‘Vindictive’: UMC criticized for plan to cut funds to departing African conference

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, November 24, 2024

During the opening worship service of the United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 23, 2024, five United Methodist bishops from around the world celebrate communion with participants. | Paul Jeffrey, UM News

The United Methodist Church has garnered criticism for a plan to possibly cut funding to the 1-million-member Côte d'Ivoire Conference, which voted to leave the denomination earlier this year before the original deadline to do so.

The UMC Council of Bishops recently asked the UMC General Council on Finance and Administration to cut funds for the Ivory Coast church immediately and is also looking into securing control of denominational properties in the West African nation.

At issue is the alleged failure of the Côte d'Ivoire Conference to properly exit the global denomination. Had it followed the process, the conference would be given denominational funding until 2028, reported UM News.

The UMC bishops also want to secure control of assorted United Methodist properties in the African country, citing the denomination’s trust clause as justification for retaining control.

Mark Tooley, president of the theologically conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy, told The Christian Post that he believes these proposed measures looked “very punitive and vindictive.”

“They can successfully cut off funding from the United Methodist Church based in the U.S.,” said Tooley. “I don’t know how successful they will be in seizing property based in Ivory Coast. I would guess Ivory Coast will not be very sympathetic to United Methodist officials in the U.S.”

Tooley thinks the bishops' action “communicates to other United Methodist churches around the world that the UMC USA will be punitive and vindictive.”

“This might intimidate some from trying to quit the UMC. But it also might motivate others to get out as quickly as they can,” Tooley continued.

Regarding the claims to the denominational properties, Tooley said it's “unclear what this action means about UMC property in Ivory Coast.”

“Are they talking about the church buildings or other denominational property?” he added. “Local church buildings are held in trust not by the global denomination but by the local annual conference, which in this case is the Ivory Coast church, and which has now become independent.”

The Christian Post reached out to The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops for this story. A spokesperson was unable to return comment by press time.

A previously independent Methodist church that affiliated with the UMC in 2004, the Côte d'Ivoire Conference was one of the largest regional bodies in the denomination.

Earlier this year, at the UMC General Conference, delegates voted to remove the denomination’s ban on the blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of people in same-sex relationships and the funding of LGBT advocacy groups.

In response to this decision, the Côte d'Ivoire Conference voted in May to disaffiliate from the UMC, with their approved decision stating that the UMC “has preferred to sacrifice its honorability and integrity to honor the LGBT" and that "the new United Methodist Church is now based on sociocultural and contextual values which have consumed its doctrinal and disciplinary integrity."

UMC Council of Bishops President Tracy Malone said in a statement in June that the denominational leadership was working with the conference as it became an autonomous body.

“While we grieve Cote d'Ivoire Conference’s decision to separate from The United Methodist Church, we commit to work with them through the process of becoming an Autonomous Methodist Church,” stated Malone.

“While we are not all of one mind in all things, the strength of our connection is love, respect, compassion and a shared commitment to faith in Jesus Christ.”