Languages   |   Education   |   Training   |   Ministry History   |   Questions

 

LANGUAGES

English

 

EDUCATION

School

Degree

End (mm/yy)

 

Anglia Ruskin University, UK

PhD

October 2026

 

Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, KY

DMin

May 2010

 

Theological College of Northern Nigeria

MTh

May 1997

 

ECWA Theological Seminary

BTh

1994

 

TRAINING

Course

End (mm/yy)

 

Strategic Planning

May 1997

 

Muslim Evangelism

June 2004

 

Leadership

January 2006

 

World Evangelization

June 2007

 

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification

End (mm/yy)

 

Research Methods

July 2022

 

World Evangelization

June 2007

 

International Leadership Institute

january 2006

 

Muslim Evangelism

June 2004

 

MINISTRY HISTORY

Church/Organization

Position

Begin (mm/yy)

 

ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja, Kwara State, Nigeria

Lecturer

August 1994

 

ECWA Good News Church, Plateau State, Nigeria

Student Pastor

January 1996

 

Gbarnga School of Theology, UMC, Liberia

Lecturer

September 1997

 

Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church, Monrovia, Liberia

Associate Pastor

March 1988

 

Department of Evangelism and Missions, Liberia Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church

Director

March 2001

 

Mercy Ships Ministry

National Liaison Officer

March 2005

 

Monrovia District, Liberia Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church

Superintendent

March 2007

 

UMC General Conference

Clergy Delegate

April-May   2012, 2016, 2019, and 2024

 

United Methodist University

Dean of the College of Theology and Lecturer

March 2014

 

United Methodist University

Dean of Graduate College of Theology and Lecturer

March 2019

 

United Methodist University

Vice President of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and Lecturer

June 2022

 

Grain Coast Annual Conference, Global Methodist Church

Conference Superintendent

July 2025

 

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

Associate Pastor, Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church, 1998 -2001

In my role as Associate Pastor of the Stephen Trowen Nagbe UMC, I was committed to preaching, teaching, counseling, and providing leadership for the evangelistic and missions programs of the Church, resulting in membership growth from 900 to about 1,500 within three years.

Director, Evangelism and Missions     2001- 2007

While serving the Liberia Annual Conference as its Senior Conference Evangelist, I facilitated missions, evangelism, and discipleship training for pastors, evangelists, and church leaders across the districts and circuits of the Conference. I assisted some districts and circuits in planting some new churches in unreached communities and mentoring several pastors and leaders who were responsible for nurturing the growth of new congregations. I led efforts to establish new mission fields among unreached people groups. Consequently, the Liberia Annual Conference experienced an increase in membership growth, resulting in an increase in the number of districts from 18 to 20 districts and 2 circuits. I also wrote four training manuals, with the support of my staff, for training evangelists across the Conference.

National Liaison Officer, Mercy Ships   2005- 2006

While serving as Director of Evangelism and Mission of the Liberia Annual Conference of the UMC, I invited the hospital ship called Mercy Ships to Liberia to support the health needs of Liberia, that had just ended 14 years of a devastating civil war. I served as its National Liaison Officer and coordinated its activities in Liberia with the national government, primarily, the Ministry of Health. The Institution facilitated health care, community development, and various educational programs in several deprived communities. As a result of my services, Mercy Ships conducted many surgical procedures for the sick, constructed some mobile clinics, and built some new schools for some needy communities.

Superintendent, Monrovia District (MDC), LAC/UMC   2007- 2014

In my role as Superintendent of the Liberia Annual Conference's Largest District, of a membership of about forty thousand, the Monrovia District, I supervised the ministries of more than fifty pastors. During the period of my service, I led the district in mobilizing resources locally to construct its own national headquarters. Doing so increased the district’s ministry effectiveness and enhanced its growth and development. In addition to doing administration, a significant part of my work was directed at training, coaching, and mentoring some pastors and leaders of the laity who were playing some key leadership roles in the district. Simultaneously, I served as a part-time lecturer at the United Methodist University.

