UMCN: A CALL FOR UNITY

By Philimiyan Jacob Kunku

A serious battle is brewing within the United Methodist Church as the conference prepares for the forthcoming bishop election in Taraba State. The frontline contestants, Rev. Dr. Philip Micah Dopah, Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman Jnr. and Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya, have been close allies and have worked within the same church environment prior to the election.

The forthcoming election of a bishop for the newly created Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church in Nigeria is gradually becoming one of the most closely watched developments within the church.

The contest is generating conversations, consultations, expectations and, inevitably, competing loyalties among clergy and members of the United Methodist Church across Taraba State.

An election of this nature should ordinarily be a celebration of the democratic and ecclesiastical processes of the church.

It should provide an opportunity for members to examine the leadership records, spiritual maturity, administrative experience, vision and capacity of the various contenders before making their choice.

However, because of the history through which the Nigerian United Methodist Church has passed, this particular election demands something more than ordinary political competition. It demands maturity, restraint, forgiveness and an extraordinary commitment to the unity of the Church.

The concern is not that Rev. Dr. Philip Micah Dopah, Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman or Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya is seeking to serve. Service to the Church is a noble calling, and every qualified elder should be allowed to offer himself or herself for consideration through the established process. Indeed, Bishop Ande Emmanuel Musa has publicly stated that there is no anointed successor and that the delegates will determine who emerges through the recognised electoral process.

The real concern is what happens after the election.

The United Methodist Church in Nigeria has already experienced the painful consequences of division. The church has endured disagreements, competing positions and periods in which relationships between members and leaders became severely strained. The recent reconciliation of the Southern Conference with the wider United Methodist structure was therefore not merely an administrative development; it represented an important attempt to heal wounds and rebuild a common future.

It is against this background that the present episcopal contest must be approached with exceptional caution.

One of the most striking aspects of the current contest is that some of the prominent figures associated with it have not always been opponents. Rev. Dr. Philip Micah Dopah and Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman, in particular, have worked within the same church environment and have been associated with the difficult journey of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria.

That history should not be forgotten simply because they now find themselves on different sides of an electoral contest.

I was part of a process through which this church rose from tougher times to the position it occupies today.

Competition can change relationships if it is allowed to become personal. Supporters can begin to interpret every statement as an attack. Ordinary disagreements can become accusations of betrayal. Congregations can gradually be divided according to personalities rather than according to the teachings and mission of the Church.

A bishop is elected to serve the entire Church, not merely the people who supported him. Likewise, a candidate who does not emerge from an election does not cease to be a servant of God or a valuable member of the Church.

The winner will need the experience, wisdom and goodwill of those who supported the other candidates. The unsuccessful candidates will also have a responsibility to support the Church and encourage their followers to accept the outcome peacefully.

Anything short of this could create another cycle of division.

There is a legitimate difference between supporting a candidate and becoming personally attached to a candidate.

Members have the right to admire the leadership record of Rev. Dr. Philip Micah Dopah. Others have the right to believe that Rev. Abainatus Hamman offers the kind of leadership they desire. Others may see in Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya a different form of leadership and representation.

What becomes dangerous is when supporters begin to believe that the defeat of their preferred candidate represents the defeat of the Church itself.

The United Methodist Church is bigger than any individual bishop. It is bigger than any pastor, conference, district, organisation or pressure group. The Church existed before the present contestants emerged and, God willing, it will continue long after the present election has become history.

Therefore, no candidate should be allowed to become greater than the institution he or she seeks to lead.

If the contest degenerates into deep personal, regional, factional or institutional divisions, there is a real possibility that members who become intensely loyal to individual contestants could begin to feel that they cannot remain within the same structure as supporters of another candidate.

That could create pressure for another breakaway.

The men and women who worked for the stability, identity, continuity and future of the United Methodist Church did not make those sacrifices so that the Church could later be divided over who occupies one office.

It would therefore be tragic if the same people who fought to protect the Church from division eventually became, even unintentionally, instruments through which another division emerges.

As we begin this journey towards the forthcoming episcopal election, please join us in praying for a peaceful process and that God will sustain the unity of the Church.


Kunku is a broadcast journalist with Rock FM Jalingo