Making Disciples in Liberian United Methodism through Self-Support [Firebrand Big Read]

Photo by Maria Zardoya on Unsplash

Despite its longevity on the African Continent and the pivotal roles UMC-Liberia has played in offering holistic ministries to the people of Liberia and the UMC within the West Africa region, the church remains financially constrained, perpetually dependent upon external sources to support its missional needs. About 60% of funding to support its capital projects comes from external support (UMC-Liberia Strategic Direction, 2019). This approach to any indigenous ministry shadows a bad omen toward a sustainable future. There is therefore the need for Liberia’s United Methodism to discontinue business as usual and pursue a paradigm shift toward a sustainable future. 

The Three-Self Principle 

Henry Venn, the 19th-century Anglican clergyman and mission strategist of the Church Missionary Society, and his contemporary Rufus Anderson of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, proposed the three-self formula. This formula sets forth three principles: self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation. Their goal was that churches established by missionary work, such as the UMC in Liberia, would endeavor to graduate from dependency on foreign leadership, resources, and staff persons, so that they might provide direction for their own management, support, and leadership. 

The principle of self-governance prioritizes indigenous leadership for the indigenous church. Self-support addresses the need for the indigenous church to pursue financial independence. Self-propagation emphasizes indigenous missions, that is, national leaders reaching their own people within their own socio-cultural context. Some early missionaries used these principles to establish indigenous churches, and they are still relevant for church development and growth in contemporary times.

In later years, John Livingstone Nevius, who served as a missionary to China and Korea, developed a plan for establishing indigenous churches using the three-self principle. Because of its massive success, especially in China, it became the official strategy for indigenous church planting there and was named the “Nevius Method.” In furtherance of its success, some missiologists have argued for the inclusion of a fourth principle, self-theologizing. According to Paul G. Hiebert, for example, self-theologizing has to do with “the continuing efforts of the local church to read, understand, and interpret the Bible within their own context so that they might understand God from their own cultural perspective and answer the questions raised in their own society” (Anthropological Insights for Missionaries, 1985, 216). This fourth principle is highly indispensable for disciple-making of indigenous converts, as it prioritizes scriptural understanding, interpretation and application within the socio-cultural context of the indigenous church. 

Over the decades, UMC-Liberia has endeavored to employ the principles of self-governing, self-propagating and self-theologizing. However, the church has not successfully implemented the principle of self-support. Inevitably, a church that lacks self-sustainability and has to depend upon foreign support undermines its own capacity for self-governance, self-propagation and self-theologizing. As the African proverb puts it, “the one who beats the drum determines the rhythm of the dance.” That is, the external sources upon which the indigenous church relies have the proclivity to determine, consciously or unconsciously, its ministry direction, thereby fostering paternalism. 

Steve Corbett and Briak Fikkert observe, regarding some American churches and donors, “The way we act toward the economically poor often communicates—albeit unintentionally—that we are superior and they are inferior. In the process we hurt the poor and ourselves” (When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself, 2009, 65). The UMC-Liberia therefore needs a paradigm shift from dependency to self-sustainability if she is to engage in effective ministry unhindered.

History of Dependency

In a recent interview with the Liberia Annual Conference’s current Resident Bishop, Samuel Jerome Quire, Jr., about the economic status of the church and its over-dependence on foreign support, he acknowledged the challenge, and noted, “We have not done enough to become sufficient, but we are trying in recent times” (28 June 2023). Until recently, the UMC in Liberia was a recipient of a large sum of funds called the “block grant” from the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). 

Yet there is little or no evidence that the church supported the UMC in Liberia toward the path of self-sustainability through income-generating projects locally. Neither is there sufficient evidence to confirm that the leadership of the church attempted the path of self-reliance, apart from its ownership of a few real estate properties in the Clara Town Community, Bushrod Island, Monrovia—income from which barely supports the monthly salaries of the conference administration. 

