Garrett Seminary and MTSO are collaborating to form the Great Lakes Course of Study program, expanding the support and resources they offer United Methodist students who seek to become licensed local pastors. The Great Lakes Course of Study will begin serving students in the fall of 2026. This collaboration has been done in consultation with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), which prescribes the Course of Study for the United Methodist Church.

Within the United Methodist Church, ordination as an elder or deacon requires master’s-level education and a bachelor’s degree. The denomination’s Course of Study currently offers a non-degree licensure program of 20 courses. Beginning in 2027, the Course of Study is transitioning to a 16-course curriculum to respond to current education needs for local pastors. This empowers clergy members of an annual conference whose licenses are contingent upon appointment to specific local congregations to serve within the United Methodist Church.

The Great Lakes Course of Study will create a dynamic path to ministry – offered in both English and Spanish, fully online – and dramatically increase the support its students can be offered.

The partnership between MTSO and Garrett is an example of the strength offered by United Methodist institutions’ connectional identity. In addition to better coordinating work among the faculty and staff who make Course of Study possible, and serving the needs of busy students, the Great Lakes Course of Study meets a critical need for congregations across the North Central Jurisdiction, the Great Lakes region, and beyond.

“All regional Course of Study schools have used and are likely to continue to use a common curriculum,” said MTSO President Jay Rundell. “I believe our best path forward employs a single strong, robust program in our region rather than two.”

Read more.

MTSO’s Alumni Day offers an opportunity for alums to reconnect with classmates as we share a meal, a chapel service and faculty presentations. At our luncheon, we will honor three recipients of the Mount Alumni Awards for Distinguished Service:

• Tejai Beulah Howard (MTS ’11), spiritual director, historian and educator
• Andy Call (M.Div. ’13), lead pastor, Church of the Saviour, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
• Brad Davis (M.Div. ’20), United Methodist clergy and co-chair, From Below: Rising Together For Coalfield Justice

Schedule
11 a.m.: Registration and gathering
Noon: Mount Alumni Awards Luncheon
1:30 p.m.: Chapel with communion
2:30 p.m.: Faculty presentations
4 p.m.: Dismissal

As always, we offer Alumni Day at no cost to participants. We simply ask for your RSVP to help us plan. Learn more and RSVP today.

MTSO and West Virginia Wesleyan College have a new partnership that gives students accelerated pathways to earn graduate degrees in ministry, public theology and social justice. With this program, students begin with three years of study at West Virginia Wesleyan College, followed by two or three years at MTSO. This allows them to earn both degrees in less time and at a reduced cost.

“We at MTSO have always valued our many West Virginia relationships,” said MTSO President Jay Rundell. “It feels natural to join with WVWC in offering these pathways to students who are seeking advanced degrees or their way to lives of lasting significance.”

MTSO has similar accelerated programs with Mount Union and Ohio Northern University.

Read more about the West Virginia Wesleyan partnership here.

Author, preacher and public theologian Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, will deliver two lectures at MTSO’s Williams Institute.

Middle Church, which Lewis has led since 2005, describes itself as “a multicultural, multiethnic, intergenerational movement of Spirit and justice, powered by fierce, revolutionary Love, with room for all.”

Lewis’s first lecture, “Brick by Brick, Ubuntu: Building a Multiracial Community of Faith,” will take place at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Sept. 22. The second lecture, “Pitfalls & Promises: On Nurturing Interracial Communities of Faith,” begins at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Sept. 23.

Both lectures are in the Alford Centrum. They are open to all. No registration is required. In addition to the lectures, Lewis will preach at MTSO’s weekly chapel at 1 p.m. Eastern Sept. 22 in the Alford Centrum. All are welcome.

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Lewis holds Ph.D. and Master of Philosophy degrees from Drew University, and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Books she has authored include Ten Essential Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation, The Just Love Story Bible, and Faith and Reckoning After Trump.

Learn more.

MTSO and Seminary Hill Farm invite you to an evening gathering on our 10-acre regenerative farm. Sunset on the Farm will take place Sept. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the MTSO campus. Tickets are $35.

The evening will feature farm-fresh hors d’oeuvres, live music and a self-guided audio tour.

View a short video of Farm Steward Laura Ann Bergman highlighting what you can expect from this year's event.

Reserve your spot at Sunset on the Farm here.

“Alum News,” celebrating significant events in the lives and vocations of MTSO alumni, is a highlight of The Story Magazine and Annual Report.

We invite you to send your news our way so that we can include it in the magazine. We’d also like to hear from you if you’ve simply had a change of address or other contact information.

You’ll find an update form here. Thank you for staying in touch and keeping us in the loop.