2008-2012 Highlights

We’d like to share a snapshot of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s work during the 2008-2012 quadrennium. Click on the live links to recent news releases for more in-depth information about our work.

Loans and Scholarships

More than $22.2 million in financial aid has been awarded to 13,400 students across the country during the quadrennium – more than $2 million to 2,000 undergraduate active leaders within the UMC through the Gift of Hope Scholarship Program. During the same period, more than 2,400 students received a total of $7.2 million loans and more than $8.4 million in loan repayments have been received from students. The default rate on loans collections is quite low – far lower than is the norm. Loan repayments support the work of the office and are loaned out again.

• Supporting United Methodist Students Vital
• United Methodist Student Disappointed at Giving Down
• Gift Meant More Than $15 Million for Nearly 13,000 Students
• Women of Color Program Encouraged Graduates
• Native American Seminarian Scholarship Nurtures Dreams
• Anonymous Donor Gives $100,000 to Scholarships
• 1929 Methodist Loan Creates a Lifetime Relationship

Vocational Discernment

• More than 1,000 students will attend Exploration events to discern their call to ministry. Exploration Speakers Say Young People Must Lead UMC Now
• Mentoring and More Contribute to Rise in Young Elders
• Exploration Participants Say Campus Ministry Vital
• Study Will Determine Effect, Fine Tune Events
• Save the Date:Exploration 2011
• Beyond the Burning Bush Available for Exploration 2009

Nine training resources have been published in English and Spanish, and are available through online download, Web links, print, or DVD. These resources support students attending Exploration events.

• DVD, New Books Provide Help With Ordained Ministry

The GBHEM Web page for training resources was developed in the summer of 2010. More than 30 resources were revised or updated, formatted, and placed on the Training Web page for use by district committees, candidacy mentors and registrars, and Boards of Ordained Ministry and BOM officers were trained in use of the materials at the September 2010 BOM Forums.

• Materials Available on Web Will Help With Candidacy Training

Members of the Annual Conference Recruiters Network receive regular e-newsletters highlighting new resources and event relevant to recruiting and supporting young adult candidates and clergy. Workshops have focused on best practices.

• Annual Conference Recruiters Discuss What Works
• Meeting Explores Developing Young Clergy

Specialized Ministries

In response to the church’s need for highly qualified and trained interim pastors to assist church leaders during critical transitions of pastoral leadership, UMEA worked with the Intentional Growth Institute and the Texas Annual Conference in the development of the Transitional Interim Minister Specialist (TIMS) Program and endorsement category.

• Pastors Provide Solace for Churches in Transition

The United Methodist Endorsing Agency visited the thirteen (13) United Methodist seminaries and an additional nine (9) University Senate-approved seminaries to provide interpretation, mentoring and support of seminarians discerning their respective call to ordained ministry.

• Chaplains Promote Ministry Beyond Church Walls

Development of the Data Management System

To meet GBHEM’s mission, the Board is developing a new Data Management System (DMS). A sound DMS is necessary for accurate and efficient gathering, recording, maintaining, and retrieving of information.

The new system will allow GBHEM to respond more efficiently and effectively to a quickly changing environment using up-to-date technology, applications, and security. It will allow the Board to build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with constituents, ensuring the ability to stay in direct contact with leaders throughout the church to provide critical information, research, education, and support. This will enable us to respond to the pressing questions that come to GBHEM regarding ordained ministry and United Methodist-related higher education.

This flexible system will allow efficient management of constituent contact information and logical organization of data regarding ordained ministry and the higher education institutions related to The United Methodist Church. The system will facilitate research and reporting on issues relevant to the church and support the use of a variety of data collection methods and collaborative data sharing across boards and agencies of the church.

Global Education

The historic IAMSCU/NASCUMC joint meeting is this summer in Washington, D.C. The theme is Methodist Education: Preparing Principled Leaders for Global Challenges

• Methodist Educators To Hold Historic Conference
• Methodist E-Academy to Welcome First Full Class in 2011
• Funding Needed for Global Theological Education

Higher Education

• Institute to Focus on Educating Leaders for Ecological Responsibility
• Workshop Aims to Develop Leadership Pool

Ethical Student Leadership Conference

Every year Wiley College has an Ethical Student Leadership Conference where they develop leaders who are Christian in their values, broad in their perspectives and knowledgeable and grounded in their decision-making.The Black College Fund will be partners with Wiley College to continue the development of Christian leaders at our 11 historically Black colleges and university campuses that are related to the United Methodist Church.

Black College Fund

The Black College Fund supports 11 United Methodist-related historically Black colleges and universities, where more than 15,000 students are encouraged to realize their full potential as instruments for the betterment of society.

• Lina McCord Ambassadors Put Face to Black College Fund
• College Athletes Connect with Churches

Africa University

There are 1,067 Africa University graduates from more than 32 countries. Many graduates return to their communities where they are working to improve the education, agricultural, health, and leadership skills in all levels of African society; contributing to the renewal of the continent.

• Zimbabwe’s Crisis Tested Class of 2010

Other Leadership Inititatives

In March 2011, the first group of 13 leaders completed the Leadership Training Program of Latin America.

Through the Africa Theological Education Initiative, 95 students from the Liberia, North Katanga, South Congo, and Nigeria Annual Conferences have been awarded $224,000 in scholarships, and $170,000 has been disbursed for 12 different group training projects in the North Katanga and East Africa Annual Conferences.