Even though the block grants have since ceased, the denomination still pays the monthly salaries of episcopal leaders of the UMC in Africa, including Liberia, from a special account called the Episcopal Fund. The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) estimates that the salary of each African bishop currently costs the General Church about $800,000 over four years. It also provides support for the management of the offices of the episcopacy and ground transportation. 

In addition, GBGM pays the salaries of a category of national personnel called “Persons in Mission” (PIM), while the church gives them some additional stipend to augment salaries. Among these employees are some whom the conference sends overseas to study and return to serve. They oversee major projects, programs, and ministries of the church. Since the conference usually claims that it does not have the kind of salaries required to pay this category of personnel, it looks to its partners and GBGM for salary support for them. The Liberian church has continued to operate in this way over the decades, perpetually dependent on partners’ resources to carry out some of its vital ministries. This approach to partnership support weakens the church’s effort at mobilizing local resources, and simultaneously increases dependency. 

Another problem concerns the unproductivity and poor stewardship of some church leaders (clergy and laity) in positions of trust. These practices contribute to the dependency syndrome from which the church is suffering. According to Yah A. Gorgboyee, a graduate student at the United Methodist University,  “If the leadership would prioritize implementation of projects, not just planning, and institute disciplinary measures against poor stewards of church resources, we will be on our way toward financial self-sufficiency” (interview, 19 July 2023). If this trend of dependency continues, many of the ministries of the UMC-Liberia may not survive in the future. 

Consequences

UMC-Liberia’s dependency syndrome has not been without consequences. It has created over the decades a kind of colonialism that breeds a “father-son” or “mother-daughter” relationship. This approach disempowers and disenfranchises the church and its members and prevents them from maximizing local resources to serve their missional purposes, thereby perpetuating dependency. Consequently, the UMC in Liberia still lacks the ability to be self-supporting. 

Further, the UMC in Liberia has not been able to support the global fund of the UMC adequately. Every conference within the worldwide UMC annually contributes a financial quota, called an annual apportionment, to support the operations of the general church. However, the UMC in Liberia, like many other annual conferences in Africa, defaults on its annual apportionment payments with impunity. Thus, according to the GCFA, the American UMC pays 99% of the General Fund annually, while annual conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines pay only 1%.

The global UMC has a policy in place requiring every annual conference to make its annual apportionment; however, there seems to be no implementation mechanisms to ensure compliance. This situation causes uncontrolled disparity between the African UMC and the jurisdictions of American United Methodism in the administration of the denomination. Since the American church is at the giving end while African United Methodism is at the receiving end, leaders and members from the American jurisdictions dominate every board, agency, and committee of the denomination. This creates a considerable power disparity. 

The UMC, through its General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), may have been well-intentioned to support ministries of the church in Liberia, as it does for other African annual conferences and episcopal areas. However, its intentions are not good enough if influenced by faulty assumptions and the application of ineffective poverty-alleviation strategies that leave the receiving partner perpetually dependent. Corbett and Fikkert describe this as “when helping hurts.”  Some partners hurt perceived materially poverty-stricken people when they prioritize short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions that build their economic capacities and enable them to take ownership of their needs with the potential of rising out of poverty permanently. 

Steps Towards Self-Support

Corbett and Fikkert propose asset-based community development that focuses on resources and abilities already accessible within a community, which the members of that community can develop and sustain to rise out of poverty. Unlike the needs-based approach that seeks to meet perceived needs without an adequate understanding of the context of the target audience, this approach prioritizes an understanding of the needs of the target audience within their own context. The idea is to come alongside the needy to help them learn contextually relevant and culturally appropriate ways of utilizing resources available to them they can mobilize and maximize to serve their needs and improve their livelihood. The needs-based approach has often failed to raise people out of poverty and keeps them perpetually dependent upon others to do for them what they could possibly do best for themselves. Unfortunately, implementation of the needs-based approach by some of UMC-Liberia’s partners has kept her in a kind of a relief mode. What could UMC-Liberia do to mitigate this challenge?

