The Kerusso – July | 2025 Special Vision Edition – # 2 of 5
This is the SECOND installment of the five-part “Vision Edition” of the Kerusso, with each exploring one of our current denominational priorities, which are how we hope to advance our overall organizational mission.
The first page of each weekly edition is a reminder of our primary organizational mission. Page 2 focuses on current achievements, and page 3 looks at future goals regarding Educating Ministers.
The Evangelical Methodist Church: Who We Are
Our founders envisioned a vibrant community where faith comes alive, people are transformed, and God's love is actively shared with our neighbors and the world. They saw a need for a place where fidelity is paramount, love is evident, and where Christian fellowship and discipleship are the tools to grow both believers and congregations They saw then, and we still see today, a denomination deeply rooted in biblical truth, passionately committed to worship, and courageously dedicated to serving others. This is who we are, and it frames our ongoing commitment, both in our local communities and beyond
These 4 words describe the ongoing mission of the EMC: Worship, Discipleship, Holiness, and Evangelism!
Four components, each with a directional aspect:
Upward – Our relationship with God
Beside – Our relationship with Other Believers
Inside – Our internal walk with Christ
Outside – Our witness to the world for Christ
Worship Our first calling is to worship God in spirit and truth.
Discipleship We are called to a lifelong journey of learning and growing in Christ. Holiness We must always strive to live a life set apart for God Evangelism We are to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who don't know Him.
We seek to accomplish this mission by focusing on specific goals.
OUR CURRENT PRIORITIES are expressed through an acronym:
P Planting Churches
E Educating Ministers
A Aspiring to Holiness
C Connecting People
E Equipping Leaders
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Educating Ministers
The Apostle Paul declared that God gives leadership gifts to individuals for the benefit of the entire body of Christ. To the Ephesians, he wrote: “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men … and He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ ...” Leadership in the church is a holy calling that requires a serious commitment, which should include both theological education and practical preparedness.
A thorough theological education in a Christian College or Seminary is a wonderful way to prepare for vocational ministry, but we know that there are those for whom undergraduate and/or graduate theological education is not possible. That is why the Evangelical Methodist Church established the Haggard School of Ministry. It is designed to provide quality preparatory ministerial education to candidates seeking to answer God’s call to Christian service.
1. The Haggard School of Ministry
The EMC established the Haggard School of Ministry in 2012, naming it after Dr. Cornelius P. Haggard, the 13th President of Azusa Pacific College, now Azusa Pacific University. Dr. Haggard was a highly respected academician, theologian, and a key leader in the earliest days of the Evangelical Methodist Church. He served for many years with both Dr. Hamblen and Dr. Vanderwood as Assistant General Superintendent. It was his commitment to theological education and ministry that the Church sought to memorialize in the naming of the Haggard School of Ministry.
Since its launch 10 years ago, the Haggard School has delivered courses to 63 students!
A comprehensive curriculum provides training and education in the following categories: Bible, History, Theology, and Practical Ministry. Prospective ministers can pursue education suited to becoming an Elder, Local Preacher, or Deacon with ministerial credentials, or as a Lay Exhorter in a local church. It would be hard to overstate the value of the Haggard School in preparing folks for service in churches across the EMC.
For those seeking an accredited undergraduate degree, the leaders of the Haggard School have negotiated a cooperative relationship with Ohio Christian University in Circleville, Ohio (OCU) such that nearly all HSOM courses are approved for transfer into an OCU degree program for full academic credit! Incredible!
2. Preaching Institutes in 2021 and 2024
To further hone the preaching and leadership skills of our pastors and credential holders, we hosted two Preaching Institutes at the Heritage Learning Center in Indianapolis. Both events combined a focus on the Spirit-inspired Word of God that possesses the power to change the world with excellent presenters and preparatory prayer. It was a joy to see seasoned coaches passing on their skills in pedagogy and homiletics to hungry students.
The AMP2021 event saw 21 attendees sitting under the wonderful tutelage of Dr. Ron Smith and Rev. Stan Key. Dr. Ron was serving as the President of the Francis Asbury Society (FAS) having also served for many years as the President of Wesley Biblical Seminary. Rev. Key was the recent past President of FAS, and distinguished himself as a skilled local church pastor and church planter.
In October of 2024, our preaching and leadership event hosted 25 attendees who benefited from hearing some amazing presenters, including Dr. Jim Lyon, Drs. Bill and Gloria Gaither, Rev. Scott Wade, Rev. Carlton Smith, and Ms. Shannon Anderson. It was a truly special time, filled with insight, laughter, and tangible help for how to incorporate storytelling into pulpit presentations, as well as how to incorporate sermon series into a preaching schedule.
What’s on the Horizon for Educating Ministers?
The existence of the Haggard School of Ministry certainly affords a solid base for training and educating our developing ministry corps, but we know that there is more to be done.
The Superintendents have been thinking deeply about ways to improve the ministerial preparation of our ministers, as well as how to support their ongoing well-being through an emphasis on proper self-care and ongoing emotional health.
We envision two improvements that we hope will impact the preparedness of those coming into the EMC, and one that is targeted at the continuing health of everyone currently serving.
1. We will be working to encourage churches to create Pastoral Internship opportunities. There is no doubt that an on-staff internship is an excellent preparatory opportunity for those new to pastoral ministry. The problem is that few internships are currently offered by our churches. Elizabeth City EMC in Eastern North Carolina has launched a program to provide such an opportunity, and Refuge Ministries in Texas provides developmental training to young pastors in its network of connected churches. We will be working with other healthy EMC churches to encourage even more such preparatory positions in the future for those preparing for ministry.
Immersive internship programs allow aspiring clergy to apply theoretical knowledge in real world ministry settings, gaining hands-on experience in areas such as sermon preparation and delivery, pastoral care, community outreach, and administrative tasks. Internships also foster the development of crucial interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making, as interns navigate complex human situations and learn to provide compassionate and effective spiritual guidance. Please contact a Conference Superintendent if you’d be interested in an internship position or if you would like to explore providing an internship in your local church.
2. We are enhancing our introductory course – HI-101 “This is the EMC.”
One area that has become clear to us as needing improvement is the HSOM introductory course, “This is the EMC.” It is required for everyone in the school, AND for everyone transferring into the EMC from other faith tribes. The Superintendents are responsible for both teaching the course and determining its subject material. Over some years, for whatever reason, the course has become little more than a brief orientation to the Discipline and has been shortened to just 3 hours.
We have just recently given the course a good overhaul, matching the content with the core missional values of Worship, Discipleship, Holiness, and Evangelism. The course will be taught in person at least once a year, either in the late Summer before the annual General Council meeting in September, or in the Spring, one day before a regional Journey meeting commences. Look for more info to come.
3. We will annually offer scholarships to “Sanctuary Coaching & Counseling.”
Sanctuary Coaching and Counseling was designed by its founders to invest in the well-being of pastors, missionaries, and faith leaders by ministering to their mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational health. The services are designed to help bring clarity to past experiences, issues of conflict, and holistic relationships. The hope is that through compassionate and professional counseling, leaders can find help in determining steps for moving forward to experience greater freedom and improved well-being.
The Superintendents have committed to annually offering limited scholarships for pastors needing these kinds of services, but who need some financial support to acquire them. Superintendents will be talking about this more and more, presenting the opportunity in local church Annual Conferences and in the introductory course, “This is the EMC.”