  Dean, Gbarnga School of Theology (GST)    2014-2019  

As Dean, I provided the overall administration for the College of Theology. In addition, my team and I planned and developed the curricula and syllabi of the various academic programs. I supervised and monitored its implementation. I simultaneously taught some courses in missions, evangelism, and New Testament studies. As part of my role, I mobilized resources – human, material, and financial - to enhance the growth and development of the College of Theology. Before I transitioned from the College, I mobilized financial resources to electrify the entire campus of the College in Gbarnga, Bong County, Liberia.

Dean and Vice President, United Methodist University Graduate School 2019-2024

As in my previous role, I led the development and monitoring of curricula and syllabi for some academic programs in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.   Consequently, the graduate college of theology expanded with the introduction of some new academic programs and colleges, to a total of seven colleges: College of Health Sciences, Pastoral Care and Counseling, Public Health, Business and Administration, General Education, Christian Education, and Psychiatric Mental Health. I also mobilized resources – financial, human, and material – to improve the teaching and learning environment at the graduate school. I also taught some courses in theology, missions, and leadership.

Clergy Delegate to General Conference   2012, 2016, 2019, and 2024

I represented my former denomination at four General Conferences as an official clergy delegate. Meanwhile, in 2008, I attended the General Conference held in Fort Worth, Texas, as a special guest of the Institute of Religion and Democracy and the Good News Magazine. I served as a special guest speaker at their breakfast meetings that consisted of a significant number of African delegates. That visit exposed me to the workings of the General Conference and to the implications of its decisions regarding the General Church, particularly in Africa. Upon my return, I contributed to developing a common Africa Conference response to some 32 proposed amendments to the church’s constitutions that were designed to regionalize the church at the time. I travelled to several African annual conferences to help them understand why the proposed amendments were unproductive for the connectional nature of the General Church. That initiative created the need for greater collaboration, coordination, and cooperation among African annual conferences to collectively understand the issues of the General Church and respond, given the diversity of languages and language barriers that impeded some delegates’ understanding of issues at the General Conference.

That effort led to the birthing of the Africa Initiative, a movement of African delegates to the General Conference that facilitated pre-general conference training for African delegates to enable them to understand and participate more fully in discussions and debates at General Conference. I led the establishment of the Initiative in Monrovia, Liberia, in March 2012, and became its General Coordinator until its dissolution recently, based on most of its members’ transition to the Global Methodist Church.    

Through our collective leadership, Africa Initiative played a very pivotal role in raising the voice of Africa Annual Conferences in my former denomination, especially at its General Conferences, and intently contended for the faith, and worked collaboratively with other evangelical groups to advocate for Scriptural authority above tradition, experience, and reason, and to work at sustaining biblical Christianity in the United Methodist Conferences in Africa.

At its recent 2020/2024 General Conference, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, I served as the Head of Delegation for the Liberia Annual Conference. I also led the Africa Initiative in contending for the faith and speaking out against the General Conference decision to legalize LGBTQ practices and to modify the biblical definition of marriage, as well as regionalize the worldwide denomination.

Conference Superintendent, Grain Coast Conference, GMC, July 2025-Present

Because of the General Conference's insistence on legalizing LGBTQIA+ practices that are now official decisions of my former denomination, many others and I disassociated from the UMC Denomination and birthed a new Wesleyan denominational expression in Liberia on 14 February 2025. It is called the Grain Coast Conference of the Global Methodist Church. I led the evolving Conference as Chairperson of the Transition Committee Advisory Team (TCAT) from March to July 2025, when it held its Convening Conference. At the Convening Conference, I was appointed by the Presiding Bishop, John Pena Auta, as the Conference's first Superintendent, a position that I currently serve.

In this role, I provide general administration, lead the church in fulfilling its mission and vision, to make Christ-centered disciples and spread scriptural holiness across the globe, and to see that the Conference develops disciples who make more disciples across the Grain Coast Conference and beyond, who flourish in scriptural holiness as we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.

I also provide oversight to the fulfillment of the Conference ministry pillars – evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and sustainable development. In this regard, I lead the Conference efforts at mobilizing resources – human, material, and financial- to enable the church to become self-governing, self-supporting, self-theologizing, and self-discipling. While we birthed the denomination with about a hundred churches, we now have over 212 clergy serving more than 162 congregations of the Conference.

