From Professor to Pastor, the Story of William F. Kumuyi

“Praying is a great privilege with great potentials; but wrong motives, hypocrisy and unrighteousness will render it useless and unprofitable.” – William F. Kumuyi

Much of what William Kumuyi mentions in today’s quote has been covered in other devotional messages this week, particularly yesterday’s where I wrote about praying with earnestness, expectation, a pure heart and the right motives. And so, instead of simply repeating what I have already written, I thought I would simply offer a brief biography about this week’s featured author and then close with a few lessons from his life and a select verse about prayer.

William F. Kumuyi was born on June 6, 1941, in the Osun State of Nigeria. He was raised in a Christian home but rebelled as a teenager. Here, in his own words, is how William came to saving faith in Jesus Christ…

“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.”

Although Kumuyi pursued a career in mathematics, he began a Bible study group with 15 students who had come to him for training while he was at professor at the University of Lagos. This small group became the core of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry and the Deeper Life Bible Church, which has since grown to more than 800,000 affiliates. The ministry’s headquarters contains a 30,000-seat auditorium, making it the fourth-largest church in the world.

A few lessons that we can learn from Kumuyi’s life include (1) being raised in a Christian home doesn’t make you a Christian, you must come to Jesus personally; (2) starting your career in one vocation doesn’t mean that God won’t move you into a different one – maybe even into full-time ministry – so stay flexible and sensitive to His leading; and (3) you can’t go wrong by reading anything written by Charles Spurgeon.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President