Court Reopens ST. Nagbe as UMC Rift Over Same-Sex Marriage Widens
- Michael T
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Monrovia – For generations, the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church (ST Nagbe UMC) has stood tall on 13th Street, Sinkor, as both a spiritual refuge and a civic landmark. But in recent weeks, that sanctuary fell silent—not because of dwindling faith, but because of a bitter struggle over doctrine, discipline, and control.
On Monday, the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court broke that silence with an interim ruling that reopened the doors of ST Nagbe. The order effectively overturned an abrupt shutdown enforced by the leadership of the Liberia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (LAC/UMC).
Core to this dispute is a question as old as organized religion itself: who gets to decide what a church believes, and who has the right to enforce it?
The Annual Conference moved to close ST Nagbe after the congregation openly resisted sections of the denomination’s Book of Discipline, particularly on questions surrounding marriage and church governance.
For the church’s hierarchy, ST Nagbe’s defiance was an affront. For the congregation, it was a matter of conscience.The case quickly shifted from the pulpit to the courtroom.
Lead defense lawyer, Atty. Jeremiah Samuel Dugbo I, argued that closing the church building was a drastic overreach. In his words, if UMC leaders truly wished to assert ownership of the property, they should have pursued an ejectment case—not attempt to shutter worship with a temporary closure petition.
Judge George W. Smith, after the argument, agreed to restore what lawyers call the status quo ante—ordering Bishop Samuel Jerome Quire Jr. and other UMC officers to reverse the closure and hand the church keys back to the congregation.
For now, that means singing voices will return to the halls of ST Nagbe. But make no mistake—this is far from over. Another ruling, from the Monrovia City Court, is still pending. And beyond the legal battle, the deeper rift remains. Whether Liberian congregations can chart their own path on sensitive doctrinal issues, or whether the wider church body will hold the line is an issue still unresolved.
The reopening is temporary, the order is interim, but the ruling is a semblance of victory for the congregation who are standing their ground to defend the undiluted and traditional doctrine of the Christian faith. In a country where churches serve as both spiritual anchors and public voice, the sight of pews refilling at ST Nagbe is a testament that faith communities cannot be silenced so easily, even by their own hierarchy.
As the legal battles continue, the larger question is whether reconciliation is still possible—or whether the dispute is a sign of a permanent division within one of Liberia’s oldest denominations.
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