QUESTIONS

 

1. Gospel: What is the gospel?

Generally, I understand the gospel to be the entirety of the sixty-six books of both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Scripture. The central message of the Bible is the good news of God’s love and redemptive plan of salvation for all humanity. That is, the gospel is the good news of salvation that God has offered to humanity through the redemptive death of his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. This good news of salvation is attained by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), by anyone who acknowledges his or her sin, confesses and repents of them, and accepts Christ as his or her personal Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9); thereby offering to a person victory and freedom from guilt and the power of sin.

 

2. Trinity: How would you articulate the doctrine of the Trinity and why it matters?

I understand the doctrine of the Trinity as the one true God of the holy Bible who eternally exists, of one substance as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three persons are equal and eternally God. They are one and the same. The manifestations of the Trinity are seen in creation, in redemption, and throughout the believer's faith journey. They work together, and possess infinite power, knowledge, and wisdom; the Father justifies the sinner through the merits of the Son, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies believers as they grow into becoming faithful followers of Jesus Christ. This understanding of the Trinity matters as it justifies our worship of Jesus Christ not only as Savior but as God, and the Holy Spirit as God, in addition to our worship of God the Father.

 

3. Jesus: In what sense did Jesus die for our sins, and how does it impact your understanding of the Church’s mission?

All humanity has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3: 23), and the consequence that awaits us is death (Romans 6:23a), eternal separation from God. However, God, in his grace and mercy, made a way for humanity’s redemption and reconciliation with himself by sending into the world his one and only Son to pay the price for our sin. Only a sinless person was qualified to die for sinful humanity. And only Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, was qualified to die in place of all humanity. He died for our sins and rose again for our redemption. Having received the gift of salvation and been justified by faith, the Christian believer and the church in general are given the mandate of the Great Commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth so that many may come to faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).

 

4. Holy Spirit: How does the ministry of the Holy Spirit relate to your understanding of the Church?

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He gave birth to the church on Pentecost Sunday when the believers were gathered in the Upper Room. Since then, the Holy Spirit permanently indwells every person who genuinely repents of their sin and submits to Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit initiates salvation in the life of sinners through prevenient grace, assures them of the assurance of salvation, and empowers them on their faith journey toward sanctification. The church is the community of all genuinely born-again believers who worship the one true God, study, obey, and teach the Holy Scripture, and daily submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Members of the church are characterized as disciples of Christ who are growing in grace and living a Christlike life. The church is on a mission for Christ, to make disciples who make more disciples.

 

5. Sanctification: Do you affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification, and how would you explain it to someone who has not encountered it before?

Yes, I affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification. Sanctification is the process of spiritual renewal by the Holy Spirit whereby he cleanses us from all our sins, following our justification by faith in Jesus Christ. Entire sanctification happens through our spiritual growth process as the Holy Spirit empowers us to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbors. The process begins with the prevenient grace of God that brings us to the acknowledgment of our sins and need for the Savior. When we take the step of faith and genuinely confess and repent of our sin, we are justified by grace through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ for our salvation. At that point, the Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer who begins the faith journey as an obedient disciple of Christ and continues toward the achievement of entire sanctification.

 

6. Holiness: How do you understand holiness as it relates to human flourishing?

Holiness is a demonstration of godliness and righteousness, through acts of mercy and piety, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. As it relates to human flourishing, It is endeavoring to live above reproach as a Christian disciple; a commitment of the Christian disciple to walk with the Lord in the light of his word (Psalm 1:1-3; 119:9-11, 105), by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so as not to gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:16), but to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit in daily living – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ((Galatians 5:22). Consequently, holiness becomes a lifestyle empowered by the Holy Spirit, and influenced by one’s commitment to studying Scripture, obeying it and teaching it to one’s neighbors to enable them to come to personal faith in Jesus Christ and become his disciples (Ezra 7:10).

