Called, Equipped and Entrusted: The Stewardship of Educational Resources for Ministry in the Global Methodist Church [Firebrand Big Read]
Photo by Dallas Penner on Unsplash
From the time of the Reformation, seminaries have been envisioned as seedbeds—places where the Church intentionally cultivates the God-given gifts and graces of those called to ministry. The agricultural metaphor is no accident: just as farmers do not scatter seed on unprepared soil, the church has long understood that the sacred call to preach, teach, counsel, and shepherd must be nurtured through rigorous and deliberate formation. Again, just as soil must be enriched, nutrients interwoven, seeds sown, watered, and tended—not as optional tasks, but as essential acts of good-farming stewardship, so too educational resources must be more than a patchwork of elements strewn across a field; instead, they must form a full-bodied, integrated curriculum with a high end ever in view. Indeed, ministerial formation flourishes not in isolation but in fellowship—in the shared life of the community rather than in the solitary glow of a flat-screen in a darkened room. Above all, true and empowering preparation for ministry always entails the transformation of the heart, mind, and soul through the give-and-take of enduring Christian conversation, fellowship and practice. It is in these sacred exchanges, in these holy places, that we are known as we have come to know others—fellow travelers responding to nothing less than a divine and sacred call.
When educational resources are assessed in terms of preparation for ordained ministry, the overarching consideration, reflective of a deep and abiding Christian commitment, has to be proper stewardship. Indeed, it is a basic theological truth of both the Bible and of the theology of John and Charles Wesley that all good gifts not only have their source in God but also that the Most High is the rightful owner of all. With this basic understanding in place, we as ministers of the gospel today recognize ourselves not as masters or owners of anything, free to use and dispose of as we please, but as faithful stewards of the good gifts that God has entrusted to us and which are to be utilized as the Lord pleases. Stewardship, then, ever orients us not to our own will but to the will of the Most High. In fact, John Wesley took the issue of stewardship so seriously that he wrote the sermon, “The Good Steward,” in 1768, and it therefore became a part of the collection of sermons that he brought forward in 1771 and which many around the world today have come to know simply as one of The Fifty-Two Standard Sermons.
In the sermon, “The Good Steward,” John Wesley emphasizes that every Christian is entrusted with divine gifts—life, time, talents, possessions, and grace—and is called to manage them faithfully for God’s glory. Beyond this, he affirms that stewardship is not optional but central to Christian discipleship, requiring intentional and judicious use of all resources in service to others and for the promotion of the Kingdom of God. In a somber note, Wesley warns that neglecting this sacred responsibility leads to spiritual peril as he draws on biblical examples, like the parable of the talents, to illustrate the consequences of poor and even, heaven forbid, wasteful stewardship. Ultimately, Wesley frames stewardship as a sacred trust with key agents in place who will all be judged by God, with eternal rewards for those who manage well, and sobering outcomes for those who do not. This is serious business.
The proper stewardship of the educational resources that are entrusted to the church is best considered in light of three basic considerations: first, articulating standards of stewardship along with creating and developing suitable resources; second, distributing resources appropriately throughout the global church; and third, assessing the standards, the development and distribution of resources on an ongoing basis. It is to the first consideration that we now turn.
Articulating Standards along with Creating and Developing Resources
The articulation of educational standards for ministry is not an abstract exercise; it is ever a lively stewardship decision shaped by the resources available in a given context and the capacity to cultivate further resources to be deployed in the days ahead. Consider the United States, for example. According to Forbes, 54.9% of adults aged 25–64 hold a postsecondary credential, including associate, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees, as well as certificates. This widespread educational attainment is not incidental. It reflects, in part, the deliberate efforts of Methodists and other Christians such as Presbyterians and Congregationalists—especially in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—to establish a robust educational legacy for the church. In terms of the Methodist or Wesleyan household of faith, itself, over a hundred colleges and universities, alongside more than a dozen seminaries and divinity schools, many housing extensive theological libraries and ecclesiastical archives, testify to this deep educational commitment. When such a heritage is paired with a well-educated population today, it becomes abundantly clear why the United Methodist Church has required an MDiv for ordination to elder. Simply put, in contexts where educational resources abound—for both clergy and laity alike—standards do not merely rise; they are rightly expected to rise.
Oddly enough, one population often overlooked in denominational conversations about suitable ministerial preparation is the congregation itself—the people in the pews on Sunday mornings who will actually sit under the pastoral leadership so prepared and assigned. These lay Christians are not passive recipients in this ecclesial enterprise. Instead, they are nothing less than covenant partners, bound by sacred trust to those who lead them. Moreover, that trust carries with it an unavoidable moral obligation: denominational leaders must ensure that pastors are rightly equipped with the educational preparation commensurate with the spiritual needs, intellectual expectations, and theological heritage of the people they serve. This is why the title of this article includes three elements—not simply two. Ministry is not only about being “Called” and “Equipped”; it is also about being “Entrusted.” To be entrusted means that congregations have a reasonable and justifiable expectation that their pastors will be prepared to lead them faithfully and wisely in an increasingly complex world. To neglect this expectation or to outright repudiate it in the name of something else is to breach that trust—and to risk placing pastoral leaders in settings for which they are ill-prepared, to the detriment of both shepherd and flock.
