Course of Study School
ATTENTION: there is a new policy concerning prerequisites for Course of Study School from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. For more information, click here.
History
The Arkansas Area Extension Course of Study School (COSS) was approved by the Division of Ordained Ministry, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and The United Methodist Church, in March 1995. The first classes were offered at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, in the fall of 1995. The Boards of Ordained Ministry of the Little Rock and North Arkansas Conferences had sought this approval for more than a year.
The COSS
The General Conference of the United Methodist Church has assigned the COSS to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Nashville, TN (contact: Shannon Conklin-Miller, sconklin-miller@gbhem.org) (The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2008; Paragraph 1421.3(d)). It includes License to Preach studies; the five-year COSS; Advanced COSS; and Correspondence Studies. In prescribing the COSS, the Section is responsible for developing curriculum, purpose and learning goals; providing resources; maintaining and evaluating License to Preach and COSS; keeping central records on all students; and reporting student progress to each Board of Ordained Ministry each year.
Regional COSS
The Section establishes Regional COSS at seminaries across the United Methodist Church. There are Regional Schools at Claremont School of Theology, Perkins School of Theology, St. Paul School of Theology, Garrett-Evangelical School of Theology, Candler School of Theology, Duke Divinity School, Wesley Theological Seminary, and The Methodist Theological School of Ohio.
Extension Schools for Part-time Local Pastors
When the Section of Elders and Local Pastors determines that there is a need for a school for part-time local pastors who are unable to attend a Regional School, the Section may negotiate the development of an Extension School as an extension of an existing Regional COSS. The Arkansas Area Extension COSS is an extension of the Regional school at Perkins School of Theology.
Courses offered through the Arkansas Extension School (and thereby through Perkins COSS) are non-academic courses. Perkins School of Theology does not accept the COSS classes for a transcript grade. A request can be made, but it would be the seminary’s decision if a class is accepted. Classes taken from a United Methodist seminary might count toward the COSS requirements. To verify this, the student would have to contact the General Board of Higher Education. The COSS is not a degree program.
For More Information: Contact Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris, Director – Arkansas Area Course of Study School.
Resources