Cote d’Ivoire denomination joins United Methodist Church May 7, 2004 By Elliott Wright and Rena Yocum* | Rev.
Benjamin Boni (right) and Rev. R. Randy Day jointly announce that the
million-member Protestant Methodist Church of Cote d’Ivoire is joining
the United Methodist Church. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. | PITTSBURGH (UMNS) — The United Methodist Church today grew by about 1 million members.Delegates
to the 2004 General Conference unexpectedly received a West African
“mission” into full membership of the United Methodist Church. The new
members formerly constituted the autonomous Protestant Methodist Church
of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). “This
is the most significant thing that’s happened here in Pittsburgh,” said
the Rev. R. Randy Day, head of the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries, at a press conference following the delegates’ action. “For
us it is a moment of great joy,” said the Rev. Benjamin Boni, leader of
the Cote d’Ivoire, who expressed his gratitude to God, the United
Methodist bishops and General Conference. “We
want to be part of the mission of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the
world,” Boni told the delegates. “May the Lord help us to be bearers of
light to the whole world.” Upon
a motion by delegate Ron Bretsch of North Central New York, the General
Conference accelerated for Cote d’Ivoire the process of electing its
own episcopal leadership and planning for its future. Both
the representatives from Cote d’Ivoire and United Methodist officials
had expected the process to take four more years. However, the delegates
voiced their intention to embrace the French-speaking Methodists in
Cote d’Ivoire now. The
church in Cote d’Ivoire has been in existence since 1924, Boni
explained. In 1985, it left the British Methodist Church to become
autonomous. “We
wanted to be part of a more global environment, which is the United
Methodist Church,” Boni said through a French translator. Church
leaders approached the Board of Global Ministries several years ago,
requesting mission status in order to become part of a worldwide church
rather than a national body. “In a step-by-step fashion, we got here today,” Boni said. Day
expressed delight at the General Conference action. “We know our
brothers and sisters from Cote d’Ivoire well. They are vital,
self-supporting Christians with highly developed ministries of
evangelism, social outreach, programs with women and young people, and
French-speaking seminary training.” The
Cote d’Ivoire members voted unanimously to join the United Methodist
Church. Before the addition of the Cote d’Ivoire, the United Methodist
Church’s worldwide membership was about 10 million, including about 1.4
million in Africa, Asia and Europe. The
new conference in Cote d’Ivoire has five districts, two of which are
missionary districts. Women and children make up a majority of its
membership, said Boni, who explained that rumors about civil unrest in
his nation should not be attributed to religious differences. In
Cote d’Ivoire, he explained, one-third of the population is Muslim,
one-third is Christian and one-third is known as animist, a combination
of several religions. “There is no religious problem,” Boni said. “We
collaborate freely.” Being
integrated into the United Methodist Church has many implications,
including the support of a bishop and the costs of taking part in
denominationwide activities. The
General Conference resolution included the provision that the Cote
d’Ivoire church will be responsible for funding its own bishop for the
next four years. At the 2008 General Conference, it will have two
delegates, one lay and one clergy. Bishops
in the United Methodist Church are supported by a central fund.
Legislation is expected to be brought in 2008 to incorporate what will
be called the Cote d’Ivoire Episcopal Area into that fund. *Wright
and Yocum are staff members of the Board of Global Ministries. Melissa
Lauber, with the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference staff,
contributed to this article. News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7. After May 10: (615) 742-5470.
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