If we take John Wesley’s treatise Address to the Clergy as our guide, which was published in 1756 in order to elevate the standards of clergy in the Church of England in his own age, then we can easily see that there are numerous gifts and graces, not a few, that not only have to be carefully identified by church leaders but that also have to be intentionally developed among all the clergy. The following bullet point list displays the standards, in three key areas, that Wesley himself thought appropriate for ministry:
Natural Gifts
Good understanding and sound judgment
Liveliness and readiness of thought
Strong memory
Acquired Endowments
Knowledge of one’s ministerial office and calling
Comprehensive knowledge of Scripture
Ability to interpret Scripture literally and spiritually
Proficiency in original biblical languages
Familiarity with profane history, ancient customs, chronology, and geography
Knowledge of sciences: logic, metaphysics, natural philosophy, geometry
Study of early Church Fathers (especially pre-Nicene)
Acquaintance with later Fathers: Chrysostom, Basil, Jerome, Augustine, Ephraim Syrus
Knowledge of human nature and worldly manners
Prudence (common sense)
Good breeding: ease, propriety, and address in behavior
Spiritual Graces
Intention to glorify God and save souls
Eminent love for God and all people
Freedom from love of money, praise, ambition, sensuality, and diversions
Devotion to God in word and deed
Careful abstinence from all evil and its appearance
So then, in his An Address to the Clergy, John Wesley issues a clarion call for ministers to embody both exceptional gifts and profound grace. He outlines the natural and acquired abilities essential for all clergy—ranging from intellectual rigor and scriptural depth (even the mastery of original languages) to cultural awareness and social discernment. Even philosophy and logic have their places here—and rightfully so. Yet Wesley insists that these gifts, as great as they are, pale in comparison to the grace of God, which must govern a minister’s intentions, affections, and conduct. Sincere, well-motivated clergy, he argues, must be wholly devoted to God, driven by a love for souls, and free from worldly distractions. With unwavering clarity, Wesley sets a high standard for spiritual leadership, urging ministers to live as faithful stewards of what gifts and graces they have received at the hands of a gracious, holy and loving God.
Moreover, this call to stewardship will of course include the specific cultivation of educational resources that will equip the global church. It is one thing to identify such resources in a given land—and, where lacking, to labor faithfully in creating them—but it is quite another to develop these resources in a manner that reflects the excellence and integrity befitting the Gospel, itself. This distinction is not merely theoretical; it strikes at the heart of how the church prepares its ministers for good stewardship in the midst of the generation of resources that can bless believers both near and far. Interestingly enough, Wesley’s wisdom found in his sermon, “The Use of Money,” offers a fitting parallel on this score: resources must be generated with diligence [industriousness], preserved with self-denial [frugality], and ultimately distributed with generosity—especially to those in need wherever they may be found throughout the church. This troika of obligations is recognized in the familiar pithy expression offered by Wesley: “Gain all you can; save all you can; give all you can.” The challenge, then, is not only in the creation and preserving of resources, the gaining and saving, which avoids every form of waste, but also in their faithful and equitable distribution, the giving, a matter to which we now turn.
Distributing Resources Judiciously and Appropriately
The Holy Spirit has raised up the believers of the Global Methodist Church, who—responding to that sacred call—coalesced as a new ecclesial body on May 1, 2022. More than two years later, in September 2024, the GMC convened its first General Conference in San José, Costa Rica, where it adopted a Constitution, a Book of Doctrine and Discipline, and elected its initial governing bodies. Today, the GMC comprises over 6,000 congregations across North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Notably, approximately 5,000 of these congregations—roughly 83 percent—are located in the United States.
Stewardship of educational resources remains a sacred and strategic concern for Global Methodists worldwide as they face the future. As the knowledge and exercise of Christian stewardship takes root globally—through faithful teaching, pastoral care, and the disciplined practice of industry, frugality, and generosity—it is inevitable that disparities will emerge. These differences, shaped by varying initial resources and local conditions, persist despite the best efforts of careful stewardship. Thus, a pressing question now arises for us all: How shall the church respond to these disparities especially in terms of the educational resources across nations?
Two principled answers to this question will now be explored. These two options presented below are not intended to mirror the current policy of the Global Methodist Church with precision. They are far too loose for that. Rather, they are offered simply as conceptual tools—goads to reflection—designed to help members of the denomination grapple with a salient and pressing issue that has drawn and continues to draw widespread attention. These options then are imaginative, even fictive, and their purpose is not to prescribe but to describe, not to delimit but to engender. They should serve as helpful catalysts for the kind of deep, discerning reflection that is in accordance with the requisites of faithful stewardship.
