God's call to ministry rarely comes at a convenient time. It may come to a schoolteacher in the middle of a career, a parent raising young children, a longtime lay leader who has served in the church for decades, or someone whose sense of purpose has grown slowly through years of faithful discipleship. For many people, the traditional path of three years of residential seminary isn't feasible. Families, jobs, and communities depend on them, and uprooting their lives isn't an option. 

The Pastoral & Leadership Training Program was created as an alternative pathway toward becoming a Licensed Pastor in the Methodist Collegiate Church. It offers comprehensive theological education and practical ministry preparation to people who are called to serve but need to answer that call where they already are. 

 John Wesley believed that God's grace goes before us, meets us where we are, and keeps drawing us toward holiness of heart and life. That conviction shapes the entire program. In the same spirit, the curriculum aims to form pastors who think carefully and love deeply. It asks students to study Scripture and doctrine seriously, to deepen their own walk with God, and to care for the people they will serve. 

Students engage the whole Methodist way of salvation: the means of grace, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the lifelong journey toward Christian Perfection. They come away with an understanding of what Methodists believe, why those beliefs matter, and how to live them out in a congregation. 

The program is entirely online and self-paced, so students can complete their coursework around their work, family, and ministry commitments. Flexible does not mean easy. The coursework is comparable in rigor to an online master's degree, and students should expect sustained reading, reflection, and engagement with the material. 

Every course is taught by an MCC pastor. Each instructor holds either a terminal degree, an additional certification, or brings many years of ministry experience in the field they teach. Students learn from people who have preached the sermons, sat at the hospital bedsides, led the committee meetings, and walked with congregations through both celebration and grief. Their instruction combines scholarship with the practical knowledge that comes from years in ministry. 

The Pastoral & Leadership Training Program is offered at no cost to everyone in the process of becoming a Licensed Pastor in the Methodist Collegiate Church. We believe education should be freely available to our clergy, church staff, and church members. The cost of preparation should never stand between a called person and the people God is calling them to serve. 

Completing the Pastoral & Leadership Training Program is a required step in becoming a Licensed Pastor in the Methodist Collegiate Church. Eligibility requirements and the full candidacy process are outlined in each College’s Book of Doctrine & Order. 

The program's courses are organized around five areas of pastoral formation. 

• Biblical Foundations 

• Methodist History, Doctrine, and Church History 

• Pastoral Essentials 

• Pastoral Duties 

• Discipleship 

Together they give students a well-rounded foundation for faithful ministry. 

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