An Appeal for Collaborative Action to Save Our Church in Africa!
TO: The Most Reverend Bishops of the Africa Colleges of Bishops
FROM: The Ordinary Pew Members, Faithful Laity, and Grassroots Congregations of the United Methodist Church in Africa.
DATE: October 2026.
SUBJECT: Urgent Grassroots Appeal for Episcopal Protection Against the 2024 Book of Discipline Revisions.
PREAMBLE: A CRY FROM THE MEN, WOMEN, AND YOUTH IN THE PEWS:
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are the ordinary members who sit in the pews of your churches every Sunday. We are the mothers, fathers, youth, Sunday school teachers, and tithers who love this church, build its sanctuaries, and pray fervently for your leadership. We come to you today not as theologians or politicians, but as the faithful grassroots of Africa, crying out with an urgent and heavy heart for your help and protection.
The changes made to the 2024 Book of Discipline have shaken our families and our communities. The deletion of our historical standards on human sexuality directly breaks the trust we placed in our global denomination. We feel exposed and deeply grieved. We cannot fight this spiritual battle alone—we desperately need our spiritual fathers, our Bishops, to stand with us. We stand completely ready to support you, to work collaboratively with you, and to defend our church from this theological drift.
With great love but intense urgency, we, the ordinary pew members, petition our Bishops across all four Regional Conferences in Africa to stand as our shield and Shepards:
- The West Africa Regional Conference
- The East Africa Regional Conference
- The Southern Africa Regional Conference
- The Congo Regional Conference
THE CHANGED PARAGRAPHS THAT DISTURB THE PEWS:
As ordinary believers who read the Holy Bible, we cannot accept or live under the newly revised 2024 rules. We ask you to collaboratively use your power to reject these specific changes across our continent:
| What the 2024 Discipline Changes | How It Affects Our Local Churches | Our Unalterable Position from the Pews |
| Paragraph 161.B (Definition of Marriage) | Redefines marriage as a covenant between “two adult persons,” removing the words “a man and a woman.” | We will only recognize holy matrimony between one man and one woman. We look to you to ensure our altars are never used for same-sex unions. |
| Paragraph 161.G (Incompatibility Clause) | Deletes the 52-year-old truth that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” | We still believe this practice is contrary to Scripture. We ask our bishops to join the grassroots in declaring that biblical holiness cannot be changed by a vote overseas. |
| Paragraph 304.3 (Qualifications for Clergy) | Lifts the ban that prevented “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as pastors. | We cannot accept, listen to, or support pastors whose lifestyles contradict God’s Word. We look to you to protect our pulpits and our children. |
| Paragraphs 341.6 & 613.19 (Ceremonies & Funding) | Removes penalties for pastors who perform same-sex weddings and allows church funds to support LGBTQIA+ programs. | Our hard-earned tithes and offerings must never be used to promote unscriptural agendas. Officiating these ceremonies must remain strictly forbidden in Africa. |
OUR FOUNDATIONAL VALUES: THE SACRED BOND OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY:
Our faith does not exist in a vacuum; it lives within our identity. We remind our spiritual fathers that as Africans, our understanding of Christian faith is deeply tied to our communal values:
- The Integrity of the Extended Family: In our African understanding, marriage is not merely an individual arrangement between “two adult persons.” It is a sacred covenant that links families, clans, and generations together. Reaffirming marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman is vital to preserving our lineage, honoring our ancestors, and protecting the raising of our children.
- The Principle of Ubuntu / Communal Holiness: We believe that “I am because we are.” A threat to the moral fabric of one local church is a threat to the entire community. True Ubuntu means we look out for the moral and spiritual health of the whole village. We reject Western individualism that seeks to force values on us that destroy our social harmony and communal peace.
- Sovereignty and Dignity: We refuse to allow the theological erosion happening in other parts of the world to be exported to our continent. Our families deserve the dignity of raising children in an environment that honors both African moral traditions and the infallible Word of God.
THE URGENT ACTIONS WE PETITION YOU TO TAKE WITH US:
Beloved Bishops, our people are confused, and our communities are watching us. To keep our congregations together and preserve the church we love, we urgently beg you to take these steps in total collaboration with the laity:
1. Rewrite Our Traditional Rules into the Regional Discipline: Please use your constitutional authority to immediately draft an African adaptation of the Discipline. Put the biblical, restrictive laws of the 2016 Book of Discipline back into our official legal structures so our local churches are safe.
2. Issue a Direct Pastoral Mandate: We ask for a unified declaration from all four African Central Conferences confirming that no practicing homosexual will be ordained, and no same-sex weddings will be allowed in African churches.
3. Respect and Honor Our National Laws: We live in countries where same-sex partnerships are illegal or deeply rejected by society. We ask you to publicly align the church with our national laws so we remain law-abiding citizens and upright in our communities.
4. Involve the Grassroots in Our Future: If the global church threatens to cut off funds because we stand on the Bible, call us together. Let us form a collaborative council of bishops, clergy, and ordinary pew members to decide our next steps. We would rather sacrifice financial aid than sacrifice the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION AND COVENANT FROM THE GRASSROOTS
Our beloved Bishops and shepherds, we want to stay in the United Methodist Church under your care. We do not want to scatter. But we must be honest with you: the ordinary people in the pews will not comply with, accept, or fund a revised Discipline that turns its back on God’s Word.
Please lead us! Stand with the people who fill your churches every Sunday. Let us work together to show the world that the African Church stands firmly on the rock of Holy Scripture.
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Yours a Servant of God,
Kennedy Farai Mukwindidza.
Theological Voice of Africa President.
GRASSROOTS SIGNATURES OF SUPPORT:
By signing below, we, the ordinary members of the West, East, Southern, and Congo Regional Conferences, pledge our prayers, our presence, and our full cooperation to our Bishops in defending biblical truth.
| Name of Member | Local Church & Annual Conference | Role in Local Church (e.g., Member, Choir, Youth) | Signature / Date |
