2020 LPLS Class Guide

2020 Local Pastor Licensing School (LPLS) Rev. Kathie Wilson-Parker, Dean Rev. Wayne Cook Rev. Susan Arnold Rev. Terry D. Goodman, Director of Clergy Services

Office of Clergy Services clergyservices@holston.org www.holston.org/clergy-and-candidates

2020 LPLS Design Team: The 2020 LPLS Design Team is scheduled to meet again Wednesday August 19, 2020 at 10:00 am. 

Rev. Kathie Wilson-Parker, Dean



Rev. Wayne Cook



Rev. Susan Arnold



Rev. Terry Goodman, Director of Clergy Services

A Word About Our Format When it comes to Local Pastor Licensing School (LPLS), the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, prescribes that a licensing school must meet certain criteria. 

It must teach a minimum of 76 class hours on the topics chosen by GBHEM.



It must have a minimum of 4 hours of topics chosen by the annual conference.

Traditionally, Holston Annual Conference has satisfied these time requirements with a 9 day school. We did it three days at a time over the course of three separate weekends in three consecutive months. These schools would start early on a Friday and go through late Sunday with days being long and tiresome, but full of necessary information. We would bring in pastors with knowledge and expertise in the subject areas to teach the classes. This was a time for students to meet some of the men and women serving in ministry in our annual conference.

Another aspect of these schools had nothing to do with the classroom work. Rather, it was the interaction that took place among the students and faculty while we were gathered together for the weekends.

Friendships were made and the cohort of those in attendance created a bond that carried over into ministry in the subsequent years. This was just as important an aspect of Local Pastors Licensing School as were the classes.

This year, we have been forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to re-evaluate our Local Pastors Licensing School. The uncertainty of whether we can physically gather in the same room for 9 days over three weekends over three months has caused us to move to a virtual licensing school. In this move, we are going to be utilizing the curriculum and format developed this spring by the Candler School of Theology. It is meets GBHEM standards. What it lacks is the teaching from Holston individuals and the camaraderie that comes from meeting together as a group of people sharing a common experience.

Your planning team regrets having to move in this direction, but realizes that it will be the only way that we can ensure that you have the opportunity to complete this necessary step towards your goal of becoming a licensed local pastor in the Holston Conference. In the pages that follow, we will seek to share with you information about the content and structure of this years Local Pastors Licensing School.

Structure of the School Rather than starting with the curriculum, we’d like to begin with the structure of the school.

The school will be 8 weeks in length and will involve both synchronous (we all have to be in the same place at the same time) and asynchronous (we can study on our own at whatever time is most convenient) learning.

The vast majority of our learning will be of the asynchronous variety.

The synchronous events will be conducted via ZOOM. We will all need to sign in and gather in the online space. The synchronous events will revolve around the Holston Conference material. There are some things we want you to know about the Holston Conference and this will be the opportunity for us to provide that information.

The asynchronous events will be through videos (YouTube/Vimeo) that you will watch at a time convenient to you. Over the course of the 8 week school, videos will be released at a specified time each week and you have through that same time next week to watch and respond to those videos. Think of it as a wave. Each week you will be provided with new content. We are not just dousing you with all the teaching at once. This approach will also help to keep us moving ahead at the same pace on the same topics.

Part of the learning and community building will come through the Facebook group that will be established for the members of this licensing school. The videos for the classes will typically be no more than 20 minutes in length. Consider this the classroom element. In addition, each student will be required to post a comment on some aspect of the video for each class. Students will also be required to post comments on other students comments. This process allows us to see that you are watching the videos and that you are reading and reacting to the comments of others that have watched the same video. This process gets us to the necessary 1 hour of class time. Remember, the goal is at least 76 GBHEM hours and 4 Holston hours.

This interaction will also build a sort of community. It will not be the same as being together in person, but it will allow you to get to know one another in a socially distanced manner.

We will also be offering “office hours” each week. At a preset time-one during the day and one during the evening-members of the leadership team and/or the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) will host a live ZOOM session for one hour. During that time you are encouraged to drop in and have a conversation with the leaders and other students that might be present. It will be a time for you to ask questions about the classes and the process itself.

