Lydia Ford Introduces Husband’s Second Wife at Church

Lydia Ford introduced Minister Shakayla Ford as her husband Israel Ford’s second wife during a LifeWorks Church service near Cleveland on October 25, describing the arrangement as a polygynous marriage. Israel Ford later defended the arrangement on religious grounds, while its legal status under Ohio law remains unestablished. The announcement took place at the church in Wickliffe, where Lydia Ford serves as co-pastor with her husband. She told the congregation that the three were living in what she called a polygynous marriage, a form of polygamy in which one man has more than one wife. Shakayla, formerly known as Shakayla Talley, is a minister at the church and now uses the Ford surname. Congregants applauded and cheered during the announcement, while some appeared surprised. Shakayla said she was there to serve and submit, and suggested the arrangement might bring new people to the church. Israel Ford founded LifeWorks in 2009. In a social media post, Israel Ford argued that the teaching that a man should have only one wife is unbiblical and cited Exodus 21:10. The passage describes obligations toward a first wife if a man takes another wife. Another biblical passage, 1...