By: Julius Konton
In what church historians are describing as one of the most sweeping disciplinary actions in African Methodism, the United Methodist Church in Liberia has formally excommunicated and revoked the ministerial credentials of 125 clergy, including some of the denomination’s most influential theologians and senior pastors.
The decision was taken during the 193rd Annual Session of the Liberia Annual Conference (LAC)—the highest legislative and judicial authority of the church in the country held in Greenville, Sinoe County.
The move has ignited intense debate within Liberia’s religious community and across the global Methodist connection, raising profound questions about church authority, doctrinal enforcement, and the limits of dissent.
WHO WAS EXPELLED
Among those stripped of ordination credentials are:
Rev. Dr. Jerry K. Kulah
Rev. Dr. Sarwolo J. Nelson Jr.
Rev. Dr. George G. Wilson Jr.
Rev. Dr. Isaac Chukpue-Padmore
Rev. Dr. Julius Z. Y. K. Williams
Rev. Rose Farhat
Rev. Jerry Kandea
Rev. Kenneth C. Jackson
Rev. Rodney Marshall
Rev. Allen Paye
Rev. Dr. Charles Fiske
Rev. Dr. Anna K. Labala
Rev. Cooper Pay Mondolo
and 113 other former clergy
Collectively, the expelled pastors represented more than 18% of Liberia’s active United Methodist clergy, according to conference enrollment data making this the largest single clergy purge in the church’s nearly two-century history in Liberia.
THE LEGAL AND DOCTRINAL BASIS
Conference officials stated that the affected clergy were found to have allegedly “acted in flagrant disregard for the order, discipline, and doctrinal standards” of the United Methodist Church.
Central to the ruling was the clergy’s alleged refusal to surrender ministerial credentials when formally requested by the Conference Secretary, a requirement mandated under Paragraph 361 of the 2020/2024 Book of Discipline, the denomination’s constitutional and legal framework.
Under Paragraph 605.7, the Annual Conference is empowered to terminate clergy membership, while Paragraph 2702.1(c) criminalizes any act that undermines church order or facilitates unauthorized ministry.
During the Clergy Session, delegates voted by well over the constitutionally required two-thirds majority, a supermajority threshold designed to prevent politically motivated expulsions to terminate, nullify, and revoke the credentials of the named individuals.
The Board of Ordained Ministry, the body charged with oversight of clergy conduct and credentials, confirmed that all procedures complied fully with denominational law.
A CHURCH AT WAR WITH ITSELF
While church leaders frame the decision as a defense of doctrinal integrity and connectional unity, critics argue it represents an institutional crackdown on reformist voices amid broader global tensions within Methodism particularly following recent worldwide debates over theology, governance, and social doctrine.
Many of the expelled clergy were highly educated, some holding doctoral degrees from Methodist and ecumenical institutions abroad.
Several had served the church for over two decades, leading large congregations and theological institutions.
Conference leaders counter that education does not confer immunity from discipline, stressing that ordained ministers swear lifelong vows to uphold the Book of Discipline not selectively, but in totality.
PUBLIC SHAMING OR TRANSPARENCY?
In one of the most controversial aspects of the resolution, the Conference ordered:
Public publication of all expelled names, declaring them no longer clergy of the United Methodist Church.
A total ban on the individuals from entering United Methodist pulpits or chancery offices nationwide.
Strict sanctions against any clergy who permit expelled individuals to function in ministerial roles.
Supporters say the measures protect congregations from deception.
Opponents call it ecclesiastical blacklisting unprecedented in Liberia’s post-war religious landscape.
ROOTS OF THE CRISIS
The expulsions did not occur in isolation.
In October 2024, Bishop Samuel J. Quire Jr., Resident Bishop of the Liberia Episcopal Area, suspended several pastors, including Rev. Kenneth C. Jackson and Rev. Allen Paye, citing insubordination, defiance of episcopal authority, and contempt for the Board of Ordained Ministry.
Those suspensions followed what church officials described as a coordinated rebellion aimed at undermining conference authority and creating parallel structures of influence within the church.
The 193rd Annual Session, many delegates say, was the legal culmination of a crisis years in the making.
IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBERIA AND GLOBAL METHODISM
With the United Methodist Church in Liberia overseeing hundreds of congregations, schools, hospitals, and social programs, the fallout could be significant affecting rural parishes, donor confidence, and ecumenical relations.
International observers note that the Liberian action may set a precedent for stricter enforcement of discipline in other African conferences, at a time when global Methodism remains ideologically fractured.
OFFICIAL POSITION
In its closing statement, the Liberia Annual Conference reaffirmed its commitment to:
“Doctrinal integrity, connectional order, and faithful obedience to the teachings and laws of The United Methodist Church, while continuing the mission of evangelism, discipleship, and service to all people.”
Whether history records the decision as a necessary act of institutional preservation or a moment of irreversible division remains an open and deeply consequential question.
