Seminary School Removed from Church’s Approved List for Ordination.
Sometimes a split has been coming for so long that, by the time it finally happens, nobody is really surprised. That’s pretty much where things stand between Asbury Theological Seminary and the United Methodist Church. After more than four decades as an approved institution for training United Methodist clergy, Asbury announced that it has officially […]
Sometimes a split has been coming for so long that, by the time it finally happens, nobody is really surprised. That’s pretty much where things stand between Asbury Theological Seminary and the United Methodist Church.
After more than four decades as an approved institution for training United Methodist clergy, Asbury announced that it has officially been removed from the denomination’s list of approved schools for ordination. The seminary, located in Wilmore, Kentucky, says the decision followed the United Methodist Church’s sweeping changes in 2024 that removed longstanding restrictions on same-sex marriage and the ordination of self-described LGBT clergy.
For Asbury, this wasn’t simply an administrative disagreement. The seminary made it clear that it believes the denomination has moved in a theological direction it cannot follow.
In its statement, Asbury said the United Methodist Church’s revised positions “are not aligned with Asbury Theological Seminary’s institutional ethos and the historic witness of the Christian faith.”
The school then reaffirmed its own beliefs in unmistakable terms.
“We affirm marriage as sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union for life, as delineated in Scripture, and provides the sole context for sexual intimacy, helping to ensure the blessings of that relationship as God intended.”
That’s not a new position for Asbury. The seminary says those convictions have guided its teaching for generations, long before the latest debate erupted within the United Methodist Church.
The relationship between the two organizations stretches back to 1981, when the denomination first approved Asbury as a school where future United Methodist ministers could receive their theological education. For 44 years, that arrangement remained in place.
Now it’s over.
What’s interesting is how Asbury described the process that led to its removal. The seminary didn’t suggest it walked away voluntarily. Instead, it emphasized that this was a decision made by the denomination itself.