— Condemns violence meted against peaceful worshipers by police officers
The Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) has strongly condemned the violence that erupted among members of the United Methodist Church (UMC), Liberia Annual Conference, leading to worshippers being mishandled by officers of the Liberia National Police in multiple counties.
“The Council denounces these acts as a betrayal of Christian values and a disregard for morality,” LCC said in a statement issued on Monday, March 3, while emphasizing that no one should face humiliation or harm while gathering to worship God.
The LCC’s comments are in reference to several acts of violence that erupted at various Methodist Churches across the country on Sunday, March 2.
Notable among those being the 72nd Methodist Church in Paynesville where Pandemonium erupted as officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) disrupted an ongoing service at the front entrance of the church, dispersing worshipers, and arresting several congregants.
The worshipers, earlier banned by court order from entering the building, had gathered in front of the parish to conduct a service when they encountered a violent onslaught of LNP officers throwing tear gas to disperse them. Some parishioners were brutalized and others chased off the premises. Many were seen running helter skelter, spilling the chaos into the surrounding communities and disrupting normal activities.
Those caught in the disturbance sustained wounds while others lost their personal belongings.
The LCC, in its statement signed by the president, Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, expressed deep concern over the excessive use of force by police officers, stressing that law enforcement must protect—not persecute—citizens in places of worship.
“The LCC urges all peaceful Liberians to condemn this violence and calls for urgent dialogue and reconciliation to resolve the UMC crisis,” the statement stated.
The United Methodist Church (UMC), one of the major global protestant denominations has been involved in a prolonged controversy regarding its position on LGBTQ+ matters, including same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy.
Therefore, the conflict at the 72nd United Methodist Church is part of a broader trend of schisms occurring within the UMC. Churches like the Miller McAllister Methodist Church in Ganta, the New Georgia United Methodist Church, the Duazon Methodist Church and the EJ McGill Methodist Church have also experienced divisions over the LGBTQ+ debate.
These congregations assert that their financial contributions towards the construction and maintenance of church properties give them ownership rights, while the UMC asserts that the properties are held in trust for the denomination as a whole.
Historically, the UMC has opposed same-sex marriage in its official doctrine. However, a growing number of congregations and clergy have advocated for greater inclusivity, leading to internal rifts within the church. The UMC, at its global conference in the United States last year, where homosexuality was endorsed, tentatively agreed to allow churches to separate over these contentious issues, resulting in a significant number of departures.
Many of these aggrieved congregations have aligned with the newly established GMC, which upholds traditional beliefs on marriage and sexuality.
The Council has previously engaged Bishop Samuel J. Quire and other church leaders, pleading for a peaceful path forward.
In its statement on Monday, the LCC implored Bishop Quire and the leadership of the breakaway Global Methodist Church to either resolve this matter through dialogue or seek legal recourse—without resorting to violence. The Church must not be reduced to a public spectacle of division and discord.
