PHOTO: Newly elected Global Methodist Church Bishop, Rev. Dr. Jerry Kulah
Liberian clergyman Reverend Dr. Jerry Kulah has been elected Bishop of the Global Methodist Church, following the denomination’s episcopal elections held September 2 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Rev. Dr. Kulah, who previously served as Conference Superintendent of the Green Coast Conference (Liberia), has now ascended to the episcopacy as one of eight bishops elected to denominational leadership.
He has been assigned to Area 5, which comprises the Ethiopia Nazawiyan, Great Lakes, Virginia, Southern Nigeria, Oasis, and Grain Coast conferences.
According to results displayed on the Global Methodist Church-Liberia Facebook page, Rev. Dr. Kulah secured 257 of 360 valid votes, representing approximately 71 percent of the vote.
Rev. Dr. Kulah is also known for his prominent role in the debates that preceded the separation of traditionalist congregations and leaders from The United Methodist Church over questions surrounding sexuality and the church’s position on same-sex relationships.
He was the strongest voice among African church leaders who strongly opposed efforts to accommodate same-sex relationships within the doctrine and policies of The United Methodist Church.
The debate intensified over several years before The United Methodist Church made significant changes to portions of its Book of Discipline in 2024, including changes to its policies concerning LGBTQ persons and same-sex relationships.
Rev. Dr. Kulah and other prominent United Methodist leaders in Liberia had been vocal participants in the international debate, advocating for what they described as the preservation of traditional Christian teachings on marriage and human sexuality. The UMC in Liberia disintegrated when the same-sex debates deepened in the country.
His election now places the Liberian cleric among the senior leadership of the rapidly growing Global Methodist Church, a denomination formed largely in the aftermath of the divisions within The United Methodist Church.
The election is being viewed as a significant development for the Global Methodist Church in Liberia and across Africa, as Rev. Dr. Kulah moves from leading the Grain Coast Conference to providing episcopal oversight across multiple conferences in Africa and the United States.
UMC in Liberia and the GMC are parallel. While UMC is contemplating new leadership in 2 years, GMC has identified its bishop, who coincidentally led the team that launched the GMC in Liberia.