Deeper Christian Life Ministry
[ also known as Deeper Life Bible Church is a ]Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...
with its international headquarters, Deeper Life Bible Church Lagos, in Gbagada, Lagos. It is overseen by the General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi.
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. W.F. Kumuyi was a former Anglican who joined the Apostolic Faith Church after being baptised. In 1975, he was expelled from the church for preaching without credentials. 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. The church has spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
and then to the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, from where branches were developed in western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
In April 2018, The Deeper Christian Life Ministry had its new headquarters church at Gbagada commissioned with the Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo among other dignitaries
In 2020, the Lagos Church had 65,000 people.[Warren Bird]
World megachurches
leadnet.org, USA, retrieved February 15, 2020
Beliefs
The denomination has a Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement confession of faith
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.
The ea ...
. The church has 22 core beliefs.Repentance
Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better.
In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...
* Restitution
* Justification by faith
*Water Baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
*Lord's Supper
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...
*Sanctification
Sanctification (or in its verb form, sanctify) literally means "to set apart for special use or purpose", that is, to make holy or sacred (compare la, sanctus). Therefore, sanctification refers to the state or process of being set apart, i.e. " ...
* Holy Ghost Baptism
* Redemption
*Personal Evangelism
*Marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
*Rapture
The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...
*Resurrection of the dead
* Great tribulation
*Second Coming of Christ
*Christ millennial reign
* Great White Throne Judgement
*New Heaven and the New Earth
* Hell fire
See also
* List of the largest evangelical churches
* List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
* Worship service (evangelicalism)
Bibliography
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References
{{Reflist
External links
Deeper Life Bible Church's website
Evangelical megachurches in Nigeria
Christian organizations established in 1973
Churches in Lagos
Pentecostal denominations established in the 20th century