Licensing School

Licensing School is a "crash course" in being a pastor. Eligibility to register for licensing school is limited only to those who have completed the candidacy process and have been approved as a certified candidate and approved for licensed ministry by their district committee on ordained ministry. Licensing School is required in order to be available as a licensed local pastor in June for an “appointment” (meaning, a place to serve). (The only exception is if you have already taken one-third of your classes for your Masters of Divinity degree in a United Methodist approved seminary.)
 

The South Georgia Conference joins other conferences to provide our students with a premier Licensing School using the resources of Emory University in Atlanta. In the past, it was an in-person school held on the campus of Emory and ran the week before Memorial Day weekend. In 2020, we went to an on-line school due to the pandemic. We will be using the same on-line format in 2024.
 

The good news is that a student will not be expected to block out over a week away from home to attend an in-person school. That means however that Licensing School is spread out over a longer period of time. You want to begin the beginning of April. The class schedule is made up of video classes, tests, papers, and discussions that you are free to complete on your own schedule, as long as you complete the assignments by May 28. There is also an in-person meeting we will have once we know who our South Georgia students will be. 
 

Below is the link to register. Once you have registered, your District Superintendent and local pastor registrar, Dr. Jay Harris, will be asked to verify that you are a certified candidate in order to attend. When you are approved you will then be given a list of required textbooks, a schedule with dates and deadlines, and an invoice to pay your registration fee. Your registration fee is $400, and the Board of Ordained Ministry also puts in $850 in order for you to attend.
 

REGISTRATION FORM: https://form.jotform.com/240635407937158