Following the 1956 General Conference of the Methodist Church, which authorized the establishment of a seminary in Ohio, provisional organization was formed to raise funds for the School. The Reverend John W. Dickhaut was appointed director of the organization. Within a year, $4 million had been raised, and a campus site had been selected and purchased. Some of the 70-acre site was donated by Ohio Wesleyan University.

In 1958, Methodist Theological School in Ohio was incorporated and The Reverend John Versteeg was commissioned by the provisional organization to begin the task of assembling a library. Construction of the campus first buildings began.

In 1959, Rev. Dickhaut was elected the School’s first president. Also in1959, Van Bogard Dunn was appointed Academic Dean. The first class of students enrolled in 1960 and graduated in 1963. Two degrees were offered: the Master of Divinity and the Master of Arts in Christian Education. The first graduating class was all male, and included one African-American. The second graduating class included the first female graduate. There are now nearly 2500 Methodist Theological School in Ohio graduates in service to the church and the world.

Today, Methodist Theological School in Ohio enrolls over 250 students in four Master’s degree programs and a Doctor of Ministry degree program.

The program central to the School’s identity, the Master of Divinity program, enrolls the largest number of students, but Counseling Ministries, Christian Education and Youth Ministry, and Theological Studies have seen enrollments climb. The School’s students range in age from their early twenties to sixty-five and beyond. The average age is 42. Overall, 56% of the students are female. (Among students under the age of 40, only 47% are female.) 64% of all students are from Ohio, but the current student body includes students from 24 states and two foreign countries. 16.8% of students report that they are members of racial/ethnic minorities.
Currently, there are twenty-two core faculty members at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, representing multiple denominations. All are well-credentialed and effective as classroom teachers. Individually and collectively, they continue the School’s tradition of a strong commitment to academic excellence under the leadership of a strong academic dean, Rev. Dr. John Kampen. The School has already demonstrated its ability to develop significant institutional and theological responses to its regional environment, and clearly has the opportunity to become one of the leading voices of mainstream theological education.

Since 1973, the three Columbus-area seminaries -- Methodist Theological School in Ohio, the Pontifical College Josephinum, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary -- have worked in close cooperation with one another. Now incorporated as the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus, the consortium facilitates ecumenism in a variety of ways. Students cross-register for courses in the other Consortium schools. In what may be a unique arrangement, the Consortium has jointly hired a faculty member in the area of World Religions & Inter-religious Dialogue. The faculty member teaches a course at all three campuses every year, and also provides leadership for public events. The libraries of the Consortium schools share an electronic catalog, and the collections of all three libraries are accessible to all students on a next-day basis. The combined collection is among the nation’s largest theological libraries. Access to library resources will expand exponentially again in 2006-07 when the Consortium becomes a member of the Ohio Private Academic Libraries network as well as OhioLink, the statewide academic library system.

Over the years, Methodist Theological the School in Ohio has established a solid record of financial stability. Supported in part by an endowment now valued in excess of $30 million, the School’s annual operating budget is $6.6 million and has no debt. Endowment earnings generate approximately $1 million in revenue annually; another $1 million comes from the United Methodist Church through its Ministerial Education Fund.

Rev. John W. Dickhaut guided MTSO for its first 22 years. During that time, the School established a legacy of deep concern for social justice issues through direct and sustained involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. Rev. Buford A. Dickinson served as president for four years (1981-1985). Rev. Dr. Norman E. (“Ned”) Dewire served as president for 20 years (1986-2006), and led three successful capital campaigns. Under his administration, new buildings were constructed, the grounds were upgraded and all existing buildings were fully renovated. State-of-the-art technology was introduced in classrooms. The endowment multiplied five times in value to nearly $30 million, and endowed full tuition scholarships grew from seven to more than 90.

President Jay A Rundell, who assumed office on July 1, 2006 and was formally installed on November 2, 2006, is the School’s fourth president. He plans to lead the School to its next level of excellence, capitalizing on new opportunities for growth, quality, and institutional advancement.