Published: July 14, 2025
GANTA, Nimba County – The Global Methodist Church Liberia has officially ended ties with the United Methodist Church (UMC), confirming its full separation during the conclusion of its first Annual Conference held over the weekend in Ganta, Nimba County.
The new denomination’s convention, now known as the “Grain Coast Annual Conference,” named Nigerian Bishop John Pena Auta as the Presiding Bishop of the Liberia Episcopal Area. Rev. Dr. Jerry P. Kulah was appointed Conference Superintendent, while L. Orlando Boyce was selected as Conference Lay Leader.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Kulah said the church now has over 50,000 members and more than 100 congregations across 14 districts and circuits in Liberia. He said the church will focus on four key areas: evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and sustainable development.
“We are no longer focused on the past. We do not see our former denomination, the United Methodist Church, as enemies. Rather, we embrace them to come on board,” Dr. Kulah told the gathering, signaling a willingness for peace, despite the break.
The decision to leave the UMC follows years of disagreements over the church’s position on LGBTQ+ issues, particularly the ordination of gay clergy and same-sex marriages. Conservative members, especially in Africa, strongly opposed these changes.
In 2019, the UMC adopted a plan allowing churches to disaffiliate over such matters. By 2022, the Global Methodist Church was formed as a new, traditionalist denomination for those seeking to uphold what it calls “biblical values.”
Dr. Kulah, who had long opposed the UMC’s progressive stance, was among the leading voices in Liberia pushing for a new direction. The Ganta conference is the first formal gathering of the breakaway group in Liberia since the church’s local launch in February this year.
“We are charting a new path that aligns with our faith and calling,” Dr. Kulah said. “Our mission now is to win souls, grow the church, and help improve the lives of people in Liberia.”
The church said it plans to expand by opening more congregations and carrying out community development work alongside spiritual outreach.
Earlier this year, the church held leadership trainings in Harper, Maryland County, as part of its push to strengthen its structures in Liberia. The conference also comes amid an ongoing court case over property rights between the Global Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church in some districts.
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