General Guidelines
Students MUST be a certified candidate for ministry, and MUST be recommended to attend Licensing School by their respective District Committee on Ordained Ministry. District Superintendents and District Committees on Ordained Ministry shall identify, recommend and submit the names, addresses, telephone numbers and email address of persons to attend the North Texas Conference/Central Texas Conference Licensing School to the Ministerial Services Administrator (Mariel Vela).
Each student is responsible for a $100 registration fee, paid online; the remaining cost for a student to attend Licensing School is provided by the Board of Ministry.
Upon receipt of the names, each student will receive from Pastor Maxie Moore, Director of NTC Licensing School, and Mariel Vela, Ministerial Services, specific information as to the dates, times and locations of the Licensing School sessions and registration information. Before Opening Session, Kathy Ezell, Associate Director of the Board of Ordained Ministry (Central Texas Conference), will invite the students to Google Classroom to begin their coursework.
Once the in-person/online sessions and coursework have been completed, a Certificate of Completion will be granted. Approval to serve as a Local Pastor in the North Texas Conference is contingent upon successful completion of Licensing School. A License for Pastoral Ministry is provided from the Bishop’s Office upon a candidate’s appointment to a local church.
North Texas Conference Policy Regarding Paragraph 315 (page 235) of The 2016 Book of Discipline:
- Commissioned Persons and Licensing School: When candidates for ordination are commissioned as Provisional members of the North Texas Conference, their appointments include the issuance of a license for pastoral ministry, allowing them to perform the duties of pastor during their provisional/residency period. Attendance at Licensing School is not generally required as a prerequisite for commissioning; however, the Committee on Preparation and Qualifications of the Board of Ordained Ministry highly recommends, and may request, that an individual attend Licensing School before being Commissioned.
- Certified Candidates and Licensing School: All persons attending Licensing School who will serve within the North Texas Conference must be a Certified Candidate prior to the beginning of Licensing School. In addition, each Licensing School student shall be explicitly recommended to attend Licensing School by his or her respective District Committee on Ordained Ministry.
- Seminary Students and Licensing School: To receive a License for Pastoral Ministry in the North Texas Conference, students must either attend Licensing School or have completed one third of their work for a Master of Divinity degree at a school of theology listed by the University Senate, including at least one course in homiletics. If deemed necessary and/or beneficial, the District Committees on Ministry reserve the right to require attendance at Licensing School for any or all candidates.
- Course of Study Students and Licensing School: In the North Texas Conference, all students enrolled in Course of Study School must have previously completed Licensing School successfully.
2023 Schedule
June 1 – Zoom: Intro to Google classroom/online work
June 10 – Opening Session (Trinity UMC, Arlington)
June 15 – Zoom Session
June 22 – Zoom Session
June 29 – Zoom Session
July 6 – Zoom Session
July 21-23 – Preaching Workshop (Trinity UMC, Arlington)