Published: September 8, 2025
MONROVIA — The Liberia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church has welcomed the outcomes of the 2025 Africa College of Bishops meeting and announced it will host the 2026 gathering.
The Africa College of Bishops, the collective body of United Methodist bishops serving across Africa, convenes annually to provide spiritual leadership, fellowship and coordination for the church’s mission on the continent. This year’s meeting, held Sept. 1–4 in Luanda, Angola, brought together 17 bishops, 14 active and three retired, from the Congo Central, West Africa Central, and Africa Central conferences.
The Liberia conference also announced the return of Bishop Samuel J. Quire Jr. and his wife, Mother Richlain N. Quire, following their participation. Quire serves as president of the West Africa College of Bishops and resident bishop of the Liberia Annual Conference.
In their closing statement, the bishops affirmed the growth of the church in Africa with the election of nine new episcopal leaders and the creation of new episcopal areas. They also authorized the West Africa Central Conference to establish a new episcopal area in Nigeria. The statement reaffirmed marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, endorsed regionalization as a way to allow ministry to reflect local cultural and theological contexts, and pledged support for the Central Conferences Endowment Fund.
The bishops celebrated a recent court decision affirming United Methodist property ownership in Liberia, resolved to defend church properties across Africa, and called for peace and an end to violence on the continent. They further emphasized the need to contextualize the Book of Discipline within African realities and expressed gratitude to Angola for hosting the historic gathering.
Quire praised the warm hospitality extended in Angola and reaffirmed his commitment to lead the Liberian church “with faith, courage, and vision.” The Liberia Annual Conference urged United Methodists across the country to remain prayerful, steadfast and united in advancing the mission of Christ.
“As Africa rises, so too does our responsibility to be a light to the nations,” the conference declared.
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