Pastor Ray McCauley’s wife Zelda is going to divorce him, the Rhema Bible Church said on Thursday, January 28, 2010.
“The executive board of Rhema Bible Church and the International Federation of Christian Churches (IFCC) are sad to announce that Pastor Ray McCauley has received from Zelda notice of her intention to file for divorce,” church administrator Giet Khoza said in a statement.
Ray McCauley was “devastated”, but handling the matter “spiritually”.
Source: Mail & Guardian
South African megachurch pastor Ray McCauley and his second wife, Zelda, are planning to divorce after nine years of marriage.
The founder and pastor of 40,000-member Rhema Bible Church in Johannesburg, one of the largest churches in the nation, was “devastated” by his wife’s decision to file for divorce, according to a statement from the executive board of the church and the International Federation of Christian Churches (IFCC), a ministry network McCauley leads.
“Both the leadership of the IFCC and Rhema Bible Church are of the firm belief that divorce is not desirable and should be the last resort,” the board stated. “However, they would like to respect Mrs. Zelda McCauley’s decision to file for divorce.”
Zelda McCauley did not release a separate statement.
McCauley and his first wife, Lyndie, divorced in 2000 after 24 years of marriage. He married Zelda, a former model who has reportedly been twice divorced, in 2001.
He and Zelda separated in 2008 but later reconciled after receiving counseling. At that time, McCauley attributed their marital difficulties to fatigue and spiritual warfare but said their relationship had come through “better than ever.”
McCauley plans to take time off from church leadership, and the executive board said it would “facilitate his recovery from this setback.”
Source: Charisma Online
February 4, 2008 – Reconciliation
There was high drama at Rhema Bible Church, City Press reported yesterday, as a last-ditch attempt to save the crumbling [2nd] marriage of flamboyant Rhema Bible Church boss Pastor Ray McCauley finally succeeded.
On Friday morning, McCauley’s estranged wife Zelda, who was on the verge of divorcing one of the country’s most powerful church leaders, burst into the church headquarters in Randburg, west of Johannesburg, to move all her belongings.
A reliable source said this was after McCauley, 57, and church elders threw in the towel on efforts to save the marriage.
The source told reporters that church leaders were informed this week that mediation efforts had failed, the marriage had irretrievably broken down and divorce was imminent.
Church spokesperson Vusi Mona said on Saturday: “Yes, at some stage the reconciliation attempts looked like they had failed and part of the top leadership was informed. But what is critical now is that Pastor Ray and Mrs McCauley have reconciled.”
A source said Zelda, 50, looked very angry when she went to the premises.
Mona said: “Pastor Ray and Zelda would like to thank all those who prayed for and supported them during the challenging period they went through.
“They would like to ask the church and the Body of Christ in general to continue praying for them as they go through a healing and restoration process.”
One of the problems seemed to be Zelda’s relationship with the church elders.
When approached, Zelda’s lawyer, Kevin Hacker, would not comment and added: “We don’t want to make a private matter public.”
Source: Dispatch Online