In 1973, while serving as a mathematics lecturer at the University of Lagos, W.F. Kumuyi started a Bible study group with 15 people who had come to him requesting training in the Scriptures.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8]
In April 2018, The Deeper Christian Life Ministry had its new headquarters church at Gbagada commissioned with the former Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo among other dignitaries [9][10]
In 2020, the Lagos Church had over 65,000 people.[11] The denomination as a whole claims to have over 800,000 members in Nigeria with over 5,500 churches. They also state to have over 3,000 churches in 40 other countries.[12]
^Laurent Fourchard, André Mary et René Otayek, "Entreprises religieuses transnationales en Afrique de l'Ouest", Karthala Editions, France, 2005, page 254
^J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, page 876
