Building the Church of Tomorrow

 

The process of uniting knowledge and vital piety is a theological core value of the Wesleyan tradition, The United Methodist Church, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), which guides United Methodist higher education ministries. United Methodists are called to support principled Christian leaders around the world who are informed and formed by a holistic process of intellectual engagement, spiritual and character formation, and leadership practices that have the capacity to transform the church, the academy and the world.

Students who attend a United Methodist-related school, college, seminary or university receive more than just a world-class education. They find a community that nurtures their mind, body and spirit and are inspired to transform society for the greater good. United Methodist-related institutions are inclusive communities that combine intellectual curiosity with justice, equity and solidarity for the advancement of basic human rights. 

A history of advocacy for equitable education

For more than 50 years, United Methodists have supported 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the U.S. through the Black College Fund. Education is one of the most effective tools for equity and economic repair. 

In proportion to their size and financial resources, these 11 schools play an outsized role in educating some of the world’s most effective and recognized leaders. Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, trains thousands of health care professionals in the United States. More than 75% of Meharry’s medical and dental school graduates go on to practice in underserved communities. 

The Together for Change initiative at Meharry, a partnership between the college and four major drug companies, seeks to address an important gap in the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to treat disease. Currently, only about 1% of the data sets used come from people of African ancestry. This initiative will recruit 500,000 people of African ancestry who will have their genomes sequenced. 

 

 

Inspiring new leaders in the church

GBHEM has long recognized the importance of nurturing young people to become leaders within the church, regularly engaging in events and programs that provide them with skills, knowledge and spiritual guidance, such as Exploration, a three-day conference for young adults discerning a call to ministry or trying to faithfully understand their vocational choice.

Four of the bishops who participated in this year’s event recalled their experiences of discernment as young adults at Exploration. Since the program began in 1990, more than 4,500 young people have engaged their call at Exploration events around the world.

 

Expanding educational opportunities around the world

John Wesley recognized that tools and experiences are vital to help God’s people to discern their call and to live it out in their own context. GBHEM collaborates with the Commission on the Central Conference Theological Education Fund (CCTEF) and the proposed Central Conference Higher Education Fund (CCHEF), to expand educational opportunity around the world – supporting scholarships, faculty development, Course of Study classes, board of ordained ministry training and libraries throughout United Methodist central conferences. 

In October 2023, representatives from 52 Methodist educational institutions in more than 15 countries met in Kinshasa, DRC, to create a vision and strengthen partnerships for the future of Methodist education from a Pan-African perspective. During this meeting, the Africa Association of United Methodist Theological Institutions and Africa Association of Methodist Institutions of Higher Education discussed the importance of regionalization in the African context. 

The reunification of the Burundi Annual Conference was a time for celebration, though it posed a challenge for clergy who had not had access to formal theological training for many years. GBHEM worked with the leadership of the East Africa Episcopal Area and the Burundi Annual Conference, the General Board of Global Ministries and other collaborative partners to develop a contextually appropriate Course of Study program. GBHEM arranged for distinguished instructors and set up an accelerated timeline that allowed 190 students to complete their courses in a year. 

 

Scholarships that fuel dreams for the future

Since 2017, the GBHEM scholarship program has awarded more than $29 million to more than 15,000 students worldwide to help them pursue their educational dreams. 

The International Grants and Scholarship Program, called GRASP, awards approximately 150 scholarships each year to students studying at Methodist-related institutions within a central conference. In addition,the Angella P. Current Felder Women of Color Scholars program celebrates 55 scholars who have obtained their doctoral degrees in religious studies and are now teaching in colleges, universities and seminaries around the world.

In the U.S., the Lydia Patterson Institute, a United Methodist-related school in El Paso, Texas, educates student in grades six through 12 from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The J.A. Knowles Scholarship helps bridge the financial gap to college by paying the educational expenses for these graduates to attend United Methodist institutions of higher education in Texas. 

 

New expressions of theological education

As the landscape for theological education is changing in the U.S., the 13 United Methodist seminaries are changing too as they commit to innovative education for the future. GBHEM stewards the Ministerial Education Fund (MEF) dollars by awarding grants for the prototyping of new, creative expressions of theological education, especially initiatives that support historically marginalized communities.

Gammon, our only United Methodist historically black theological institution, is completely reimagining the way it operates. Boston University School of Theology is creating trauma-informed education practices for seminarians. To combat clergy isolation, Candler School of Theology is building supportive seminarian relationships that offer mutual support across a lifetime of ministry. Claremont School of Theology in California and Methodist Theological School in Ohio are launching extensive research to uncover critical trends in society that have direct impact on effective preparation for ministry. 

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary has embarked on a new collaborative partnership with Africa University to create the Mageto Fellowship program, providing scholarships and living stipends for students, grants for innovative online education opportunities, and a faculty and administrative exchange program between the partner institutions.

 

 

Looking to the future

For over 150 years, GBHEM has served as a steward of the intellectual and educational mission of the church. For the past two years, GBHEM and Global Ministries have moved toward greater collaboration and alignment, attending one another’s consultations and meetings and bringing together program ministry staff in the areas of scholarships, granting, regional work, shared services, theological reflection, and leadership formation and training. Last October, the board of directors announced that Roland Fernandes would become general secretary of both agencies when GBHEM ‘s general secretary, Greg Bergquist, retires in June. 

By embracing the change that God has set before us – as individuals, pastors, agencies and a denomination – GBHEM works to ensure that the educational mission of the church will always be a vital expression of what it means to be United Methodist, making principled Christian leaders for the church, the academy and the world.  

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