African Bishops push for greater autonomy in UMC

African bishops in the United Methodist Church (UMC) have resolved to push for the regionalisation of the denomination's structures, seeking greater autonomy and a stronger voice in global decision-making amid growing cultural and theological differences with Western branches of the church.

The move follows the UMC General Conference's recent decision to affirm homosexuality, a stance that has triggered deep resistance from African and conservative members. Meeting last week at Africa University in Mutare, bishops from across the continent reaffirmed their opposition to same-sex marriage, which they said is incompatible with their biblical interpretation and African cultural values.

Northern Katanga Bishop Reverend Mande Muyombo told reporters that the push for regionalisation pre-dates the sexuality debate, tracing its origins to as far back as 1948 when the church first explored decentralising its structures to accommodate diverse cultural contexts.

"The idea was to allow flexibility so that every region of the world could express their faith and carry out missions within their own cultural ethos," Bishop Muyombo said. "When the issue of homosexuality came up, Africa deemed it unacceptable. That is why we want the autonomy to make decisions that reflect our values."

Under the proposed arrangement, African conferences would remain part of the global UMC but would operate under structures that allow them to make culturally appropriate decisions without being compelled to adopt policies from the United States or Europe.

"We will never accept same-sex marriages because our culture does not allow it," Bishop Muyombo said. "Marriage is not a doctrinal issue but a cultural one. We want Americans and Europeans to deal with it on their own while we uphold our values."

He also criticised the use of financial leverage by American structures to influence global church policy, arguing that regionalisation would enable African branches to become financially independent and support their own bishops.

"With our membership, Africa could have more bishops, but we are held back by financial constraints," he said. "If we want to make our own decisions, we must also be able to fund our ministry. Regionalisation gives us the opportunity to generate income locally, become self-sufficient, and free ourselves from external control."

Bishop Muyombo added that regionalisation would also reduce the dominance of the shrinking UMC membership in the US over the church's global direction.

"It is essential that we decolonise the church," he said. "We are capable of preaching the gospel using our own resources without relying on external support."

The proposal is expected to gain strong support among African UMC members, who make up a significant portion of the church's global membership, as debates over sexuality continue to widen the cultural gap between the denomination's regions.