 

7. Sacraments: What is your understanding of the Sacraments and their role in the life of the Church?

I understand the sacraments to be holy Christian ceremonies, instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ. They are symbolic expressions of his love for his church, designed to enhance our Christian discipleship. There are two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Sacrament of water Baptism is performed through pouring, sprinkling, or immersion. It symbolizes one’s genuine repentance from sin and total commitment to Christ as Savior and Lord. Through this ceremony, one is received into the Christian faith and incorporated into the body of believers to grow as Christ’s disciple. The Lord’s Supper symbolizes Christ’s suffering and death for our redemption, his grace and mercy, and continual presence with his church, and a symbol of our unity in Christ. Christians are invited to partake of the bread and wine in a manner worthy of the Lord.

 

8. Scripture: What is your understanding of scripture’s inspiration, authority, truthfulness, and sufficiency?

While various Christian traditions share diverse views about the Bible, I understand the Scripture to be the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16 Romans 3:2). This means that God superintended human authors so that using their own individual personalities and context, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they recorded without errors in the words of the original writings God’s revelation to humanity (2 Peter 1:21). Even though written over a period of about 1, 500 years by about 40 different authors, its unity, as a single book, its preservation and its influence upon humanity testify to its divine nature, authority, truthfulness, reliability as the infallible word of God (John 17:17). It is sufficient for our salvation and for healthy and faithful Christian living daily as Christ’s disciples. The Scripture is our primary source of authority for faith and Christian living.

 

9. Human Sexuality: What is your understanding of human sexuality expressed in terms of human flourishing?

I understand human sexuality as a part of God’s creative order. God made humankind in God’s image and likeness. Therefore, they are of sacred worth. God made them male and female for procreation and for stewardship of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-28). God alone is the source of life, and he alone has the right to take away life. God is the maker and designer of human sexuality. It is therefore out of God’s creative order for anyone to decide to change their gender from what God made them at birth.   While I subscribe only to the Scriptural view of human sexuality, I warmly and lovingly embrace people within society who are broken and in need of healing and restoration of their relationship with God. I do so in the hope that some might be saved and to experience wholeness in Christ.

 

10. Human Beings: How does the biblical vision of human beings made in the image of God form your attitude toward the dignity of human life at every stage from conception to death?

All human beings are of sacred worth because they are made in the image and likeness of God. Despite the fall (Genesis 3:1-7), they possess the character of holiness, righteousness, and love for God and neighbor. Therefore, they all need to be saved and restored unto a vibrant relationship with God through Christ. All people, from the stage of conception to birth, and throughout their lifespan, deserve to be loved, cared for, and protected. Consequently, I believe that no one must be marginalized, enslaved, denied the opportunity to live a healthy, happy, and joyful life despite their social, economic, political, or religious status in society. As a child of God, it is a part of my responsibility to advocate for and be the voice of the voiceless, especially children and women, and to care for the poor and needy as a demonstration of the love of God for my neighbors.

 

11. Wesleyan/Methodist Contribution: What is the Wesleyan/Methodist contribution to the Church universal?

Initially, the founders of Methodism did not set out to establish a new denomination, but to reform the existing church, primarily the Church of England. Thus, the Methodist Church has always been thought of by its leaders and members as a revival movement established by God to reform the nations through evangelization, to revitalize the church through Christ-centered discipleship, and to transform society by spreading “scriptural holiness' across the globe. Thus, one of the distinctive contributions of Methodism to the Church universal was and still is the concept and practice of sanctifying grace and Christian perfection. This is a practical emphasis on the pursuit of our love for God and for our neighbor, manifested in my thoughts, words, and actions daily as we grow into deeper intimacy with God through the means of grace and by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

 

12. Global Methodist Church: What is your vision for the GMC?

In alignment with the Global Methodist Church’s vision of multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the earth who flourish in scriptural holiness as they worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly, I envision a church saturated with a passion for and commitment to evangelizing the nations, revitalizing the church from a state of lukewarmness to healthy, vibrant worship and discipleship, rooted in scriptural holiness, and intentional about self-sustainability. Consequent to this vision, I am a strong advocate for encouraging the church to be about evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and sustainable development initiatives that are economically viable, sustainable, and relevant to context. The vision is to see such an approach of the church to ministry carried out through interdependence, which encourages mutual partnership and support, through the sharing of skills, abilities, gifts, and graces, while promoting accountability.

