Israel Ford: US Pastor Marries Second Wife, Introduces Her to Church in Polygynous Marriage Reveal
- US pastor Israel Ford publicly revealed his polygynous marriage by introducing his second wife, Minister Shaqayla, to his congregation at a live church event
- Ford's first wife, Pastor Lydia, made the introduction herself, describing the arrangement as the will of God and calling Shaqayla her 'sister in marriage'
- Minister Shaqayla confirmed she and Ford have been married for nearly three years, saying the arrangement 'keeps getting better'
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A US pastor has stunned the internet after footage emerged of him revealing a polygynous marriage to his congregation, with his first wife personally stepping up to introduce the second.
Source: Facebook
Israel Ford, associated with LifeWorks Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, announced his marriage to Shakayla Ford, formerly known as Shakayla Talley, a minister and fellow congregant, in a social media post on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
A video, filmed at what appeared to be a church or ministry venue branded with "Kingdom Marriage" signage, showed the pastor and his wife, Pastor Lydia, walking up to a podium microphone to make the announcement.
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Ford's first wife told the congregation that she and her husband, referred to as "Prophet", were living in what she described as a polygynous marriage before inviting his second wife to the stage.
"My husband, our Prophet, has a second wife. You all know her. You all love her. You all benefit from her ministry every week," she said, ahead of introducing Minister Shaqayla to audible applause from the audience.
Israel Ford's second wife defends marriage arrangement
Shaqayla took to the microphone with a composed and direct address, acknowledging the elephant in the room immediately.
"Cat is out the bag," she told the crowd.
The second wife insisted the arrangement had not diminished her in any way, saying,
"I have not been slighted, not one bit. And I have gained so much."
Shaqayla described the household as a genuine family unit, pushing back against the idea of internal tension or rivalry.
"We don walk around like individuals fighting beefing but it is a family dynamic in the image of what God wants to put in the earth," she said.
Shaqayla also referenced others beyond their congregation who had reached out, saying people in different states had contacted them expressing interest in living similarly and that some had even been expelled from other churches for doing so.
She was also keen to draw a clear boundary around her role, adding:
"I'm not a pastor, please. I'm not here to take any light from Pastor Lydia. Not at all. I'm here to serve, to help, to submit to the prophet."
Pastor Lydia rounded out the announcement by noting that Israel Ford and Shaqayla had been married for nearly three years.
Pastor Israel Ford defends polygamy
In a caption that accompanied his post on Facebook, Israel Ford defended his decision to marry a second wife, claiming that the concept of monogamy in the US was unbiblical.
The popular US pastor claimed that his second marriage was a revelation from God and that he was not interested in pleasing man.
He wrote:
"I would like to introduce to the world my second wife, Shakayla Ford!!! As a nation we have been taught that a man should have only one wife. This is unbiblical. I encourage you to watch today’s sermon in its entirety (uploaded later this week)."
"I understand that this is an unpopular truth that we have gotten away from, and many Pastors will not preach. I have no plans to choose pleasing man over what God has revealed."
"People may not accept this and choose to disconnect, and that is ok! This life will be over soon, and we can all laugh about it in Heaven. Until then, God bless. Exodus 21:10 NKJV."
The Facebook video of Pastor Israel Ford and his first wife introducing the second wife is below:
Reactions to Israel Ford's polygynous marriage reveal
The clip spread rapidly online, drawing a wide range of responses.
YEN.com.gh has compiled some reactions from social media users below:
@FranklinSimeon wrote:
"See, pastors can get away with saying almost anything just be playing piano softly at the background. It's like the main brainwash is the piano music playing at the background."
@MalkahTO said:
"The will of who? Girl, stop please. Again, God is not an author of confusion.🙏🫠"
@Challplanet24 commented:
"If it looks wrong. Sounds wrong. Feels wrong. Then its definitely not right. Men of God can get away with just anything they do just by mentioning the name 'Jesus."
US-based pastor Samuel Nnamdi deported to Ghana
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported about Texas pastor Samuel Nnamdi, who was deported to Ghana under the Trump administration’s third-country immigration policy.
Despite having no criminal record, a job at UPS and a family in the US, Nnamdi said he was left wondering how to begin again in a country he had never visited.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
