Seeking Ordination in the UMC?

Students seeking to pursue ordination as an elder in The United Methodist Church should pursue a Master of Divinity degree. Those seeking ordination as a deacon can either earn a Master of Divinity degree or a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with the United Methodist Deacon Concentration.

Master of Arts in Christian Ministry- Methodist Ministry specialization

The Master of Arts in Christian Ministry prepares you for leadership in ministry wherever God calls you. This degree equips those working in non-profits, campus ministry, para-church, missions, business, or other fields. The Methodist Ministry specialization provides the basic educational requirements for ordination as a deacon in the United Methodist Church.

Click here for information about required courses for ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church that will be used to satisfy the course requirements for the MACM.

The Wesleyan Studies Concentration 

The Wesleyan Studies Concentration nurtures Wesleyan theological formation within the ecumenical environment of Memphis Theological Seminary. The purpose of the Wesleyan Studies Concentration is two-fold. For students, the certificate offers a way to focus a certain amount of their coursework on theological formation in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition. For denominational bodies, the certificate program demonstrates that MTS graduates earning the certificate have been trained with significant reference to the heritage of the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition and adequately prepared for pastoral ministry in Wesleyan/Methodist ecclesial contexts.

The Wesleyan Studies Concentration requires the completion of 15 hours of coursework in courses carrying the “Wesleyan Studies” designation (normally 5 three-hour courses). The Wesleyan Studies concentration also requires active participation in the Methodist House of Studies during the time period when the student is enrolled at MTS.

United Methodist Student Course Requirements

The 2016 UM Discipline mandates that all UM students seeking to be ordained as a deacon or elder must have at least one basic survey course in each of the following: Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, Theology, Mission of the Church in the World, Evangelism,[a] Worship/Liturgy, and then 6 total hours distributed between UM History, UM Polity, and UM Doctrine.[b]

In addition, individual conferences require the following courses:

Deacon Track:

Elder Track:

[a] Most annual conferences will count Context and Models for Mission and Evangelism as either Mission of the Church in the World or as Evangelism. It will not count for both courses.

[b] At MTS these requirements are fulfilled by two 3 hour courses: Early Methodism: History, Doctrine, and Polity and American Methodism: History, Doctrine, and Polity.

Course offerings in Wesleyan Studies

There are a number of course offerings in the MTS curriculum that fall within the category of Wesleyan Studies. They include courses in church history, theology, evangelism, pastoral care, and leadership studies.

Recent examples of courses taught include:

For students pursuing ordination as deacon or elder in the United Methodist Church, the “Early Methodism” and “American Methodism” courses above are designed to fulfill the disciplinary requirements for history, doctrine, and polity as outlined in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, 2012 (see ¶324.4, ¶330.3, & ¶335).