Overview
- The University Senate of the United Methodist Church voted June 25–26, 2026 to remove four schools from its list of approved institutions for United Methodist ordination candidates, including Asbury Theological Seminary, Northeastern Seminary, Luther Seminary, and Palmer Theological Seminary.
- The Senate and its Commission on Theological Education said Asbury was delisted because its publicly stated ethos conflicts with the denomination’s revised 2024 Social Principles on marriage and sexuality and because it does not have a full-time United Methodist faculty member consistently teaching United Methodist history, doctrine, and polity.
- The UMC will allow United Methodist students already enrolled or matriculating at the affected schools to complete their programs and pursue ordination through the fall 2026 semester, after which ordinands must attend a Senate-approved school.
- Asbury and the other seminaries disputed the characterizations about compatibility, emphasized that their regional accreditation and other denominational approvals remain in place, and noted ties to bodies such as the Global Methodist Church.
- The delistings highlight wider shifts in theological education and denominational life, including stricter enforcement of formation standards, growth of online programs, and the post-2022 realignment that has reduced the UMC’s leverage over where conservative Wesleyan clergy train.