 

13. Evangelism: What is evangelism and how have you practiced it effectively in your ministry?

I understand evangelism as the process of proclaiming the good news of salvation found only in Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17; 14:6). This gift of salvation is available to all who desire a personal relationship with Christ (Romans 10:9-10). Over the past three decades, my practice of evangelism has been evident in all the ministry responsibilities I have been blessed to be a part of or to lead – as a local Pastor, Director of Evangelism and Mission,   Superintendent of a district, a seminary lecturer, and member of several evangelistic organizations, I have preached and taught many the practice of evangelism. I have led evangelistic activities through street and community preaching, national evangelistic campaigns, leading to the planting of some new congregations, and training, equipping, and empowering some for service. Also, I have participated in several national and international evangelism and mission workshops, conferences, and seminars.

 

14. Discipleship: What is a disciple, and how have you effectively made disciples in your ministry?

Discipleship is a process by which converts to faith in Christ are taught the essentials of the Christian faith so that they know what they believe and why; a process that begins their faith-journey to Christian maturity. Throughout my ministry, I have endeavored to contribute to the spiritual growth process of many people. As a result, some have become great leaders and communicators of the gospel. I have taught discipleship in seminary and written a few articles and manuals about discipleship. While serving as Seminary Dean, 2014-2019, I included in the weekly academic schedule an hour of small group discipleship that brought together both students and faculty to study and discuss relevant topics and issues concerning their personal walk with the Lord. About a month ago, I led a team of leaders in the production of a one-year discipleship guide intended as a conference-wide resource that is currently in use.

 

15. Local Engagement: How have you led congregations to engage their local contexts with the gospel?

In 2008, I took an evangelist to my village to join me in a one-week evangelistic campaign. Before that time, the community was entrenched in traditional worship and the practice of various kinds of secret societies. At the end of the campaign, we baptized 88 converts who were being discipled while the campaign was ongoing. Afterwards, a local congregation was established. Within three years, in 2011, we constructed a worship center with members' participation, and with some outside assistance. Today, the Boway congregation has grown to an appreciable number, and is involved in a series of sustainable development initiatives to enable the congregation and some members of the community to earn a living, in addition to their subsistence farming – oil palm, bee farming, rubber plantation, and other cash crops farming. Currently, the church leads a community development initiative that constructs homes for widows and widowers.

 

16. Unreached People Groups: How do you understand the mission of the GMC in relation to unreached and unengaged people groups?

My understanding of unreached and unengaged people groups is a community of people who do not have an active presence of the church amongst them, or whose people are unable to make an effective witness of the gospel to the extent that they can carry out faith sharing to their own people. With a mission to make Christ-centered disciples and a vision to spread scriptural holiness across the globe. The Global Methodist Church is passionate about ensuring that the gospel is preached to the unsaved in one’s immediate context, “Jerusalem”, to the surrounding communities, “Judea and Samaria”, and across national borders to people of non-faith and other faiths, “the ends of the earth” so that every person might have the opportunity hear the gospel and decide whether to accept or reject Christ. This should be the awesome responsibility of every member, both clergy and lay, of the Global Methodist Church.

 

17. Global Missions: What is the local church’s role in global missions? How will you equip local churches for that role?

Global mission is the worldwide mandate of Christ to his church to make disciples and exhibit the love of God to their neighbors. It is spreading scriptural holiness across the globe to every people group as our “parish”, as it was for John Wesley. Global mission includes working to reduce the suffering of humanity, speaking out for justice, and serving the poor and needy. I will equip local churches by enabling them to understand their mission of making disciples as global mandate, beginning with their local contexts (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).   Thus, their role is to make disciples both locally and across national borders, into unreached communities. This includes praying for the salvation of all unreached communities of the world, for missionaries and Christian workers who are serving among unreached people groups, and raising resources – human, financial, and material - to support the work of ministry among unreached people groups.

 

18. Christian Unity: What is your understanding of Christian unity? How will you lead the Church toward greater unity in Christ and the Spirit both within the GMC and in relation to other ecclesial bodies?

