Much of Africa Will Join Global Methodist Church

Several strong recent statements from United Methodist leaders in Africa express support for, or at least acceptance of, the coming split of the United Methodist Church. The statements also indicate an intent to join the Global Methodist Church when the time comes. While many details remain to be sorted, these multiple statements taken together seem to be a clear indication that at least much of African United Methodism is likely to ultimately join the emerging Global Methodist Church rather than the liberalized post-separation UMC (psUMC). And that is probably putting it rather modestly. 

After decades of intra-UMC conflict, a peace treaty, “The Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation,” was carefully negotiated, thanks to through the extraordinary intervention of two individuals beyond the usual suspects of American United Methodist leaders. The now-late Bishop John Yambasu, president of our denomination’s Africa College of Bishops, led the way in convening leaders from different constituencies. Kenneth Feinberg, a prominent Jewish attorney, served as a third-party mediator. Bishop Yambasu shared (at the 1:01:57 mark) about the role of prayer in advancing the negotiations and declared his understanding (at the 44:15 mark) that the Protocol was “very consistent” with previous statements of the UMC’s African bishops. His own Sierra Leone Conference overwhelmingly endorsed the Protocol shortly afterwards, with 322 votes in favor and two abstentions.

While no informed observer seriously disagrees with Bishop Yambasu’s statement that UMC separation is inevitable, some have wondered which choices African United Methodists might make. As one African leader has noted, the three main choices facing African United Methodists would be to (1) go with the psUMC (which would have more administrative continuities but more liberal standards), (2) go with the Global Methodist Church being formed for evangelical United Methodists, or (3) split from both to form an autonomous denomination in Africa.

Let me be clear: we at UMAction are firmly committed to the value of self-determination, letting conferences and congregations, in Africa and everywhere else, make their own fair, free and informed choices of which denomination to continue within, and having such choices respected. Neither the psUMC nor the Global Methodist Church should try to heavy-handedly keep a conference or congregation that strongly dissents from the denomination’s values.

These should not be controversial statements. But it is disturbing to hear reports of liberal American leaders spreading misinformation in Africa, in apparent hopes of convincing Africans to go with the psUMC and submit to regional segregation.

In any case, many African United Methodists are now making clear that they are not buying what such liberals are selling. On Facebook, I have already seen pictures of African United Methodists wearing T-shirts with the Global Methodist Church’s logo, reinforcing Jason Vickers’s point about how “names and symbols matter.” More substantial are the multiple public statements from prominent African United Methodist bishops and other leaders.

In late March, an extended declaration from Bishop Kasap Owan of the South Congo was publicized, with the original French appearing alongside an unofficial English translation. (The following quotes are taken from the latter.) It is worth reading in full.

Bishop Owan lamented how the UMC “wastes so much time and energy on discussing one question,” on whether or not to bless same-sex unions. The bishop, who is also a New Testament professor, declared that “even to put this question to a vote is an expression of doubt in the word of God, which is extremely clear and precise on this issue.” He noted how all five of the annual conferences he oversees have recently “unanimously declared they will remain traditional with respect to the authority of the Bible and our Methodist Book of Discipline.” Rejecting biblical standards on marriage would “destroy that fundamental evangelistic foundation for

which missionaries suffered, with some even dying of malaria and other African diseases, for the cause of the gospel.”

And of what this means for the UMC, he declared:

“Certain plans speak of ‘maintaining the unity of the church!’ In what unity will the church hold together? Financial unity? Building and property unity? We believe that it must be a unity of Spirit, Doctrine and Community. How can we stay in Spiritual unity if we resist the authority of the Bible? How can we stay in Doctrinal Unity if we resist the authority of the Book of Discipline?” (emphasis original)

He explicitly named the emerging Global Methodist Church as consistent “with the spiritual and doctrinal aspirations” of his area. “The South Congo will follow a denomination which has total confidence in the love of God, the teachings of God, respect for the commands of God, that is to say, the authority of the Bible,” Bishop Owan declared.

Meanwhile, in his Episcopal Address to the March 17-21 session of the Liberia Annual Conference (also worth reading in full), Bishop Samuel Quire also addressed our denomination’s division. He noted the likelihood of the Yambasu Protocol being adopted at the next General Conference, which would mean that the UMC “would cease to exist as we know it today” and divide “into two or more denominations, a traditionalist denomination, and a progressive denomination.” He summarized the long conflict over sexual morality and the growing defiance of the biblical standards properly decided by General Conference, so that “[t]he Evangelical/Traditionalist Wing of the church has also reached to the point where she can no longer tolerate a rebellion that undermines the spiritual health and growth of the church.”

