UMC USA Prelate Cautions
PHOTO: Attendees at the 2026 Young Ministers’ Conference with Rev. Cephas Davis-UMC/USA
A Liberian-born United Methodist Church prelate based in the United States, Rev. Cephas Davis, has issued a strong call for the Church in Liberia to reclaim its moral authority and help restore integrity in the country.
Rev. Davis, the pastor of 3 churches in the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in the United States, stated that the Church in Liberia remains a cornerstone of the nation and therefore plays a critical role in shaping the country’s moral direction.
He justified his position by pointing to Liberia’s founding history, noting that the nation’s founders were Christians who were inaugurated in reference and reverence to God.
“The Providence Baptist Church did not merely serve as a venue for the Declaration of Independence,” Rev. Davis said. “The occasion itself was in the sacred space of God Who created us and this nation, Liberia.
” For the past seven years, Rev. Davis has returned annually to Liberia to host what he calls a Young Ministers’ Conference, bringing together nearly fifty young Christian ministers and leaders in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. Speaking at the opening of the 2026 conference, held from March 5–7, Rev. Davis delivered a candid reflection on what he described as deep ethical failures across Liberia’s institutions and society.
Identifying himself as a Black liberation theologian, public administration and policy scholar, and alternative dispute resolution practitioner, Rev. Davis said Liberia’s challenges are not only political or economic but fundamentally moral. “Liberia is morally bankrupt,” Rev. Davis declared. “The two systems that should stand in the gap are the church and the nation, but they themselves are struggling with issues of integrity.”
Rev. Davis said he remains committed to returning home each year to mentor and train young ministers and Christian youth through the conference, which he founded in 2019. The event is organized under the Liberia Enlightenment Movement, an initiative he established to promote ethical leadership and civic responsibility.
The movement operates under the motto: “Anyone who wants to serve or lead Liberia must love Liberia more than self.” During his remarks, Rev. Davis pointed to what he described as widespread ethical breakdowns in everyday life.
He cited dishonest practices in marketplaces, including vendors who adulterate products by mixing flour with milk and selling it as milk or mixing flour with tile soap and selling it as cleaning products. “These practices may seem small,” he said, “but they reflect a deeper moral problem in our society.” He also expressed concern about reports from educational institutions, including the University of Liberia, where cases of cheating and academic misconduct continue to surface.
According to him, such practices not only damage Liberia’s reputation but also affect Liberians in the diaspora who remain connected to the country. Rev. Davis further raised concerns about corruption within the health sector, alleging that some hospital administrators, doctors, and nurses remove medicines from public hospitals and sell them through private businesses—a practice he said undermines Liberia’s already fragile healthcare system.
He also criticized governance practices in the country, noting that some lawmakers allocate disproportionate resources to themselves rather than prioritizing the needs of citizens.
“These individuals are also citizens and members of faith communities,” he said. “This is why the moral challenge facing Liberia is both a national and a spiritual one.” The Young Ministers’ Conference seeks to prepare a new generation of Christian leaders who will stand between the church and the nation as voices of moral conscience.
Participants are also educated on the history of slavery, its lasting impact on Liberia and Africa, and the role of Christianity in shaping movements for justice and social transformation.
Rev. Davis said the ultimate goal of the conference is to empower young ministers to become justice-centered preachers, teachers, and community leaders capable of addressing Africa’s contemporary challenges.
He concluded by urging Liberians across all sectors, from ordinary citizens to national leaders, to embrace responsible citizenship and ethical conduct. “It is time to restore integrity to our institutions,” Rev. Davis said. “And that restoration begins with every Liberian. Liberia is all we have.”