Securing the Future of Education: A Wesleyan Call to Action
Nov. 14, 2025 | By Susan Clark and Wendy R. Cromwell
John Wesley believed that learning was “a means of grace, a tool for spiritual and social transformation.” Today, that legacy is under threat. Cuts to public funding for education, dismantling of equity initiatives and political attacks on diversity and inclusion are jeopardizing access for students and straining United Methodist-related schools – especially historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and seminaries.
“The United Methodist Church has historically supported education,” said Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai, a board member for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. “Yet educational institutions in the United States are under intense pressure because of the political climate. Given the cuts that many of our schools are being forced to make, they need our support.”
The church and the world need leaders equipped to serve faithfully in times of crisis. As a part of This Moment Matters, a granting and giving campaign GBHEM has undertaken with its partner agency, Global Ministries, GBHEM is stepping into the gap to support education with bold actions:
Capacity building: This fall, Gammon Theological Seminary, a historically Black United Methodist-related institution, received a three-year grant of up to $875,000 to rebuild and pursue independent accreditation. “As we navigate the dismantling of the Department of Education and the destruction of DEI initiatives, these actions jeopardize the future of HBCUs,” President Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis said. “This grant enables Gammon to continue supporting our faculty, staff and students.”
Scholarships: Each year, GBHEM awards an average of 2,000 scholarships totaling $4 million. These funds empower students like Brittney Daniel, a psychology major at Paine College who dreams of reforming the juvenile justice system. “Your support has inspired me to continue striving for excellence and to give back to my community in meaningful ways,” Daniel said. GBHEM also supports Global Ministries in administrating scholarships that support leadership development and World Communion scholars. So far, more than $717,920 has been awarded for these scholarship areas, as well.
Global impact: Innovation grants also fund partnerships like a collaborative education exchange between Garrett Evangelical-Theological Seminary and Africa University. Supported by a $400,000 Ministerial Education Fund (MEF) innovation grant, the program is designed to foster public ministry rooted in justice, contextual theology and community leadership. Through hybrid learning and cross-cultural collaboration, the initiative is challenging traditional models of theological education. “Moving beyond extractive models, this exchange amplifies both institutions’ unique gifts to meet the world’s pressing needs,” said Javier A. Viera.
Innovation for healing: Through an MEF innovation grant of $222,680, Boston University launched a groundbreaking trauma-informed theological education initiative. “Religious leadership as a vocation is in crisis… The felt experience of this crisis is often described as trauma, both personal and collective,” said Dr. Eunil David Cho, assistant professor of Spiritual Care and Counseling and co-director of the Center for Practical Theology at Boston University School of Theology. The program integrates trauma awareness into curriculum and spiritual formation, equipping clergy and students to lead with resilience and compassion in a world marked by suffering.
From Wesley’s vision to today’s challenges, education remains a cornerstone of spiritual and social transformation. By supporting United Methodist-related institutions and expanding access for at-risk students, GBHEM equips and nurtures leaders to serve faithfully in a changing world.
Every gift to the This Moment Matters campaign helps open pathways of educational equity and opportunity.
Susan Clark is the chief communications officer for the General Boards of Higher Education and Ministry, Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Wendy R. Cromwell is the senior manager of digital engagement for the agencies.
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