By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA — The Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church has filed a petition in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Montserrado County, challenging actions by the United Methodist Church Liberia Annual Conference that led to the closure of its church edifice. The petition, submitted in the June 2025 term before Assigned Circuit Judge George W. Smith, seeks a declaratory judgment on the legality of the closure and the enforcement of revised church policies.
Represented by Lay Leader Fhr. Cooper T. Tomah, the church argues that the closure resulted from its refusal to adopt the revised Book of Discipline (2020/2024), which redefines marriage to include unions between consenting adult persons of the same gender. The petitioners contend that this redefinition conflicts with Liberian law, including the Domestic Relations Law and the Penal Law, which define marriage exclusively as a civil union between a man and a woman and criminalize deviant sexual conduct.
According to the petition, the church’s governing law, the Book of Discipline (2016), has long affirmed marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, consistent with Liberian statutes. The petitioner asserts that the Annual Conference’s enforcement of the revised definition amounts to coercion and unlawfully deprives the congregation of access to its property, restricting worship and religious activities.
The church argues that under the hierarchy of Liberian law, statutory provisions enacted by the Legislature, including the Domestic Relations Law and Penal Law, override denominational rules and administrative policies. The petition further cites Article 14 of the Liberian Constitution, asserting that the congregation is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the right to worship in the location of its choice.
The petition requests that the court declare the revised provision of the Book of Discipline null and void within Liberia, restore the church to its prior operational status, and grant any other relief deemed just and equitable. The case is expected to draw significant attention as it raises questions about the intersection of religious autonomy and national law in the country.
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