South African Pastor Ray McCauley to Divorce

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.”