An American pastor has announced his marriage to a second wife during a church service, with his first wife standing beside him to introduce the new member of their family.

Israel Ford, who leads LifeWorks Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, made the announcement in a video shared on his Facebook page, appearing alongside his first wife, Lydia Ford, and his second wife, Shakayla Ford.

In the video, Lydia openly addressed the congregation about their family arrangement, describing it as a polygynous marriage and introducing Shakayla as both her husband’s second wife and her sister in marriage.

“Prophet and I, we are living even right now in what we would call a polygynous marriage. My husband, he has a second wife,” Lydia said.

She went on to explain that Shakayla was already familiar to members of the church, noting that they knew her and benefited from her ministry every week.

Lydia then formally introduced her, saying it was her pleasure to present “Prophet’s wife and my sister in marriage, Minister Shakayla.”

Second wife speaks out

Shakayla also addressed the congregation, acknowledging that the announcement could raise questions and concerns among members of the public.

“The cat is out of the bag. The elephant in the room,” she said, before expressing gratitude to God, her husband and Lydia.

She maintained that the arrangement was in line with what she believed God wanted for their family, adding that she had learned a great deal from the pastor.

According to Shakayla, the family did not view themselves as individuals living separate lives but rather as a family unit.

“One thing I want to address  is that it is amazing to know that this is the will of God I habe gained and learned so much  from pastor  he has pured so much into me, into our family , we don’t wlak around as individiulas but as family dynamic in the image of what God wants to put  in my heart,” she stated.

US Pastor defends polygynous marriage

In his Facebook caption accompanying the video, Israel introduced Shakayla to the public as his second wife and defended his decision by challenging the belief that a man should have only one wife.

“As a nation we have been taught that a man should have one wife only. This is unbiblical,” he wrote.

The pastor encouraged his followers to watch his sermon, which he said would be uploaded later in the week, suggesting that it would explain his position on the subject.

He also acknowledged that his stance was unpopular and that some people might disagree with his decision.

“I have no plans to choose pleasing man over what God has revealed,” Israel stated, adding that he understood some people might choose to disconnect from him over the matter.