The Board of Ordained Ministry of the Liberia Annual Conference (LAC) of The United Methodist Church (UMC), together with the Office of the Conference Secretary has released a follow-up statement addressing the ongoing crisis within the church.
The statement, dated June 19, 2024, is directed to all clergy and lay members of the LAC/UMC.
Rev. Dr. George D. Wilson, Jr., Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, and Rev. Dr. James Z. Labala, Conference Secretary, extended greetings to church members in the name of Jesus Christ.
They expressed gratitude for the congregation’s patience and prayers as the Board continues to engage with Resident Bishop Samuel J. Quire, Jr., to resolve the current impasse.
A week prior, the Board issued a call for prayer and calm titled “A Call to Prayer and Calm for the Way Forward for the Liberia Annual Conference,” aiming to ease tensions and discontent among church members.
This call was in response to demands for a Special Session of the Annual Conference following the postponed 2020 General Conference, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, from April 23 to May 3, 2024. The Special Session is necessary to hear a report from the elected delegation to the General Conference and to make decisions on the Way Forward Committee’s report.
The decision to call for a Special Session was made during the 191st Session of the Annual Conference, following an appeal from Bishop Quire.
A post-annual Conference cabinet meeting held on February 22, 2024, in the David Tweh Toe conference room, resulted in the decision to hold a Special Session in Gbarnga, Bong County, from July 16-17, 2024, followed by a mid-year cabinet meeting from July 17-19, 2024.
However, since the end of the General Conference, there has been no announcement from Bishop Quire or his Cabinet regarding the Special Session, despite significant actions taken at the General Conference affecting all annual conferences worldwide.
The Board of Ordained Ministry, along with Retired Bishop Arthur F. Kulah and other conference officials, met with Bishop Quire on June 11, 2024, to encourage him to call for the Special Session. Bishop Quire requested one week to respond to the request. The Board emphasized that a duly called Special Session is essential for the membership of the Liberia Annual Conference to voice their concerns through their elected representatives and to discuss and vote on the decisions made at the 2024 General Conference.
“The voice of the entire membership of the Liberia Annual Conference can only be heard through their elected representatives of lay and clergy members at a duly called Special Annual Conference session,” said Rev. Dr. Wilson.
The UMC’s administrative structure dictates that no single leader, including the Resident Bishop, has the authority to speak on behalf of the church on critical matters without a mandate from the Annual Conference. The leader’s legitimacy to speak for the UMC in Liberia on any significant issue, such as the recent decisions taken at the General Conference, is derived from the decisions made by the Annual Conference.
As requested by Bishop Quire, the Board and other church leaders met with him again for further consultation. The Board reiterated its conviction that the Special Session is necessary for appropriate reporting, discussions, reflections, and voting by the Liberia Annual Conference.
The Board concluded its statement by urging the membership to remain calm and committed to prayer as they await the outcome of the ongoing consultations with Bishop Quire.
It can be recalled that the United Methodist Church in Liberia made its stance clear on the controversial decision taken by the United Methodist Conference in the United States to embrace homosexual practice within the church.
Samuel J. Quire, Bishop of the Liberia Annual Conference (LAC) of the UMC, stated during a press conference in Monrovia that the Liberian Methodist Church rejects this move, affirming that the church does not support same-sex marriage.
“To all United Methodists in Liberia and our Liberian Public, the United Methodist Church is not a gay church,” Quire declared at a press conference in Monrovia over the weekend.
Quire indicated that whether regionalization is ratified or not, the Methodist Church in Liberia will not conduct any weddings or ordinations of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals.
The decision by the United Methodist General Conference to lift bans on LGBTQ individuals and redefine marriage as a lifelong covenant between “two people of faith” has triggered debates within the Methodist community worldwide.
Prior to Bishop Quire’s pronouncement, a gathering of young people within the United Methodist Church in Liberia took place at St. Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church On June 7, in Sinkor to protest against homosexual practices in the Church.
Led by Alfred Mensah, the aggrieved youths protested in Monrovia against the Church’s leadership, accusing them, especially Bishop Quire, of supporting same-sex marriage. The protesters claimed that Quire had signed documents endorsing same-sex marriage while in the United States.
During the protest, spokesperson Mensah expressed that same-sex marriage contradicts the teachings of God, and therefore, church members will oppose it. Recently, a conference was held in Charlotte, USA, on May 3, with 447 clergy members attending, to discuss amending or repealing the 52-year-old issue of same-sex marriages in United Methodist churches.
In the conference, African delegates largely voted against the amendment, considering it contrary to the word of God. The youth population of the Liberian United Methodists made it clear that they would not accept any form of homosexual relationships.
