuyi

Deeper Christian Life Ministry (also known as Deeper Life Bible Church)[1] is a non-denominational Christian Church[2] with its international headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. It is overseen by the General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi.[1][3][4] It is a Holiness-Pentecostal church with an emphasis on holy living.

Faith healing

DLBC's website maintains a set of testimonials from people who claim supernatural healings have occurred as a result of prayers being offered by Pastor Kumuyi. These claims include the reversal of paralysis, spontaneous growth of limbs, spontaneous disappearance of mental diseases, and such.

The church teaches a doctrine of holiness and living a practical Christian life. The most important teaching of the church pertains to its members living holy lives. The General Superintendent, Pastor Kumuyi almost always during all his preachings exhort members and newcomers alike to be born again so as to be qualified for the kingdom of heaven.

The Deeper Life Bible Church has branches in its home Nigeria and other countries, and is also known internationally for its strict adherence to the teachings of Christ, his apostles, and obedience to the word of God. The church lists 22 tenets of their beliefs: the Holy Bible, the Godhead, Virgin birth of Christ, total depravity, Repentance, Restitution, Justification, Water baptism, Lord's supper, Sanctification, Holy Ghost baptism, Redemption, Personal evangelism, Marriage, Rapture, Resurrection of the Dead, Great Tribulation, Second coming of Christ, Christ's millennial reign, Great White Throne Judgment, New Heaven and the New Earth, and Hell fire.[5]

History

In 1973, while serving as a Mathematics Lecturer at the University of Lagos, W.F. Kumuyi started a Bible study group with 15 university students who had come to him requesting training in the Scriptures. The church started as the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. William Folorunso Kumuyi, was a former Anglican who joined the Apostolic Faith Church after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.[6] In 1975, he was expelled from that church for preaching without being credentialed. He continued his independent ministry, which in 1982 became the Deeper Life Bible Church. By the early 1980s that small group had grown to several thousand, at which time Deeper Life Bible Church was formally established.[7][8] The church has spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa and then to the United Kingdom, from where branches were developed in western Europe, Russia,India, and North America.

By 1988 the congregation had grown to 50,000, and now numbers 120,000 members, and is considered one of the largest churches in sub-saharan Africa, with a sizeable population in the world. Dr. Johan Combrinck reports that the Deeper Life Church not only has an attendance of 120,000 every Sunday, but has planted over 500 churches in Lagos, 5,000 in the rest of Nigeria (with an independent estimate of more than 800,000 members in Nigeria alone), and 3,000 elsewhere (with missionaries to 40 countries of Africa) as the movement missionary contribution.

C. Peter Wagner, in an article titled 'Those Amazing Post-Denominational Churches' wrote: "By far, the most rapidly growing segment of Christianity on all six continents is a type of church that does not fit traditional categories or classifications. Missiologists have recognized its presence for some time, but it is such a recent phenomenon that they have not yet agreed on a name for it. Perhaps one title that would fit is the term 'post-denominational."

"Go to almost any metropolitan area and ask to visit the largest Christian Church. Chances are it will be one of these new post-denominational churches'. In Lagos, Nigeria, it would be the Deeper Life Bible Church, pastored by William Kumuyi. On a recent Sunday I saw 74,000 adults worshipping together, with 40,000 children meeting in a separate building across the street."

On August 7, 2012, a Deeper Life church in Okene was attacked by three unidentified gunmen, who opened fire on a Bible study group with Kalashnikov assault rifles, killing 19.[9]

In April 2013, Pastor Kumuyi was named as one of the "500 most powerful people on the planet" by the Foreign Policy Magazine (FP).[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Okoro, Luke (24 October 2009). "Timely Intervention". AllAfrica.com (AllAfrica Global Media). Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  2. ↑ Goodenough, Patrick (4 January 2012). "Terrorists Warn Christians to Leave Nigeria’s Muslim North". Cybercast News Service (Virginia, USA). Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Eyoboka, Sam (10 October 2009). "Refreshing Times at Deeper Life as Kumuyi Launches Satellite TV, Relaxes Stringent Marriage Conditions". AllAfrica.com (AllAfrica Global Media). Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ↑ Souter, Janet (25 January 2003). "Deeper Life Bible Church to start offering suburban services Living faith". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA). p. 2. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  5. ↑ http://www.dclm.org/about/what-we-believe/
  6. ↑ http://protestantism.enacademic.com/191/Deeper_Life_Bible_Church#sel=3:45,3:48
  7. ↑ Korieh, Chima Jacob (2005). Religion, history, and politics in Nigeria: essays in honor of Ogbu U. Kalu. University Press of America. p. 242. ISBN 0-7618-3139-8.
  8. ↑ Idowu, Samuel O.; Filho, Walter Leal. Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility. Springer Publishing. p. 426. ISBN 9783540688129.
  9. ↑ "Nigeria Kogi state curfew after church attack". BBC News. August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  10. ↑ http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/29/the_500_most_powerful_people_in_the_world

External links

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