UMC-Liberia’s Economic Potential 

While paternalism seems to have been the lot of the UMC in Liberia over the decades, there are some indicators of the church’s potential for pursuing financial dependency. One such indicator was the church’s ability to liquidate its financial debt owed to the GBGM recently. At the turn of the 2016 quadrennium, GBGM threatened to sever its relationship with the church because of concerns over the mishandling of designated funds ($325,000), intended for use by some of UMC-Liberia’s boards and agencies. This would mean that GBGM would stop all of its funding support to Liberia, which would have been devastating given the church’s dependence upon external resources. 

To save itself from the embarrassing situation, the new leadership made a commitment to GBGM to refund the total amount through a quarterly repayment. The Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CCF&A) implemented necessary measures to generate the fund locally, and within two-and-a-half years it remitted to GBGM the total amount owed (Bishop Quire, 28 June 2023). 

The immediate response of the CCF&A on behalf of the church to make prompt and timely repayment of the fund confirms the church’s potential for self-support. Thus, the lesson learned: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8). 

Ten Percent Apportionment Scheme

In the process of recovering from the debt owed to GBGM, the church learned several lessons about financial stewardship and the evil of dependency. Thus, the CCF&A introduced a 10% apportionment scheme, launched at its 185th Annual Session in February 2018. Each district, through its local churches, pays 10% income (excluding designated funds) monthly to the conference.

The CCF&A took responsibility for the implementation of the pilot project. The purpose of the scheme was to teach biblical principles of tithing, increase the giving of members of the church, and thereby increase the annual apportionment owed to the denomination. Prior to commencing the scheme, the twenty districts and two circuits that constitute the Liberia Annual Conference contributed only $20,400 in annual apportionment. The ten-percent tithing scheme would soon open the windows to greater financial contribution. 

As a pilot project, the church began with its six most financially potent districts, Monrovia, St. Paul River, Kakata Farmington River, Gbarnga, St. John River, and Sinoe Districts. Within one year of the launch of the 10% scheme, the church generated more than $100,000 over a period of 12 months (Julius Nelson, email exchanges, 26 June 2023). Given the success of the pilot project, the CCF&A increased the participation to ten districts, with the addition of Cape Palmas, Kakata/Farmington River, Kokoya, and St. John River Districts. The process continued with the addition of other districts. The success of this project demonstrates a high probability that UMC-Liberia can become self-supporting if it so desires. 

Agribusiness

As earlier pointed out, UMC-Liberia, through its recent challenges, has initiated conversations about investments into agriculture as one sure way of alleviating poverty, and over-dependence upon foreign sources for support. While the church has begun some agricultural activities in the White Plans and Grand Bassa District, according to Bishop Quire, (interviewed 28 June 2023), it is yet to take deliberate steps towards building agribusiness and conference-wide income-generating projects. Yet Kojo Weeks, President of the CCF&A, notes that the CCF&A has recommended that the annual conference set aside “no less than $50,000 seed-money in the form of loans…for investment into long-term agriculture projects/agribusinesses annually over the period of a quadrennium. Both the United Methodist Rural and Agriculture Development Project (UMRADP) and the CCF&A would manage the fund, and districts shall submit proposals detailing sustainability and repayment plans; prioritizing rural districts” (email exchanges, 26 June 2023). 

Given that about 70% of the church’s membership live in rural communities and rely upon subsistence farming for their livelihood, it is most expedient that the church prioritizes engagement in agricultural ventures through mechanized farming. Almost all of its rural districts have access to hundreds of acres of arable unutilized land (Bishop Quire, interviewed, 28 June). Utilizing some of these land assets as collateral, the church could take loans and go into mechanized farming. This could expedite the process of rising out of poverty and attaining financial solvency.

