Educational Requirements for Provisional Membership

Application packets for Provisional Membership in the Virginia Conference are available after July 15 annually. Contact the Office of Ministerial Services by email to BethDowns@vaumc.org with your request and your preferred mailing address. The specific application deadline is stated in the packet and will be in mid-September annually. The Virginia Conference requires completion of all educational work prior to election to probationary membership and commissioning at annual conference in June. Thus, a seminary student could begin the application process in July preceding the final year of seminary. Refer to Paragraph 324 in the 2004 Book of Discipline for general requirements. In addition, the following courses are required:

Board of Ordained Ministry

Virginia Conference, The United Methodist Church

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP

The Discipline lists the following specific course requirements that must be included in graduate theological education prior to provisional membership in the United Methodist Church (see ¶315.4c). Note that the Virginia Conference requires completion of all educational requirements prior to commissioning and provisional membership.

Old Testament
New Testament
Theology
Church history
Mission of the church in the world
Worship/liturgy
Evangelism
A minimum of two semester or three quarter hours in each of the fields of United Methodist history, doctrine, and polity.
For candidates on the elder track, a course in preaching is required by the Virginia Conference.

In addition to the above requirements, the Virginia Conference requires that all candidates for ordination complete at least ½ unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) by the application deadline (mid-Sept.) for ordination as a deacon or elder and full membership in the conference. CPE must be taken at a CPE site that is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE).

The Virginia Conference Board of Ordained Ministry strongly encourages CPE prior to provisional membership and recommends courses in Christian education and systematic theology for all candidates.

The Virginia Conference Board of Ordained Ministry allows 1/3 of all course work to be done on line (distance).

Although each seminary has the responsibility to designate which basic course meet the core requirements and advise students of these courses, the conference Board of Ordained Ministry will have the final authority to approve academic studies.

9/06