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To Preach At His Inauguration
Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi, the internationally renowned evangelist and founder of Deeper Life Bible Church, made history a few weeks back by attending Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration as the 47th U.S. President.
As the leader of one of the world’s largest Christian congregation, Pastor Kumuyi’s presence at the event showed the growing ties between evangelical movements in Africa and the United States.
During his first term, Trump positioned himself as a strong advocate for religious freedom. His administration hosted the first-ever global summit on religious liberty in 2019 and issued executive orders prioritizing religious rights in U.S. foreign policy. While Trump’s inaugural guest list notably excluded African heads of state, Pastor Kumuyi received a personal invitation to participate in inauguration-related ceremonies.
Due to the harsh weather, the official swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors, and Pastor Kumuyi couldn’t attend. However, he participated in the Inauguration Praise & Prayer Convocation hosted by U.S. evangelical leaders Jim Garlow and Tony Perkins. There, he delivered a powerful prayer, emphasizing a renewed commitment to religious freedom and global evangelism. Many observers believe Trump invited Pastor Kumuyi to strengthen his connection with African Christian communities, where he enjoys support among evangelical believers. Professor Dion Forster, a religious studies expert, noted that Trump doesn’t always follow the usual political route of working with ambassadors and government officials. Instead, he focuses on powerful individuals outside politics, like religious leaders, to extend his influence.
In a statement, Pastor Kumuyi explained that his participation in the inauguration was driven by a desire to “celebrate a return to religious freedom in America and support other nations in combating religious persecution.”
Pastor Kumuyi’s presence at Trump’s inauguration was a statement of the growing influence of African Christian leaders on the global stage. With Deeper Life Bible Church attracting millions through The Global Crusade With Kumuyi, his impact extends far beyond Nigeria, making him a key figure in international faith-based movements.
Let’s tell you more about Pastor Kumuyi is the convener of Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK), and the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry situated at Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of several Christian books and devotionals. He is 84.
He was born into a Christian family in Erin-Odo Ijesa, Osun State. He completed his secondary school education in 1961 at Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun State, from where he proceeded to the University of Ibadan and in 1967 graduated with a first-class honours degree in Mathematics where he graduated as Overall best graduating student in that year. He subsequently took a post-graduate course in Education at the University of Lagos. He became a born-again Christian on Sunday, 5 April 1964 at the age of 23.
On his upbringing, Kumuyi was quoted to have said
“We would get up in the morning, read the Bible, sing hymns, and go to church regularly. When I went to secondary school I lost interest in the church because our Principal taught us atheism. But after a while, I thought again and started going to various churches in town. Eventually, in 1963, a group of singers and preachers from a Gospel church got permission to come to the school. I understood the Gospel message and was born again on April 5th, 1964. I read John Wesley, Charles Finney, Spurgeon, and lots of other books. I got involved with the Scripture Union, and I grew attend Kumuyi was influenced by John Wesley, Charles Finney and Charles Spurgeon. His father was a member of the Anglican Church.
Pastor Kumuyi began teaching Mathematics in 1962 at Mayflower School, his alma mater. He went on, in the early 1970s, to become a Lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Lagos.
In 1973, while being a lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Lagos, Kumuyi began a Bible study group with 15 students who had come to him for Bible training. This Bible training birthed the foundation of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. In 1975, Kumuyi was expelled from the Apostolic Faith Church for preaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He continued his independent ministry, which in 1982 became the Deeper Life Bible Church. As at 2005, the Christian ministry is said to have over 800,000 affiliates.
The Deeper Christian Life Ministry founded by Pastor Kumuyi has the international headquarters of its church in Gbagada, Lagos. The church auditorium at the international headquarters could sit up to 30,000 worshippers; it was described by experts as the 4th largest in the world. The auditorium was inaugurated on 24 April 2018. The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof, Yemi Osinbajo, and some other dignitaries attended the inauguration .
Other notable places of worship of his Christian ministry include: the Deeper Life Conference Centre in Ogun State at Kilometer 42, Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and the International Bible Training Centre (IBTC) at Ayobo, Lagos.
Kumuyi met Abiodun Olowu in September 1972. She became one of his Bible study students and a member of his fledging Christian ministry. They got married on 13 September 1980 in Lagos, and they have 2 children, Jeremiah and John. Unfortunately, Mrs Abiodun Kumuyi died on 11 April 2009.
On 13 October 2010, exactly 18 months after the death of his first wife, Kumuyi married Folashade Adenike Blaize in London. Folashade was the Administrator of the Deeper Life Bible Church, London.
In January 2025, Kumuyi was specially invited by Donald Trump to be in attendance at his second inauguration on 20 January 2025. He was said to have commended Trump for “his bold commitment to defending Christian values and championing international religious freedom throughout his first term in office”.
In 2013, Foreign Policy magazine listed Kumuyi among the “500 most powerful people on the planet”.
In 2018, Kumuyi received an honorary PhD from the University of Abuja.
Pastor Dr. W.F. Kumuyi recently started conducting a series of Global Gospel Crusades since April 2021 in Abuja. The June, July, and August 2021 series in Abuja, Calabar and Enugu in Nigeria respectively, were conducted as Global Crusades.
There were participants connecting to the Crusade both on social media and dedicated Zoom connections. The August 2021 edition featured Don Moen ministering along with him. These crusade series was branded Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK) in July 2022 with former President of Nigeria and former Vice President of Zambia, Olusegun Obasanjo and Nevers Mumba respectively among others in attendance at the brand launch.
The first ever book-length biography of Pastor Kumuyi was written and published in 2021 by Banji Ojewale. The biography of 325 pages is entitled, Kumuyi: Defender of the Faith. The foreword was written by Pastor Enoch Adeboye. Former Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo and Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu were among prominent world leaders that launched the book.
