A pastor in Ohio is going viral on social media after revealing to his church that he has been in a polygamous marriage. Pastor Israel Ford of LifeWorks Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and his wife, Lydia, shared this during a recent service. Lydia introduced Israel’s second wife, Shaquayla.
“I want to share that… Prophet and I, we are living in what we would call a polygynous marriage,” said Lydia. “Our prophet has a second wife. Y’all know her, y’all love her, y’all benefit from her ministry every week… [It’s] a pleasure of mine to introduce to y’all prophet’s wife, and my sister in marriage, Minister Shaquayla.”
Shaquayla then joined the married couple onstage and addressed the audience. “Cat’s out the bag,” she joked. “First, I want to just give honor to God, you know, who is leading us and guiding us. And then my husband, and then also my sister in marriage. I want to speak to the fact that I know people have questions, people have comments. and concerns… This is the will of god, and to live it, I have not been slighted not one bit. I have gained so much.”
A unique family dynamic
Shaquayla emphasized that they have a happy “family dynamic in the image of what God wants to put on the Earth,” and that people reached out to them because they were allegedly kicked out of “I’m not a pastor… I’m not here to take any light from Pastor Lydia,” she continued. “I’m here to serve, to help to submit to… our husband.” Israel then added. “I just want to just say a few things… Me and Shaquayla, it’ll be, I think… In one more week, it’ll be three years we’ve been married,” he shared.
It’s worth noting that polygamy in marriage is not legal in the state of Ohio, so it’s unclear if the pastor is actually married to two women at the same time. Violating the Ohio Revised Code Section 2919.01 would be classified as bigamy, a first-degree misdemeanor. However, Israel already has a court record related to his family.
Legal documents from the Court of Appeals of Ohio indicate that Israel was convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence for a 2018 incident involving his then-17-year-old stepdaughter, identified as K.C. K.C. testified that Israel struck her with a belt, “leaving bruises visible three days after the incident”. Israel contested the charge, arguing that “he was administering parental discipline to address his stepdaughter’s misbehavior”.
In September 2019, Ford was found guilty of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor. He and Lydia were acquitted on several related child endangerment charges. At sentencing, the judge said Ford’s behavior went beyond corporal punishment. The conviction was upheld on appeal the following year.
Published: Oct 28, 2026 10:30 am