My understanding of Christian unity is based on the collaboration, coordination, and cooperation of the Trinity exhibited in creation, in the redemption of humanity from the guilt and power of sin, and in their continued work together in the birth and holistic growth process of the Church. Before his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus prayed for the unity of believers (John 17:21). This unity is not found in uniformity, doctrine, or practice, but in the demonstration of the love of God to one another and in our common mission to make disciples. It is harnessing our gifts and graces, talents, skills, and abilities for the common good. I will model Christianity unity and teach same to the church. I will lead the church in seeking socially adaptable and contextually relevant ways to partner with other Christian churches and institutions, and the larger community, to serve for the common good.

 

19. Bishop's Work: What is your understanding of the work of a bishop?

The work of a bishop should align with his or her Christian character. The bishop is to be a person who is above reproach, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, and gentle, not a drunkard, not quarrelsome, not violent, and not a lover of money (1 Timothy 3:1-7). Further, a bishop should pursue personal holiness, contend for the faith, and if married, to be committed of a monogamous relationship as instituted by God in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25), and to model Christian discipleship. The bishop’s responsibility include shepherding the flock of God entrusted to their care (1 Peter 5:2); providing leadership, care and support to other leaders and members. The bishop should commit to studying, obeying, and teaching the Scripture and administering the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist. The bishop should uphold the doctrinal purity of the church and appoint leaders and members to services based on their gifts and graces.

 

20. Your Qualifications: What qualifies you for the office of bishop?

I am a born-again child of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Since my conversion almost five decades ago, I have been growing in my Christian faith as I study the Scripture, obey it, and teach it to others. The Lord has graciously endowed me with the spiritual gifts of an Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher, and Administrator. I have utilized these gifts faithfully in helping some people to come to personal faith in Christ and to grow into becoming his disciples. Over the years, in my role as a Pastor, seminary lecturer, Dean and Vice President, Conference Evangelist and District Superintendent, and now Conference Superintendent, I have always guarded the faith, doctrine, and discipline of the Church, and trained others to do so. I have acquired relevant theological and leadership education, and I endeavor to model accountable servant leadership, integrity, teamwork, and mutual partnership for the common good.

 

21. Assembly of Bishops: What do you see as the role of the Assembly of Bishops?

The Assembly of Bishops is a team of Christ-centered disciples who are tasked with shepherding the entire membership of the church as they lead and oversee its spiritual and temporal affairs. They are the primary teachers, preachers, communicators, and defenders of the doctrines, discipline, order, and liturgy of the church from the Wesleyan perspective. They are the chief trainers of lay and clergy members in the doctrines and theology of the Global Methodist Church (GMC), and the ones to ensure and enforce compliance, consistent with the Book of Doctrines and Discipline. In addition, they ordain clergy, consecrate bishops, preside over annual and general conferences, and appoint to leadership both lay and clergy, following relevant consultations. Also, they are the mobilizers of resources – human, material, and financial - to enhance the church’s mission, as they model honest, faithful stewardship, and enhance the church’s ecumenical relationships with other institutions.

 

22. Fellow Bishops: How do you envision working together with fellow bishops?

Cognizant of the fact that fellow bishops are individually endowed by the Holy Spirit with diverse spiritual gifts, coupled with distinct educational backgrounds, skills, and abilities, I perceive them to be a surety of abundant blessings to harness for the common good of the Global Methodist Church. Therefore, I intend to build a bond of strong relationships with each of them and to encourage teamwork among us to enhance the spiritual health and vitality of the church.

 

Given that resources for doing effective ministry are scarce, I am passionate about fostering interdependent partnerships that are mutually beneficial, and about undertaking socially adaptable and contextually relevant sustainable development initiatives as drives towards self-supporting, self-missioning, and self-discipling. I desire to share some of these concepts with fellow bishops for our individual and corporate utilization as I envision a worldwide denomination whose individual conferences would endeavor to be self-sustainable in the soonest future.

