Seminary in Liberia re-opens after forced closure

Paynesville, Liberia — A labor judge’s Jan. 6 order shutting down the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary has been lifted, the school’s interim president announced Feb. 21.

National Labor Court Judge Comfort Natt ordered the closure over the seminary’s refusal to pay a $300,000 judgment to a former president who sued the school after his removal in 2007.

Richard Wilson, a Mercer University professor on loan for a one-year appointment at the institution described as the crown jewel of the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, said after negotiations with former President Lincoln Brownell’s legal team, the shutdown was lifted Feb. 14.

Wilson, who arrived in Monrovia on Jan. 4 with plans to begin work immediately, said he entered his office for the first time Feb. 17. His installation as sixth president of a school attempting to rebuild after decades of civil war and recent controversy over leadership changes in Liberian Baptist life is scheduled for March 13.

“We lost time because of the obstacles in our path, but we did not lose hope,” Wilson said after meeting with administrative staff both individually and as a group. “There is important work to be done on this historic campus and we will see that the vision and mission of our Baptist founders in Liberia will be honored.”