Ohio Pastor Marries Second Wife, Defends Polygamy

Israel Ford, pastor at LifeWorks Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, near Cleveland and Euclid, announced during a Sunday service with purple stage lighting and Kingdom Marriage screens that he has been married to Shakayla Ford for nearly three years. First wife and co-pastor Lydia Ford introduced Shakayla, already a minister at the church, as the prophet’s wife and her sister in marriage, saying they were living in a polygynous marriage. Shakayla stepped forward after embraces, said the cat is out of the bag, that she has not been slighted and has gained so much, and called the household a family dynamic in the image of what God wants to put in the earth. Israel Ford stated the nearly three-year timeline live, posted the video on Facebook with a defiant caption, argued monogamy-only teaching is unbiblical, cited Exodus 21:10, said he would not choose pleasing man over what God revealed, and said a full defending sermon would be posted later that week. Online reaction included users asking if the video was a skit and citing 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and New Testament passages that require church leaders to have one wife. Shakayla said she remains a minister, not a pastor. Ohio treats bigamy as a misdemeanor; whether the second union has civil standing remains unclear. The church, founded in 2009 and registered as an Ohio nonprofit, offered no further public explanation beyond the service.