Education and The United Methodist Church

Education is a core value of the United Methodist church and has been since the 18th Century in England.

John Wesley believed education was the key to a fuller, richer life. “Knowledge for him was not so much a purely intellectual attribute but rather a channel of self-understanding, which is crucial for salvation, writes Richard Heitzenrater in a summary of Wesley’s educational principles. Wesley believed that everyone should have access to education regardless of gender or class. In 1748, Wesley enlarged Kingswood School, a school he had opened for the children of coal miners. Wesley wanted young people to have a high quality education so they could go to Cambridge or Oxford.

As the Methodist Movement moved and spread in the United States, Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke continued this movement. Cokesbury College was the first of many that were started. By the Civil War, Methodism had established or affiliated with some 200 institutions. Beginning in the 1860’s and continuing till today the Methodist Church has provided scholarships and loans to many students.

Today the United Methodist church supports a network of 117 Methodist related schools, colleges and universities. These include thirteen schools of theology and relates to more than 700 institutions in the Methodist Tradition globally.

In Our Virginia Annual Conference, the vision is: To be disciples of Jesus Christ who are lifelong learners who influence others to serve.

Our Virginia Conference-affiliated colleges and universities are:

• Ferrum College – Ferrum, Virginia
• Randolph-Macon College – Ashland, Virginia
• Shenandoah University – Winchester, Virginia
• Virginia Wesleyan University – Virginia Beach, Va.

Parts of this article came from Ask The UMC (https://www.umc.org/en/what-we-believe/ask-the-umc-faqs)

Author: Tommy Herndon