LAKE POINSETT, SOUTH DAKOTA—God called 22 candidates to the 2015 Dakotas Conference Licensing & Lay Ministry School held at Lake Poinsett, South Dakota in July.  Attendees came from four annual conferences: Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Each candidate is starting a new faith journey to become a licensed local pastor or certified lay minister.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Burket: Front row, l to r: Larry Rieck from Grafton, WI, T.J. Lewis from Blue Earth, MN, Kris Geer from McGregor, MN, Quaya Ackerman from (Flame of Faith UMC) West Fargo, ND, Terry Sullivan from Richville, MN, Jenny Lewis from Blue Earth, MN, and Charlie Moore from Madison, SD.  Row 2: Becky Holten from Wimbledon, ND, Vicky Strupp from Jim Falls,  WI, Paula Gaboury from Burnsville, MN,  Libby Henslin from Dodge Center, MN, Kathy Burket from Belview, MN, Chad Setter from Wabasha, MN.  Row 3: Melissa Deuel from Elko, MN, Dan Kocher from Hastings, MN, Michele Slott from (First UMC) Rapid City, SD, Pam Karlen from Howard, SD. Sam Ansong from Lamoni, IA, Richard Wahlstrom from (Canyon Lake UMC) in Rapid City, SD, and Francis Hewuse Jr. from Tomah, WI.  Back row: Rick Andrus from Franklin, WI and Tyson Langland from (Embrace UMC) Sioux Falls, SD.

Licensing & Lay Ministry School is for candidates who are seeking to become a licensed local pastor or a certified lay minister in the United Methodist Church.  The curriculum is designed and conducted under the supervision of the Board of Ordained Ministry.  Candidates must seek approval from their District Superintendent and register with the Board of Ordained Ministry to attend.

Four basic areas of ministry are studied: Public Worship, Pastoral Leadership, Organization of a Parish, and Educational Ministry. The faculty of the Dakotas Annual Conference Licensing School is composed of seasoned pastors who have served with excellence in the field. They fully understand the challenges and complexities of Christian ministry in contemporary life and culture and they continue to grow and innovate to meet the demands of sustaining a vital ministry for a healthy church.

Rev. Val Reinhiller, Aberdeen First United Methodist Church, served as the dean.  Other faculty members included: Rev., Dr. Gary Ball-Kilbourne, Rev., Dr. Ross Reinhiller, and Rev. Eric Van Meter.

The Licensing & Lay Ministry School offers a strong foundation for the beginning of vocational Christian ministry. The ongoing work of preparation and learning is never complete and this just your start. It is a long, but rewarding journey.

TJ Lewis of Blue Earth, Minnesota, attended as a Certified Lay Ministry candidate, seeking further discernment with his calling.  “It was an extremely enjoyable experience.  I met a large number of individuals who will help in my ministry, not only as teachers, but also as friends and colleagues.  There is a lot of information packed into a small amount of time, but all of the information was very important,” said Lewis.

Lewis started out wanting to help handicapped individuals to get a confirmation program in place. The confirmation program allowed participants to confess their love for Jesus and understand the commitment.  Lewis felt called to become a minister and would like to follow this career path.  Attending Licensing & Lay Ministry school as a CLM candidate allowed TJ to discern next steps towards serving out this calling in the UMC.  “I will take with me the friendships, education, resources, and strength that help when you are down,” said Lewis.

Richard Wahlstrom, a Certified Lay Minister candidate from Canyon Lake UMC in Rapid City, SD, said, “I felt I needed additional education and opportunity in my own spiritual journey and growth. This training is a way of holding myself accountable. In addition to the 60-70 hours of classroom and small group contact, most of the attendees were doing homework until 10-11 pm. The group dynamics were very positive and mutually supportive; we even created our own facebook page to maintain contact. This was a great and positive experience, and gave me a much greater incentive and desire to teach and preach.”

For more information on becoming a Licensed Local Pastor, click here.

For more information on becoming a Certified Lay Minister, click here.