Starting my pastoral education

Now that God has called me to youth ministry, and now that this call has been verified by the granting of a local minister's license by my church, I can embark on the journey of pastoral education. There are two paths for pastoral education for those in the Nazarene denomination. The first is what one might consider the traditional approach; go to school and secure your Masters in Divinity. The Nazarene church has another approach called the Course of Study. I am able to prepare for ordination by taking a series of courses (24 of them to be exact) and by spending time in apprenticeship.I have chosen to take most of the courses required through an online program hosted by Northwest Nazarene University. This week marks the start of my coursework. I am taking two courses: one that explores Christian ministry and one that looks at the Old Testament. I am very excited about the opportunity to network, to participate in the class discussions, and to be on the road to ordination.For more information on this program, click on the link below.http://www.nnu.edu/cos