Center for Global Methodism

The Claremont School of Theology Center for Global Methodism was set up in cooperation with the California-Pacific Conference to help make the School a leading presence in research, teaching, and the formation of leaders in Methodist traditions from around the globe. Led by Rev. Dr. Karen Dalton, Associate Dean for Academic Planning and Development, and Rev. Dr. Jack Jackson, E. Stanley Jones Assistant Professor of Evangelism and Mission, the Center is still in its beginning stages.

Center formation activities have already begun. Dr. Jackson is leading weekly Methodist Forum lunches for CST students, with leaders from various Methodist denominations including the Korean Methodist Church and United Methodists from Cal-Pac, the Western Jurisdiction, and around the globe.

The Center is also co-sponsoring a leadership conference this summer for experienced UM clergy in cooperation with the Western Jurisdiction (by invitation of the Bishops and District Superintendents only). Entitled Transforming Ministry: New Best Practices, the July 22-27, 2012 conference features major Christian thinkers and innovators including Brian McLaren, Diana Butler Bass, Bishop Grant Hagiya, and Rev. Mark Whitlock, as well as our own professors, Jack Jackson and Najeeeba Syeed-Miller, and Dean Philip Clayton.
Click here for the brochure.

The conference is planned as the first of an annual series that will include preparation and follow-up in addition to the summer conference. The Center is also looking for additional funding for projects in these categories:

• A Center for Formation – the Center will offer a home and formative influence for students from across the range of Methodist and Wesleyan traditions, including but not limited to candidates for ordination in the United Methodist Church and Korean Methodist Church. This is becoming increasingly important as our school welcomes increased diversity from within and beyond the Christian traditions. Students need a context for learning about and being strengthened in their particular traditions. Opportunities for spiritual growth and formation are being offered this year through the Center, including weekly late-afternoon prayer gatherings, dinnertime Bible studies, and a lunchtime gathering for Wesley practices of spiritual life.
• A Center for Education – John Wesley wanted knowledge and vital piety to be joined, and the Center for Global Methodism shares this vision. Our denominational studies courses including United Methodist History, Doctrine, Polity, and Evangelism will be linked to the Center and made available beyond our campus as online courses. In order to provide educational resources for the church, online courses and on-campus conferences will be developed on topics such as leadership, Global Methodism, mission, evangelism, and spirituality.
• A Center for Research – Claremont has long been known for the strength and quality of the school’s academic life. The Center will extend this tradition by encouraging, focusing, and resourcing the academic study of Methodism. A particular interest is the Methodist movement in the context of an intercultural, interreligious, and rapidly changing context such as the western United States. We anticipate academic study and research on historical and contemporary topics and issues regionally, nationally, and globally.
• A Center for Partnership – this Center is envisioned as a context where the church and the academy learn together, and where the church and the seminary become strong together. In partnership with leaders in the church, the Center will identify key trends in Methodism globally, highlighting the ministries of various Methodist groups in the southwest. Partnership within the pan-Methodist family will be encouraged for the purpose of strengthening the church’s ministry for the creative transformation of the world.