Option One
Option One proposes that the Global Methodist Church adopt a unified global standard for ministerial education—one that does not require a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree, even in regions where such degrees are readily available. This approach is rooted in a vision of equity: recognizing that many parts of the world lack access to accredited seminaries, theological libraries, or the financial means to pursue advanced degrees. To impose a high academic threshold universally, proponents argue, would risk excluding faithful and gifted individuals whom God has called to serve.
By lowering the formal educational requirement in resource-rich regions, this model seeks to embody solidarity with the global church. It affirms that spiritual calling, Christian character, a slate of courses, and contextual training—however modest—can be sufficient for ordination. Advocates contend that a basic, more-easily accessible standard fosters unity, avoids geographic elitism, and prevents the emergence of a two-tiered clergy divided by privilege.
Option Two
Option Two proposes that the Global Methodist Church embrace a twofold model of stewardship—one that honors contextual abundance and one that cultivates global generosity. In this vision, regions blessed with accredited seminaries, theological libraries, seasoned faculty, and financial capacity are not asked to lower their standards, but to steward them faithfully. Excellence in one place is not a threat to unity; it is a gift to be shared.
This model begins with local responsibility: each region is called to develop its educational resources to the fullest extent possible, in keeping with what God has already entrusted. But it does not end there. The second tier of stewardship invites the whole church to live into a posture of sacrificial generosity—building bridges through scholarships, shared libraries, visiting faculty, and digital access. These are not acts of condescension, but of covenant: a recognition that the Body of Christ is one, and that the flourishing of one part can and should bless the whole.
Rather than enforcing uniformity through reduction, this approach fosters unity through differentiated strength. It resists the leveling-down impulse of modern abstractions and instead calls forth a Gospel-shaped generosity—one that listens widely, gives freely, and prepares wisely for the future. In such a model, no gift is buried, no excellence wasted, and no region forgotten. All are called, equipped, and entrusted—together.
Conclusion: Assessing the Standards as well as the Development and Distribution of Resources
In light of these two options or scenarios, if you will, it can be argued that the Global Methodist Church stands at a crossroads where its commitment to global equality must not come at the expense of theological integrity or educational excellence. In stewarding ministerial formation, the Global Methodist Church must resist the leveling-down impulse embedded in the scripts of modern liberal democracies—scripts that confuse sameness with equality, ignore contextual abundance, and impose top-down uniformity that is downright stifling in so many corners of the church. Genuine Christian stewardship does not squander what God and previous generations have already put in place; rather, it develops and multiplies it. The presence of endowed seminaries, well-stacked libraries, seasoned faculty, and robust pastoral training in some regions is not a problem to be flattened out but a gift to be leveraged in service to others: not leveling down but leveling up.
Moreover, excellence in one place should not be stifled because it may currently be absent elsewhere; rather, it should be used to build bridges—in terms of scholarships, shared libraries, visiting faculty, and digital access—that elevate serious pastoral formation across the globe. What is needed then is not more shortcuts, but pathways to rigorous formation; not convenience, but deep and determined commitment; not least-common-denominator balance sheets, but contextual excellence. Lowering ordination educational standards in America under the guise of global equity is not stewardship; it is a failure to acknowledge what gifts have already been given. It is, in truth, a form of ingratitude. Indeed, every culture deserves the very best theology it can bear in the face of an increasingly challenging world. With careful and seasoned reflection, key covenant partners can envision, through God’s empowering grace, distributive strategies that will honor both the dignity of underserved regions as well as the development of resources in lands that are blessed with them.
What is proposed then, in light of differing options, is not a one-size-fits-all policy from above, with its go-to, easy answer, but a broad and engaging generosity from below that calls for listening to many voices throughout the entire church, all members included. Again, the reigning narrative envisioned here is not and should not be that of modern democracies that often invite mediocrity and waste through their idolatrous fixation on political abstractions—abstractions that in the end do real harm to hosts of people. A popular and celebrated leveling-down strategy may appear to be inclusive for a time, but it is ultimately exclusionary—it excludes the future by failing to prepare for it.
And finally, the reigning narrative offered here is none other than the Gospel itself: a story of proper and appropriate stewardship in which different parts of the body are united under the one headship of Jesus Christ through the sinews of holy love. In such a setting, selfless care for others, sacrificial sharing both near and far, as well as the recognition of the universal love of God for all people are the emergent narratives that bring much-needed illumination and abundant guidance. Accordingly, we will all do well to remember that in the Kingdom of God, sheer, utter waste has no place, for every good and perfect gift that we have received is ultimately a gift from above. Therefore, the appropriate response is ever one of gratitude and thankfulness. And burying one’s talents, whatever justifications are offered, whatever celebrated scripts are in play, must never be an option.
Kenneth J. Collins is Professor of Historical Theology and Wesley Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY, and a member of Firebrand’s editorial board.