Methodist Church Bishop Joseph Ntombura bows to pressure, set to leave office this year

Embattled Methodist Church in Kenya Presiding Bishop Joseph Ntombura has bowed to pressure and announced that he will leave office this year.

However, it remains unclear when a special annual conference will take place to elect Rev Ntombura's successor.

He said the move is meant to avert a split in the church following increased outcry over the extension of his 10-year term, by two years.

Also read: Wrangles in Methodist Church heighten

Rev Ntombura has been the leader of the Methodist Church since 2012 and his term in office was to end last year before he got an extension heightening leadership wrangles.

Last week, Methodists opposed to Rev Ntombura's leadership gave him a seven-day ultimatum to vacate office failure to which they would eject him.

They also mandated a transition committee led by three former presiding bishops to form a caretaker committee to spearhead an election.

Several Synods including Nkubu, Kaaga, Nairobi, Nyambene North and Western had severed links with Rev Ntombura's leadership.

But on Saturday, after a day-long conference Standing committee meeting in Nairobi, the presiding bishop announced that he will pave way for the election of a new leader this year.

Special conference

"After meeting the conference standing committee we have thoughtfully and prayerfully considered the state of the church and voluntarily decided to make way for a special conference which will initiate the election of a new presiding bishop within this year," Rev Ntombura told journalists at the Methodist Church head office.

In the meantime, Bishop Ntombura said he was ready for dialogue with members of the church who had cut links with his leadership.

"I have decided to give way so that the church is not divided. Despite my term having been procedurally extended by the annual conference last year, I am trying to show show responsible leadership," Rev Ntombura said.

He said the transition will be done in accordance with the church standing orders.

While the embattled presiding bishop said he will work towards reconciliation, there's contention on which standing order is being used to run the church.

Leaders who have distanced themselves from Rev Ntombura say the revised Standing order 2020 is illegal.

While announcing their disassociation with Rev Ntombura's leadership, Nairobi Synod Bishop Standing Committee faulted the amendment of the church standing orders.

“We are aware that the MCK Standing Orders have severally been revised unprocedurally and therefore, we disassociate ourselves with the irregular revised versions. We will revert to the Standing Orders of 1996,” Rev John Maromba stated.

They argue that the new standing orders introduces new doctrine against the Methodist church constitution.