 

23. Conference Superintendents: How do you envision working together with and supervising conference superintendents?

Conference superintendents are fellow Elders whom I would have the privilege to serve as their supervisor with the oversight responsibility of ensuring that we work together collectively in the fulfillment of our common mission and vision of the Global Methodist Church. They are clergy leaders of the church who are highly endowed and from whom I can learn, even as I serve alongside them in my oversight and supervisory role. Therefore, I envision exercising a very high degree of love and respect for them, fostering relationships with each of them, as we make Christ-centered disciples and spread scriptural holiness across the globe. Planning collectively and holding consultations with superintendents and other key leaders of each conference, before taking any major decisions, will be prioritized, because they are the chief custodians of relevant information of the mission and ministries within their individual contexts.

 

24. Handling Concerns: If laity or clergy bring concerns directly to you bypassing their presiding elders and/or conference superintendent, would you include the applicable conference superintendent and/or presiding elder in the conversation? If so, how would you empower your conference superintendents and/or presiding elders in the discussion?

Scripture provides some guidelines for handling concerns in the church. Following them often can be the best procedure for resolving concerns with a win-win result. For example, in Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus teaches that attempts at resolving any concerns should first be handled between the two persons involved, followed by involving one or two persons before bringing the matter to the church, if resolution has not happened. Therefore, I would respectfully ask the laity or clergy person who has the concerns to take them back to their presiding elder and/or conference superintendent. If the concerns are still not resolved, I would support the presiding elder and/or conference superintendent in resolving them collectively. I would request an audience with the presiding elder and/or conference superintendent and the one with the concerns so that we listen to him or her collectively and determine a solution, with the applicable person leading the process.

 

25. Laity Leadership: How do you envision incorporating laity into the leadership of the church and into your leadership team?

The structure of the Global Methodist Church, comprising children, youth, young adults, adult males, and females, provides a leeway for effectively incorporating laity into the functional activities and leadership of the church and into my leadership team. John Wesley once asserted that the Methodist Movement was the church of the laity. Not only do they constitute the largest population of any congregation, but they are also the ones, if adequately trained and equipped for ministry, who can provide functional leadership and multiply disciples. They are vehicles for spreading scriptural holiness across the globe. Therefore, I would encourage every conference superintendent to prioritize lay ministry. Also, I would work with the Conference Superintendent to represent the General Church's with competent and qualified laity, consistent with their gifts and graces.

 

26. GMC Challenges: What do you see as the top three challenges facing the GMC today? How would you address them?

In my view, the top three challenges are, one, the undiscipled status of the church. My recent research findings revealed that Methodism in Liberia, like in most African annual conferences, lacks strategic approaches to discipling its growing membership. I have developed a conference-wide discipleship guide that is currently in use and am training lay and clergy leaders across the conference. Two, the dependency of most African conferences on some conferences in the West, rather than engaging in interdependent partnerships that are mutually beneficial. We have begun encouraging local churches, circuits, and districts to undertake productive economic projects to enable them to become self-supporting and sustainable soon. And third, disproportionality in the GMC’s structural leadership, evidenced by its current leadership makeup at the global offices and the 2026 General Conference Commissions. I would encourage global expansion of the church and the prioritization of global equity and proportionality.

 

27. Devotional Life: How would you characterize your devotional life?

I would characterize my devotional life as not perfect but spiritually engaging. My devotional life is enabling me to develop a deeper intimacy with the Lord. In addition to my personal study and prayer life, I have a devotional time twice a day with my family; one in the morning at about 6 am and the other in the evening at about 7:30 pm.   Our morning devotional time is devoted to topical bible study, while in the evening, we read through the Bible, a chapter or two per day, and discuss high points from them. Devotional time has become a lifestyle for me and my family. Additionally, on the first Sunday of every month, we devote ourselves to a day of fast and prayer, with reflections and prayer focused on major events and issues of the past month and plans for the new month. The experience has been spiritually enriching.

 

28. Theological Resources: What are the top five authors or theological resources to which you turn for research and learning and why?

These are the top five authors whose resources have been of much benefit to me in recent times:

1. Gbile Akanni: His discipleship and leadership resources for personal spiritual nurturing and growth

2. Kevin M. Watson: His books on Methodism’s discipleship, Wesley's theology, and history

3. Thomas C. Oden: his volumes on Wesley’s Teachings-Pastoral Theology, Ethics and Society, Africa, and its contribution to the birth of Western Christianity

4. Jesse N. K. Mugambi: His articles and books on Reconstruction Theology, and other writings that contribute to African contextual theology

5. Stephen Bevans: His articles and books on contextual theology

From the African authors, their writings enable me to understand Scripture and some theological issues through African eye, while the other authors have helped me to develop a film grasp of Wesley theology and contextual theology.

