Who Really Speaks for African United Methodists – 'R'hetoric

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It is the last day of the historic General Conference of the United Methodist Church. It has been historic in laying the foundation of truly being a worldwide church that stands on the solid rock of our ongoing missional success. A worldwide church must recognize the challenges of navigating different cultures, languages, political systems, and socio-political realities as together we lift the cross and flame. We do so because our historic Wesleyan theology of grace long ago recognized by our founders, would not be a movement of Christians who all think alike or come to a uniformity of beliefs on non-essential matters. Those same founders further said we can all be united on the essentials of our faith and love alike. This spirit of unity and love has been palpable in Charlotte for two weeks of work and planning for a future of renewal.

I write as a pastor who serves the Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, and one who has many United Methodist friends from all over the world. I am more traditional, or centrist theologically, and believe most of our United Methodists in the United States, and for sure in Africa, lean more traditional or centrist in their theology. I celebrate that the United Methodist Church will continue to be, as we always have been, a church with many voices. Now we can say loudly and clearly, and mean it, ALL are welcome. Being a church that is now more inclusive on matters related to LGBTQ people does not mean that we have become an echo chamber church of one way of thinking and being, as some will tout in their misleading rhetoric.

In our congregation in Dallas, Texas, we have many members from the continent of Africa. Whereas they come from more than a dozen countries, most of those members are from Liberia and Zimbabwe. We also have a considerable number of LGBTQ people, most coming from very conservative churches with stories of “church harm”, even hate. I will return to a church tomorrow that has keen interests in the voices of Africans and the well-being of all of our members. So, in this post I address my members, especially those who call a country in African “homeland.” This post is in response to a intentionally misleading “press release” coming from these men— Rev. Dr. Jerry Kulah (Liberia), Mr. Prosperous Tunda (East Congo), Rev. Dr. Danjuma Judi (Nigeria), Dr. Yeabu Kamara (Sierra Leone), Ginford Dzimati (Zimbabwe). The press release is entitled, “A position Statement of the Majority Delegates of the Central Conferences of Africa to the UMC General Conference.”

I first question whether these men truly speak “for the majority of African delegates,” and I doubt that they speak for the majority of United Methodists even in their five annual conferences, especially when their sisters and brothers back home come to know the truth about what has actually happened at the General Conference for the greater good for all.

It is absolutely certain that these men do speak for the ones behind the support of the Africa Initiative. This is a group which the majority of African Bishops have called out as intending harm to the United Methodist Church. The bishops pointed to the agitators and funders—the Wesley Covenant Association (WCA) and their co-conspirators Good News, Institute of Religion and Democracy (IRD) as being unwelcome with their misleading agenda promoting a new denomination. Nearly every action of General Conference, including Regionalization, the removal of the disaffiliation of paragraph 2553, the reversal of the Traditional Plan legislation, has been supported by 75% to 80%, which means most all the legislation has received much African delegation support. There is a spirit of cooperation and hope of renewal in our actions that cannot truthfully be denied.

These who are promoting themselves as “speaking for the majority of African delegates” have had to witness many Africans join the nearly 80% of those delegates supporting the new Social Principles as amended by an African woman delegate, newly elected to the Judicial Council (our high court). The spirit of her motion that won the day, and by a huge majority, was a truthful statement that recognized that adding this paragraph was unifying of worldwide United Methodists. She amended by addition of these words, “Within the church, we affirm marriage as a faithful lifelong covenant that brings two people of faith [adult male and adult female of consenting age or two adult persons of consenting age] into union with one another.” Again, this was a present reality about where we are as a church representing mission in many different countries with differing laws regarding marriage.

Choice is important now, because this United Methodist Church is going forward to be increasingly missional, evangelistic, and eager to grow throughout the world as we seek to love all people into relationship with Jesus.

I challenge the drafters of the press release to present evidence of their claims that an unnamed Mainstream leader wrote, “The United Methodist Church should be willing to lose Africa to fulfill its progressive agenda.” The other statements are just as ridiculous about people saying Africans are “speaking too loudly” or a bishop saying, “You Africans need to grow up and think for yourselves.” We would be hard pressed to name another denomination that works so intentionally to hear the voices of all people at the table of decision, which is our General Conference.

No doubt, some Africans and other United Methodists have some decisions to make, just as the drafters seem to almost threaten to leave the UMC. I suggest we all make our decisions wisely and intentionally about being United Methodists or choosing not to be. Choice is important now, because this United Methodist Church is going forward to be increasingly missional, evangelistic, and eager to grow throughout the world as we seek to love all people into relationship with Jesus. This United Methodist Church is being sent forth from Charlotte to be instruments of God’s peace as we transform the world empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring healing, education, justice, and mercy in Jesus' name. I choose to be a United Methodist.

The Rev. Dr. Stan Copeland is senior pastor of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. This post is republished with permission from his Facebook page. Please contact the author via Facebook to reproduce this content elsewhere.