On Sunday, October 26, 2026, Prophet Israel T. Ford, founder and co-pastor of LifeWorks Church in the Cleveland/Mentor/Euclid, Ohio area, publicly introduced Shakayla Ford as his second wife during a church service. He stood with his first wife, Pastor Lydia Ford, and announced that the couple is in a polygynous marriage—one man with multiple wives. The moment, captured on video and shared widely online, has drawn significant attention and debate.
In a Facebook post accompanying photos and the announcement, Ford 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 one wife only. This is unbiblical.” He encouraged viewers to watch the full sermon (to be uploaded later) and stated he would not prioritize “pleasing man over what God has revealed,” adding that those who disagreed were free to disconnect.
He cited Exodus 21:10 (NKJV), which instructs that a man taking another wife must not diminish the first wife’s food, clothing, or marital rights.
Ford, who has ties to South Georgia, has argued that polygyny appears throughout Scripture (citing figures such as Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon), was never condemned as sin, and that exclusive monogamy is a later Western cultural teaching rather than a biblical mandate.
LifeWorks Church was founded by Ford in 2009. Church materials describe him as Cleveland-raised, a former traveling gospel musician called into ministry at age 20, who began with home Bible studies and has served as teacher, pastor, and prophet. He co-pastors with Lydia Ford, who grew up in a Pentecostal church pastored by her grandmother and mother and is described as a nurturing “mother in Zion.” The church’s stated mission focuses on helping families learn about God, love Christ through obedience, and serve with time, talents, treasure, and testimony. Services are held in the Euclid/Wickliffe area.
The announcement has produced divided online reactions. Some supporters praise Ford for preaching what they see as an unpopular biblical truth, noting Old Testament regulations of polygyny and the absence of an explicit blanket prohibition. Critics call it scriptural twisting or heresy, pointing to the creation account in Genesis 2:24 (“a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”), Jesus’ reaffirmation of that monogamous ideal, and the New Testament qualification that an overseer or bishop must be “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2). Some former attendees have said they left the church over the announcement. Videos of the introduction have circulated on platforms including X and Facebook, generating comments ranging from “we’re in the last days” to accusations of false prophecy or personal desire overriding Scripture.
Legally, Ohio (like every U.S. state) does not recognize polygamous marriages. Bigamy—marrying another person while already married—is a criminal offense under Ohio Revised Code § 2919.01. Religious or private arrangements do not create a second legal marriage or its associated rights and obligations. The Fords’ announcement appears to describe a religious or covenantal relationship rather than a second civil marriage recognized by the state.
The episode highlights a longstanding interpretive divide in Christianity. The Old Testament records and regulates polygyny among some patriarchs and kings without a universal command against it, while also presenting monogamy as the creation ideal and warning kings against multiplying wives (Deuteronomy 17:17). New Testament teaching and church practice across most traditions have treated monogamy as the normative and preferred form, especially for leaders, with polygynous narratives often illustrating resulting family conflict. Small numbers of Christians have revived arguments for “biblical polygyny” in recent years, but it remains a fringe position outside a handful of groups.
LifeWorks Church has indicated the full sermon explaining the position will be released on its platforms. As of the announcement, the development continues to generate discussion about Scripture, leadership, culture, and the boundaries of Christian practice.
