Gospel singers Donnie McClurkin and Nicole C Mullen are engaged

American gospel singers Donnie McClurkin and Nicole C. Mullen are getting married. Donnie McClurkin made the announcement when he appeared on TBN's long -running "Praise the Lord" ministry show on Thursday night.

Rumors that McClurkin and Mullen, 49, were dating started circulating after the two stepped out together at the 2015 Stellar Awards. But the gospel singers never made an official announcement about their romance until Thursday.

A.R. Bernard, who was also a guest on the show  hinted at McClurkin's engagement during a discussion about his new book, What Women Want From Men. Th show host Matt Crouch then stood up and announced that the 56-year-old "We Fall Down" singer and Perfecting Faith Church pastor is, in fact, on course to getting married.

"OK, are you ready for something? You want me to just drop something on ya?" Crouch asked the audience as he shouted, "Donnie McClurkin's getting married! Come on!"

McClurkin then proceeded to explain his decision. "Well praise God," he said. "Honestly, the only thing in my life that is missing is marriage. The only thing that is missing in my life that can cause real family, is marriage. Financially, I'm there. Spiritually, I'm almost there. Emotionally, I'm getting it together. But the only thing that's missing out of everything that I'm doing locally, cross country and globally is that aspect that makes family, family — is that wife that would make man whole, that element that brings favor to man."

"I have a lot of great things, but I don't have a good thing, and there's favor that can only come through marriage to a man,"

The New York-based minister talked about spending his nights watching Cartoon Network until 2 a.m. and confessed that he has come to realize the missing part of his existence is to have a help mate.

"To have someone that I can love. I'm not saying to love me, 'cause there's a lot of people that love me. I want someone that I can love, heal and comfort, protect and secure. That's what I want," he said.

Crouch asked McClurkin to name his future bride and McClurkin described how God brought him and Mullen together on an flight to Africa in December 2015.

McClurkin said that even though they've known each other for 15 years, the first time they really had a chance to talk was when they were seated next to each other on a flight to Ivory Coast, during which they spoke for eight hours.

Mullen was married twice. During her first marriage, the songwriter and choreographer endured physical and mental abuse. In 1993, she married CCM singer-songwriter David Mullen. They announced their divorce in 2014, citing "Biblical reasons" The marriage produced three children, one daughter and two sons.

Donnie has a biological son and an adopted daughter but this will be his first marriage