“Leave If You Want But No Church Properties Will Leave the UMC” – Bishop Quire

The conversation around churches breaking away from the United Methodist Church (UMC) in Liberia has taken a serious turn, and Bishop Samuel J. Quire is making it crystal clear, if a church chooses to leave, they won’t be walking away with church properties.

Bishop Quire’s message was firm: “Disaffiliation with church properties is not applicable and will not be allowed under my leadership.” In other words, any church that decides to separate from the UMC cannot claim ownership of the buildings, land, or assets they’ve been using. Those properties, according to the bishop, belong to the UMC Liberia Conference and will remain with the church, no matter who stays or goes.

This issue has been brewing for some time, with some congregations expressing a desire to break away from the UMC for various reasons. However, the bishop’s latest statement shuts down any notion that these churches can take the physical structures with them. His stance aligns with the official policies of the UMC, which state that church properties belong to the larger organization, not individual congregations or leaders.

For churchgoers and community members, this means that even if leadership decides to leave the UMC, the buildings they’ve worshipped in will remain part of the denomination. The question now is, how will these churches respond? Will they reconsider disaffiliation, or will they try to start fresh elsewhere?

Whatever happens next, one thing is clear, Bishop Quire isn’t budging.