Who’s In Charge Of UMC’s 192nd Confab? -Members Host Separate Conferences; Women Reject Bishop Quire’s Leadership

The United Methodist Church (UMC) in Liberia continues to face a leadership crisis as members convene separate conferences amid growing discontent with Bishop Samuel J. Quire’s leadership.
The situation, according to our reporter, escalated during the ongoing gathering in Bong County, where the Conference United Methodist Women (CUMW) publicly rejected Bishop Quire’s authority, citing concerns over his endorsement of LGBTQ in the church.
The United Methodist Church was officially established in 1968, and its history dates back to 1730 when John and Charles Wesley, two students at Oxford University in England, gathered a small group of students who sought to spread the Methodist movement.
However, since the alleged acceptance of same-sex marriage by the General Conference in the US, Bishop Quire of the Liberia Annual Conference UMC has come under intense criticism from church members over his refusal to call for a special session and allow members of the church to determine the way forward for the church in Liberia.
The saga followed since the return of the resident Bishop of the Liberia-UMC from the General Conference of the Church in the US, where a new resolution by the global church allows same-sex marriage in all UMC.
The delegates from the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, from April 23 to May 3, 2024, voted 692-51 to repeal the church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy, marking a significant shift in church policy.
As a result of the continuous internal wrangling within the UMC, members have also witnessed the suspension of several local assemblies’ pastors by Bishop Quire as well as the scripting of the UMC’s name from some church edifices.
Others have also returned some of the church’s signboards to the UMC headquarters in Sinkor, with the latest being the series of protests staged by some officials and members of the Monrovia District Conference requesting clarity from Bishop Quire.
Nevertheless, many thought that the long-awaited ongoing UMC Liberia Annual Conference ( UMC-LAC) 192nd Annual Conference, which is expected to last from February 10 to 16, 2025, in Gbarnga, has settled the dust.
But interestingly, our reporter, following the conference activities, observed a group under the banner “Liberia United Methodists for Biblical Christianity (LUMBIC)” hosting a consultative conference on the future of the church at the Gbarnga Administrative Building.
The group conference is being held under the theme: “Wake up to the dawning of a new day: Redeeming the Church from Scriptural Compromise”, taken from the text Isaiah 60: 1-2 and Ephesians 5: 14-17.”
The UMC Liberia Annual Conference ( UMC-LAC) 192nd Annual Conference is being hosted and presided over by Bishop Quire on the St. John United Methodist Church compound in Gbarnga, under the theme: “Know That I am God, taken from the text Psalms 46:1_11.”
Speaking to this paper from the Liberia United Methodists for Biblical Christianity, Rev.Jerry Kulah told the members that they would go to the Global Methodist Church because they could not endorse same-sex marriage.
Rev. Kulah also noted that such practice contradict Liberian laws and values, which are distinct from those in the US and Europe, and vowed, “cannot endorse regionalization because we cannot regionalize the church; we cannot regionalize sin, and we cannot regionalize the Bible.
He further argued that such teachings directly contradict the doctrine of the Holy Bible, which recognizes marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman, and not a woman to woman, and man to man.
The National Traditional Liaison Officer of Liberia, William B.S. Kollie, speaking at their conference, admonished members of the Liberia United Methodists for Biblical Christianity not to accept what he calls ‘gayism’ in the Church.
Kollie said any attempt to endorse gay marriage by the United Methodist Church in Liberia will be rejected by the National Traditional Council of Chiefs and the government of President Joseph Boakai.
He added that the constitution and cultural tradition of Liberia do not support the said practice as such, said action is devilish, demonic and an affront to Christianity and God, thus condemning the practice.
All efforts to speak to Bishop Quire and members of the UMC-LA proved futile as they remained tight-lipped, but the information had it that they were advised not to comment until after the conference after which the Bishop would then release a position statement on behalf of the Liberia UMC.
Meanwhile, the Conference United Methodist Women (CUMW) have publicly rejected the leadership of Bishop Samuel J. Quire, accusing him of supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion, regionalization, and governance reforms that they claim undermine the church’s unity and longstanding traditions.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Bishop Quire, the CUMW denounced the decisions of the 2020/2024 General Conference, which redefined marriage, approved same-sex unions, and restructured church governance.
The women further accused the bishop of suppressing dissenting voices, unlawfully suspending clergy and lay members, and fostering division within the denomination and said, “The United Methodist Church is no longer at the cross-road rather, it has ‘crossed the road.”
” We, the women of the church must speak out and stand as such, we reject the decision of the 2020/2024 General Conference to change the definition of marriage, legalize homosexuality in the church, approve same-sex marriage, and shift the UMC structure from connectionism to regionalization.”
Moreover, Bishop Quire is not a law unto himself. He did not elect himself. There are guide rails and checkpoints. He is not above the Book of Discipline. So, we oppose the acceptance of all money from the Worldwide United Methodist Church to promote homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and regionalization in Liberia,” they added.
The women, at the same time, announced the suspension of Bishop Quire from his role as Ex-Officio of the women’s organization, cautioning him against any interference with their leadership or properties, particularly any attempts to relocate their 78th Conference Women’s Assembly/Anniversary from Guinea.
The women added, “Let it be known that no amount of suspension, fear, or intimidation will stop us from speaking out and standing up for the truth, and we are resolved in our decision moving forward. “