Kumuyi Fires Back on Succession Talks: “God, Not Man’s Pressure, Will Make me Quit”

RYNI News | Omotayo Stephen . O
10 August 2025

In a rare, emphatic response to growing murmurs within his congregation, Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, has dismissed any notion that he will step aside from leading the church under external pressure, insisting that only divine direction will determine the timing of his succession.

Speaking during a leaders’ meeting, Kumuyi addressed what he described as an unusual fixation on the question of his successor. “I’m wondering why this young man is emphasising successor, successor. Are they tired of me? Are you tired of me?” he asked, his tone both reflective and firm.

The veteran preacher made it clear that neither church members, ministry leaders, nor even family could dictate his leadership decisions. “Anyone trying to control me, I will not take it — not even from my wife,” he declared. “I have been preaching before I married my first wife, and before I married my second after my first passed away. I stand where I stand with conviction, and nobody will put me under.”

He pointed to biblical precedents where God, not men, appointed successors to spiritual leaders, emphasising that the same principle applies to his ministry. While acknowledging that a successor will indeed emerge one day, Kumuyi stressed that it will happen in God’s time and not through human agitation.

Visibly pained by suggestions that his presence has overstayed its welcome, the 83-year-old clergyman rejected attempts to limit his preaching schedule, duration, or content. “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 who want to restrict where I preach, how I preach, and how long I preach. I will not take that.”

He urged members — from ushers to choir members to security personnel — not to undermine 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,” he warned.

Kumuyi reminded the congregation of the privilege of having an active leader at his age, noting that the real issue should be supporting the ministry’s mission, not preempting its transition. “When the time comes, God will choose a man after His own heart. Don’t try to drive me away — even though you cannot.”

Concluding with a note of resolve, Kumuyi called on the church to “unlearn unproductive habits” and focus on eternal rewards rather than internal politics. His message was unmistakable: the pulpit is not a place for human power games, and the calling he carries will remain until the One who gave it decides otherwise.

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