The church can effectively proclaim the gospel and, hence, make disciples of Jesus Christ in more contextually relevant ways if she becomes a testimony of self-support through agribusiness to national government and other private sectors. Through agribusiness, the church would not only strengthen her financial capacity and become self-supporting, but could make significant spiritual and social impacts upon the Liberian society by supporting its own ministries, caring for her pastors and their families with deserving wages, and creating jobs for its members and people within the communities she serves. 

Yambasu’s Agriculture Initiative

Following the demise of the former Sierra Leonean Resident Bishop and former President of the African College of Bishops John K. Yambasu (d. 16 August 2020), GBGM launched the Bishop John K. Yambasu Agriculture Project. The intent of the project is to benefit every annual conference within the three central conferences in Africa. According to GBGM, the initiative aims at “mobilizing existing land and human resources within the church, improving community livelihoods and food security long-term, and moving toward sustainable financial solvency of United Methodist episcopal areas in Africa.”

The launch of the initiative by GBGM was in fulfillment of the late bishop’s vision to see self-reliant African United Methodism emerging across the continent. Hence, goals of the project include building the financial sustainability of African churches, initiating sustainable agricultural development programs, and training members of the church in sustainable practices. These measures should increase food security, improve local livelihood, and create improved market access.

The governing board of directors of GBGM, on 20 April 2023, allocated $5 million to support the initiative. Every annual conference is receiving a grant from this fund to initiate its agriculture projects. According to Joseph Theoway, Director of the UMRADP, UMC-Liberia has received an initial grant of $171,000 from the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative to commence agriculture projects in the Liberia Annual Conference (interview, 19 July 2023). An additional $250,000 is underway from this fund to support ongoing agricultural initiatives in the UMC-Liberia. One would therefore hope that every district and circuit would benefit from this fund to initiate relevant agriculture activities so that, as soon as possible, agribusiness would become a major income-generating activity across the Liberia Annual Conference. 

District Agriculture Committees

When initiated, to ensure effective district-wide implementation and sustainability of the agriculture program and foster collaboration and coordination among districts and circuits, it would be useful to establish a district agriculture committee (DAC) in each district. As part of their duties, they could manage the districts’ agricultural programs. This committee should include people who are passionate about agriculture, and to whom the UMRADP can offer some training in technology and sustainable methods of agriculture production. 

Economic Development Secretariat

In the past, financial management has been a challenge, yet it is key to building relationships of trust with donors and partners, as well as in fostering the smooth operations of the Liberia Annual Conference. Therefore, it would be expedient that every district and circuit establish an “Economic Development Secretariat” (EDS) comprising highly skilled, Godly men and women of quality, competence, and character. Among their several responsibilities could be assessing the financial operational systems of the district, providing financial accountability, and implementing best practices of stewardship for sustainable growth and development. They would mobilize, monitor, and supervise resources in collaboration with each district's agricultural committee and the office of the superintendent, according to acceptable financial systems and practices. They would also explore investment opportunities to undertake capital projects in the interest of their districts and circuits, especially within the agricultural sectors of their regions. 

In collaboration with the CCF&A, they would supervise the distribution of all project funds to district projects and local churches. By employing these financial management procedures and processes, districts and circuits of UMC-Liberia, and the Annual Conference itself, would secure their economic future. This would guarantee mutual partnership and respect and sustainable growth in the church’s commitment to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the people of Liberia, in particular, and the world at large. 

The UMC-Liberia has come of age and possesses great potential to sustain itself financially. The strategies I have outlined here will mitigate the church’s dependence upon external sources, and allow her to function in mutually respectful ways in future partnership, fostering interdependence for the common good. Given Liberia’s many hectares of arable land, it is clear that agribusiness holds the future for the church’s economic growth and sustainability. Successful implementation will require that the church put into place proper mechanisms to ensure meticulous accountability and compliance by all stakeholders. By doing so, the church would ensure its sustainable future in pursuit of its missional engagements, most importantly the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. 

Jerry P. Kulah is Vice President of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, United Methodist University, and General Coordinator of the UMC Africa Initiative.