Recommended Reading: On the UMC trust clause in Africa

This blog has explored the system of UMC assets and how they might be impacted by a separation of the church. In a post in April, the Africa Voice of Unity blog has added an important central conference perspective to that conversation. In a piece entitled, "How UMC 'Trust Clause' and Impending Tussle over Assets Could Collapse the 'Protocol'," the author notes an important different in the legal context between many Western nations and many African nations. The author asserts that there are different understandings of and thus laws around trusteeship. These differences could lead to lawsuits over property in African countries, even under the provisions of the Protocol, which might avoid lawsuits in the United States. It seems that the risk for such lawsuits is greatest in countries in which there are different factions that want to stay and leave and thus control of assets becomes a contested issue. One of the argument of the UM & Global series on UMC assets was that there is a great risk for lawsuits in any division. It is interesting to hear that same concern raised in contexts other than the United States.