FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monrovia, Liberia –The Executive Committee of the Liberia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church (LAC/UMC) strongly condemns the unfortunate and unwarranted gathering and disturbance that occurred today, Sunday, August 10, 2025, in front of the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church (S.T. Nagbe UMC).
This latest incident occurred despite the church’s temporary closure, ordered by the Executive Committee on August 6, 2025, following months of escalating disruptions to worship services and sacred events, coupled with an uncooperative posture led by Mr. Cooper Tomah, a suspended church lay leader, along with certain other individuals. Today’s street disturbance in front of the closed church premises further underscores the wisdom and necessity of the closure to prevent public nuisance and to protect lives, property, and the sanctity of worship.
For over three months, the premises of S.T. Nagbe UMC have been the scene of repeated acts of disorder, including the obstruction of church services and the disruption of sacred occasions such as weddings and funerals. These actions have undermined the peace, unity, and spiritual discipline of that congregation that our faith calls us to uphold.
Contrary to recent social media speculation and videos circulated on TikTok and Instagram, the narratives being promoted are far from the truth, and the Liberian public should not be misled by such falsehoods. There is also speculation from a group of young people who, without fear of God or respect for Liberia’s laws, are spreading the false claim that the Bishop of The United Methodist Church was about to officiate a marriage ceremony between a same-sex couple. The
Liberia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and the West Africa Central Conference categorically reject this falsehood. As a traditional church grounded in the Holy Bible, The United Methodist Church reaffirms its unwavering stance that marriage is defined as a sacred union between one man and one woman, in alignment with the laws of the Republic of Liberia, which clearly define marriage in the same terms.
Since April 2024, after the General Conference in the United States, no same-sex marriage has taken place in The United Methodist Church in Liberia or anywhere in Africa not a single one and such will never occur under the leadership of the LAC/UMC. At the West Africa Central Conference in Ghana in December 2024, and again at the 192nd Annual Session of the United Methodist Church in February 2025, two key resolutions were passed:
1. Defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman as in the Holy Bible.
2. Mandating the Annual Conference Trustees to protect and defend all UMC properties across the country for the use of all United Methodists.
The reality is that a group of persons, led by Mr. Cooper Tomah, a suspended church lay leader, and aligned with the ideology of the breakaway Global Methodist Church, had previously requested that their membership be suspended from the Liberia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. This same group is now attempting to occupy S.T. Nagbe UMC, invite GMC
pastors, and claim the property as their own, while excluding legitimate United Methodists who wish to remain in the UMC. This dispute is not about faith or same-sex marriage — it is about church property, the building, and its rightful ownership. The Cooper Tomah group is seeking to vandalize and unlawfully seize church property. They have invoked biblical references without
any legitimate legal basis to override the will of the majority of the S.T. Nagbe membership and the established trust clause under which all properties are held by the LAC/UMC for the benefit of the entire United Methodist Church in Liberia.
The Executive Committee remains committed to ensuring that all members of S.T. Nagbe UMC have the opportunity to worship without fear or disruption from the cult-like behavior of the newly formed breakaway denomination, the Global Methodist Church, and its surrogates, who have been illegally seizing and attempting to seize additional United Methodist Church properties. The United Methodist Church reaffirms its belief in the biblical truth and the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman, consistent with the Bible and civil marriage laws of the Republic of Liberia.
We further affirm that anyone who perpetrates violence, instigates unrest, or disrupts worship in any United Methodist Church facility will be held fully accountable under the laws of the Republic of Liberia.
In the interim, while S.T. Nagbe UMC remains closed, members are encouraged to attend
services at other United Methodist churches in Monrovia, under the guidance and pastoral care of the District mandate to safeguard lives and uphold the rule of law.
Executive Committee
Liberia Annual Conference
The United Methodist Church