A FORMER Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, Anthony Boateng, who was suspended in 2022, has expressed concern about how allegations of his conduct were handled, stating that they were “neither disclosed to me intimately nor properly tested before serious sanctions were imposed”.
Mr Boateng, then an area preacher within the Westminster Circuit, was elected as Vice-President in 2022. In 2023, after a report appeared in The Times, the Methodist Church confirmed that he had been suspended as a “neutral act” to “enable investigations to be accomplished” (News, 16 June 2023).
This month, Mr Boateng released a press release: “The premature and unjustified suspension solid a shadow over my unblemished status and a long time of dedicated service to the Methodist Church UK.” In the next months, he had “remained at midnight in regards to the specific nature of the complaints, which severely restricted my ability to defend myself”.
After internal processes, he had been “fully cleared”, he said. “While this effectively exonerates me, the damage done to my status, my ministry, and my profession cannot simply be undone. . . Safeguarding is crucial, nevertheless it should be balanced with principles of transparency, due process, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
On Tuesday of last week, he said that he had been invited “back into the fold”, through an invite to attend Conference and to debate his future ministry, but without the offer of being publicly cleared or receiving an apology. “My status is on the road,” he said.
The next day, a press release from the Methodist Church said that the matter had been “risk assessed and subsequently reviewed by the church’s Safeguarding Committee. The processes on this case concluded in February 2024 and all relevant people were advised of the final result and proposals of the Safeguarding Committee. Discussions were held with Mr Boateng regarding a press release on the final result of the investigation but agreement couldn’t be reached on this. It is hoped that further progress may be made should he select to fulfill with the Conference Officers as suggested regarding his return to ministry.”
