A long-running dispute between factions of the Methodist church in Nigeria erupted into violence on Sunday when an unidentified individual shot and killed the sister of a Methodist minister and two young children died when their home was set ablaze.
The shooting ignited clashes between members of The United Methodist Church (UMC) of Nigeria and the breakaway Global Methodist Church (GMC) in Munga Dosso, Taraba State, according to United Methodist News. 12 homes were destroyed in the fighting.
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The breakaway group withdrew from the larger United Methodist Church in 2022, accelerating the separation of thousands of Methodist churches around the world from the UMC over LGBTQ+ policy.
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After the UMC’s General Conference voted in North Carolina in May to overturn a 40-year ban on “self-avowed homosexuals” becoming members of the clergy and ease restrictions on clergy performing same-sex marriages, the defection of popular Nigeria bishop John Wesley Yohanna to the GMC further heightened tensions among Methodists in the country.
An estimated 30% of Methodists in Nigeria broke from the UMC.
The government closed both denominations’ churches in September, citing the growing conflict between two as a threat to the region’s stability.
A dispute over church property has inflamed tensions as the breakaway group claimed ownership of church buildings and assets despite past rulings under Nigerian law that church property stays with the original denomination, according to Methodist Bishop John R. Schol, one of a team of bishops enlisted to oversee the episcopal area as tensions have risen.
“To counter this, the GMC created the ruse that rather than them leaving the UMC, this was a simple name change from UMC to GMC because the UMC was a ‘gay’ church and trying to bring same-gender marriage to Nigeria. This prejudiced many government officials against the UMC because Nigeria’s constitution forbids same-gender marriage.”
The UMC’s new policy also included a measure that explicitly allows current central conferences to set their own standards for clergy ordination and church marriage rites, as long as those standards follow local law and the UMC’s doctrinal statements.
A conference of West African UMC members earlier this month codified those rules, including a statement that marriage in Nigeria is a union between one man and one woman. That declaration mollified many members who earlier abandoned the UMC.
“A group of 400,000 United Methodists who left during Bishop Yohanna’s tenure have now returned, strengthening the United Methodist witness and mission,” Schol said.
Those circumstances have put pressure on the GMC and called the nature of the group’s existence into question.
“With each successive step, the GMC has become more concerned that they will lose the ‘battle’ to maintain their standing in Nigeria and the property and funds of The United Methodist Church,” Schol said.
The outbreak in violence on Sunday was one symptom of the breakaway group’s existential crisis. Twelve homes were set on fire in melee, and ten UMC members were injured, in addition to the three reported deaths.
The United Methodist Council of Bishops called for peace in Nigeria following the tragedy.
“The Council of Bishops offers its condolences to the families whose loved ones died and to the members of the congregation where the incident took place. We condemn the violence and plead with all United Methodists to bear witness to the prince of peace, Jesus Christ, in word and deed. We know that violence never resolves conflict or meaningfully addresses injustice,” Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone said in a statement.
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