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Garrett Seminary and Methodist Theological School in Ohio 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 (COS) currently offers a non-degree licensure program of 20 courses, hosted in conjunction with the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. 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 COS 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.”

“God has blessed our conferences with dedicated and faithful leaders, ready to claim the calling that the Spirit has placed on them,” said Garrett President Javier A. Viera. “It is a matter of spiritual but also practical urgency, as more United Methodist churches turn to local licensed pastors to lead and serve their people.”

As part of this expanded support, the Rev. Grant Showalter-Swanson has been chosen to serve as the Great Lake Course of Study’s full-time director.

“In what could only be described as the movement of the Holy Spirit, MTSO reached out to Garrett to see if we could pool our resources and create a full-time director role to support the multi-faceted work of administering COS,” Showalter-Swanson said. “I was overjoyed at this development—a true answer to prayer. I am so looking forward to being able to devote 100% of my attention to the students, faculty and denominational constituents across the UMC connection as the inaugural director.”

“We look forward to Rev. Showalter-Swanson’s leadership of this program,” Rundell said. “I also want to express my profound appreciation for the work of MTSO’s Professor Joon-Sik Park, who for years has led the Course of Study School of Ohio on our campus. Dr. Park’s long and faithful service won’t be forgotten.”

The Great Lakes Course of Study program will strengthen the Spanish-language COS that Garrett has offered for many years. There is a growing number of Spanish-speaking churches in the conferences who need pastoral leadership, and Spanish COS is often the most accessible and feasible educational and licensure pathway to empower people who feel called to serve them.

“Spanish-speaking congregations are filled with people who radiate love of neighbor and faithfulness to God, but who may lack the educational background or resources to pursue ordained ministry,” Viera said. “The Church needs their leadership, now more than ever, to help congregations flourish.” These students will receive greater support than ever before, thanks to both Showalter-Swanson’s attention and the help of Honorio Morales, the Course of Study Coordinator.

The Great Lakes Course of Study also will also benefit from MTSO’s connection with the Native American Course of Study. Formed in 2003, NACOS educates and trains Native American local pastors in The United Methodist Church. The school uniquely prepares students to work cross-culturally in a variety of settings. In addition to Native Americans, NACOS is open to pastors of all races and ethnicities serving Native American people within their congregations and communities, as well as those pastors responding to a call to work in Native American Ministries.

“NACOS has been a treasured extension of the MTSO program, and it’s been a privilege to work with its founder and director, Dr. Jerry DeVine,” Rundell said. “It will continue to be prominent in the Great Lakes Course of Study.”

As the needs within United Methodist conferences continue to shift, the Great Lakes Course of Study will create flexibility to supply well-educated pastors to serve its churches.