Bishop Quire thus concluded:

“In view of all this development, what then is the anticipated position of the Liberia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church when the gracious separation happens? First of all, we are uncompromising regarding our commitment to remain obedient disciples of Jesus Christ, and to growing the church in Liberia and Africa consistent with the traditional teaching of the Bible. Our objective is to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ banded together in the common mission to which we have been called by the Father, to be obedient to Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, ensuring that everyone hears the Gospel, and that those who respond become fully committed followers of Jesus. Therefore, when division happens, the Liberia Annual will look forward to partnering with other United Methodist traditionalists all around the world to create a truly global Methodist church that is rooted in Scripture, and the great teachings of the Christian faith down through the ages. We want to be a part of the traditionalist Methodist Church that will make disciples of Jesus Christ. When the separation happens, we are aware that we may lose some of our current partners who are supporting some of our major projects. But we rather stand on the side of the Scripture and truth, than to compromise our faith in the Scripture and disobey Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. We are also confident that the God whom we serve is not broke! God will sustain God’s Church. Our responsibility is to be obedient disciples. This is where I stand and this is where I invite all United Methodists in Liberia to stand along with me as we move into the future service to Jesus Christ. Amen” (emphases added)

While bishops are obviously important, the Yambasu Protocol empowers each annual conference to choose its denomination by democratic vote, rather than letting bishops unilaterally make this choice for conferences. But for its part, this same session of the Liberia Annual Conference overwhelmingly supported a resolution which was reported as committing to “align itself with the wing of the church standing for the upholding of Scriptures in general, and in particular maintaining the 2016 Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church and the definition of marriage, and its stance on homosexuality, and all of the Disciplinary restrictions currently appertaining thereto.”

In Nigeria, I reported previously on how United Methodist leaders from that nation’s four annual conferences released a statement declaring their traditionalist stance and repudiating a manifesto of some more liberal Africans that opposed the Protocol and also endorsed “the Christmas Covenant” regionalization plan. The Christmas Covenant is being heavily pushed by North American liberals, who have publicly admitted it is a just a recycled version of so-called “global segregation plans” to limit non-American (especially African) power, and which have already been rejected at the last two General Conferences. Currently, such liberal leaders, together with some of their key allies in other countries, are energetically campaigning to promote this recycled cause.

Then more recently, Nigerian Bishop John Wesley Yohanna released his own strong declaration (also worth reading in full), which was sent to us. His stance quickly highlighted by a Nigerian newspaper. He apparently felt the need to respond to misinformation being spread and causing “wounds and pain” in church life. This includes denying rumors that because he was part of the meeting and declaration last year that set the foundational vision for the Global Methodist Church, that he had “already exited the United Methodist Church” for another denomination.

The Nigerian bishop outlined his own balanced stance of affirming both the UMC Discipline’s commitment to be in compassionate ministry “with everybody including gays and lesbians” and its moral standards prohibiting same-sex weddings and ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.”

Bishop Yohanna rejected the claim of some Christmas Covenant advocates that homosexuality “is the problem of America.” The bishop countered that this is actually a “biblical issue,” relevant to “all humanity.”

On the Christmas Covenant, Bishop Yohanna made clear that “as a bishop I stand strongly against this plan” and “urged all not to support the Christmas Covenant.” He accurately noted how this regionalization plan would allow the denomination’s African and American regions to adopt different standards on whether or not Christian marriage is limited to one man and one woman. The bishop explained:

“…it is impossible to be one church yet preach different understanding[s] of marriage. This is because we are a connectional church. It is therefore, not possible to be a global United Methodist Church that teaches and practices differently in America and Africa.”

While making clear that the Yambasu Protocol has not yet been adopted, Bishop Yohanna said that if and when it is, “some of us who truly believe in traditional, evangelical bible teachings; who maintain our African values and ethics and who uphold the Christian teaching will cease to be a part of a church that claims to be traditionalist in Africa and progressive” elsewhere. The Nigerian bishop boldly declared that he would not remain part of a UMC “that will change the language of the Book of Discipline to accommodate same-sex marriage and ordination.” “At that point, maintaining our conservative Christian identity will take precedence above the name UMC,” Bishop Yohanna said.

Again, the Yambasu Protocol ultimately puts decisions on denominational alignment in the hands of annual conference voters. Bishop Yohanna himself expressly said that he was “sure the decision to embrace a new Global Methodist Church would be a collective decision.”

Per the latest official statistics, Bishop Owan’s five conferences in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have over 1.1 million church members, Bishop Yohanna’s four Nigerian conferences include more than half a million, and Bishop Quire’s Libera Conference includes nearly 300,000. Combined, these three episcopal areas alone include nearly one third of all African United Methodists.

These three African areas joining the Global Methodist Church, even if 20 percent of their people declined to go along, would alone bring more than 1.5 million members into the new evangelical denomination. This may be more than those who initially come from American United Methodism. Not to mention how numerous additional United Methodist leaders in other parts of Africa, as well as the Philippines, have expressed their desire to join the Global Methodist Church after the Yambasu Protocol is adopted.

Thus, this will be an extremely international denomination, living out both its name and the biblical vision of passionate Christ followers “from every nation, tribe, people and language.”