 

29. Failures: Describe one time you failed; what did you learn from that failure?

Some time ago, I failed to pay attention to details, and that caused me serious embarrassment. A supporter of mine had sent me a financial gift along with a note to send him financial details. However, I did not read the note carefully, and therefore, did not send him the expenditure breakdown. Instead, like I usually do, I sent him the project updates indicating its impact on beneficiaries. After a while, I wrote a season’s greeting to a chain of family members, partners, and friends, including this person. In his reply, he wrote to remind me of his expectations and to request that I send him the financial details. I felt so embarrassed and wondered what many in the chain of communication thought of my financial stewardship and integrity. Since then, I have learnt to pay very close attention to details and to act promptly.

 

30. Leadership Style: How would you describe your leadership style?

I would describe my leadership style as transformative, rooted in the concept and practice of humility and servant leadership. On my business card, I have as my motto, “Leave it better than you met it”. This statement is based on the vision I usually develop for any responsibility I am entrusted with, to ensure that I develop a team of leaders who expand growth, understand and transform context, improve content, and value for the common good. I consider people that I serve and lead, inspire, encourage, and support toward achieving quality, competence, and character as being highly endowed with talents, skills, gifts, and abilities. Therefore, I cultivate team spirit and serve with the goal of harnessing their abilities to foster growth and empowerment. Also, I work to promote open communication and participatory leadership to enhance individual and corporate growth and development.

 

31. Decision Making: Give an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision as a leader and how you made that decision.

In 2003, one night, I had an intense three-hour prayer time for Liberia, while Liberia’s 14 years of civil war raged. During the prayer, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to lead a one-week “Praise and Prayer Revival”, through my former denomination, for the cessation of the war. At that time, the war had severely destroyed the nation, reducing it to a failed state. Unfortunately, my conviction did not align with some key leaders of the Conference. They resisted the idea.   However, the conviction from the Holy Spirit to proceed with the plan was very strong to resist, and so I went ahead with the plan. And God abundantly provided for the hosting of the one-week revival, at no cost to the church. It was held at the national soccer and amazingly attended by thousands of people. By August 2003, God ended the civil war by August 2003.

 

32. Confrontation: Give an example of a time when you had to confront an employee or colleague over behavior or beliefs contrary to those agreed upon and how you handled it.

During my tenure as Dean of the Gbarnga School of Theology (2014-2019), a student who was also a son of one of the faculty members impregnated a high school student within the community. The issue was kept private as a family matter. However, it soon became public, as other students began to discuss the issue. I approached the student’s father about the news, and he confirmed his son’s action. However, when I attempted bringing the student under spiritual discipline, his father became very angry with me and claimed that I was interfering with his family’s private matter. Unfortunately, he had failed to discern the impact his son’s behavior could have on other students. To resolve the matter, I set up an investigation team to address it and make recommendations that would protect the integrity of the Seminary and help restore the young man to a healthy relationship with the Lord.

 

33. Teaching: What experience do you have in a teaching role? How has your teaching style evolved during your ministry?

I have vast teaching experience in my academic and pastoral roles. From 1988 to the present, I have been in the classroom as a teacher. Initially, I served as a Math and Physics Instructor for three years (1988-1990) before my call to ministry. From 1995 to the present, I have taught in Bible colleges and seminaries. Initially, I taught courses in Bible colleges out of convenience. Since I attained my theological education with emphasis in missiology and leadership, most of the courses I currently teach are aligned with my areas of specialization – evangelism, discipleship, mission and ecumenism, Wesley Theology, Contextual theology, leadership, and a couple of New Testament courses. Besides my teaching role in formal seminary settings, I regularly conduct workshops, seminars, and conferences on evangelism, discipleship, missions, and leadership development. My teaching role over the years has enhanced my learning and my teaching skills.