Local Pastor
Degrees
Approved by the Florida Annual Conference

Master of Pastoral Ministry - 60 Credits 

(Prerequisite: BA or BS degree)

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Two transfer credits per Course from the ‘UM Course of Study’ up to 40 credits

One ministry experience credit per year of local church service up to 8 credits

(NOTE: Total Transfer and Ministry Credits not to exceed 42 credit hours)

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Capstone Experience: 18 Credits

Capstone Research Course: 
Tutorial with a faculty mentor – 6 credits

Capstone Ministry Project 

with a faculty mentor – 6 credits

Capstone Ministry Thesis

with a faculty mentor – 6 credits

Doctor of Pastoral Ministry - 36 credits (Prerequisite: Master of Pastoral Ministry)

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Christian Traditions  

with Dr. Michael Christensen – 3 credits
 

neXt Church

with Dr. Carl Savage – 3 credits

Christian Futuring

with Dr. Robert J. Duncan, Jr. – 3 credits

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Oxford Style Elective

with a Faculty Mentor - 3 credits

Portfolio Experience: 24 Credits

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Portfolio Methods

with a Faculty Mentor – 6 credits

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Portfolio Research 

with a Faculty Mento – 6 credits

Portfolio Project

with a Faculty Mentor – 6 credits

Portfolio Paper

with a Faculty Mentor – 6 credits

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Northwind Seminary is offering a radical new way to provide theological education for UMC Local Pastors.

This new educational path is led by three colleagues who served as administrators and faculty in Drew Theological School (one of the official UM Theological Schools). Working together, this team created the first Online Global Doctor of Ministry Degree under the leadership of Len Sweet. Now they are creating the first online Master’s and Doctoral Degree programs in local church ministry designed specifically for UM Local Pastors.

In September of 2015 the United Methodist News Agency reported that:

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 “United Methodist elders are declining in number in the U.S., but licensed local pastors are on the increase. “Elders” above includes ordained elders and provisional member elders appointed to churches, as opposed to extension appointments. ‘Local pastors’ includes full-time and part-time local pastors.”

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An article on https://www.ministrymatters.com addresses this growing trend:

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“There are several annual conferences that now have more local pastors appointed to churches than seminary-educated elders.”

“If local pastors (especially part-time local pastors) are going to become the primary way churches have clergy leadership, do we need to radically rethink how we educate them?”

The Master of Divinity has been the defining difference between UM Ordained Clergy and UM Local Pastors. It has also been the ‘gate’ blocking access to a Doctor of Ministry degree for Local Pastors. Northwind provides a path for you to transfer your Course of Study credits toward a Master of Pastoral Ministry degree and then pursue a Doctor of Pastoral Ministry

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