The Curriculum The primary source of curriculum comes from the material created by the Candler School of Theology (CST) in response to this pandemic. Professors and other top tier teachers were recruited to provide the classroom material. Most of it will be video based. Some of it might be written handouts that can be downloaded. In the sections that follow, class subjects and teachers will give you a look at the type of subjects that will be covered.

The Holston Conference will also be creating the following classes: 

The Holston Way—A Look at Methodism in Holston Annual Conference 

Rev. Brad Scott & Rev. Charles Maynard

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Preaching From the Black Perspective — Rev. Walter Cross

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Preaching from the Hispanic Perspective —Rev. Susanna Lopez



History of Black Churches in Holston Annual Conference—Rev. Leah Burns



Sexual Ethics and Boundaries Training—Rev. Kathy Heustess



Connectional Ministries in Holston Annual Conference—Rev. Mike Sluder

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Informational Videos: (Made available for your reference.) 

Charge Conference Forms

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Nominations Process in a Local Church

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Pensions & Health Benefits

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Year End Reports

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Safe Sanctuary/Safe Gathering

Technical Requirements to Participate One of the shortcomings of this virtual school is the assumption that everyone will have the proper electronic devices: computer, tablet, phone and that you are able to access the internet via these devices. If you cannot access the internet, we do not know of any other way for you to complete Local Pastors Licensing School at this time. While technology would have been a nice addition for the in person school, it is a requirement for this internet based school.

In order to participate, you must have a computer with access to the internet and the ability to create documents in Microsoft Word. You will also need to create a Facebook account so that you can participate in the closed group discussions that are part of this curriculum.

Required Text Books: As a part of this class you should purchase/have the following books:

1. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780687278329 NOTES: Yes, it has to be this particular study Bible. Yes, it is has to be this particular translation. You should have MANY translations on your bookshelf as a preacher and teacher of t he Bible, this is just the one we’ve chosen to use during class and we will all need to be on the same page (literally J).

2. 2016 Book of Discipline 3. United Methodist Book of Worship 4. This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion Download for free here: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/this-holy-mystery-a-unitedmethodist-understanding-of-holy-communion 5. By Water and the Spirit: Making Connections for Identity and Ministry Download for free here: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/by-water- and-the-spirit-full-text 6. The United Methodist Clergy Book of Firsts by F. Belton Joyner, Jr. ISBN: 9781945935077

Cost of the Local Pastor Licensing School In past year, our LPLS has been an in person school. Meals and housing were included. Typically, the actual cost was about $1350 per student. Holston AC would supplement the cost to bring the student cost down to between $800-$850. Nearly all of the expense of this type of school came from room and board.

This year, there is no room or board expense. Instead, we have a flat $600 per student cost that we must pay to Candler for out right to utilize the material and system they have developed. Holston AC will supplement Holston candidates so that the cost per candidate will be $400 per person. Persons from other annual conferences are welcome to attend. However, the cost per student will be $600 for those non-Holston students that attend the school. The good news is that non-Holston students should contact there annual conference and their home conference might be able to assist with tuition costs.

Holston AC 2020 LPLS Timeline Sat Aug 29

10:00 a-Noon

Pre-LPLS Meeting—Synchronous

(We will meet as a group on Zoom and explain the school format and get to know one another) Fri Sep 4

Week 1 of 8

Week One Classes Begin

Tues Sep 8

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Sep 10

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Sep 11

Week 2 of 8

Week Two Classes Begin

Tues Sep 15

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Sep 17

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Sep 18

Week 3 of 8

Week Three Classes Begin

Sat Sep 19

10:00a-2:00p

Holston Teaching—Synchronous (Zoom)

Tues Sep 22

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Sep 24

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Sep 25

Week 4 of 8

Week Four Classes Begin

Tues Sep 29

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Oct 1

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Oct 2

Week 5 of 8

Week Five Classes Begin

Tues Oct 6

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Oct 8

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Oct 9

Week 6 of 8

Week Six Classes Begin

Sat Oct 10

10:00a-2:00p

Holston Teaching—Synchronous (Zoom)

Tues Oct 13

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Oct 15

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Oct 16

Week 7 of 8

Week Seven Classes Begin

Tues Oct 20

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Oct 22

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Oct 23

Week 8 of 8

Week Eight Classes Begin

Tues Oct 27

10:00a-11:00a

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Thu Oct 29

6:30p-7:30p

Office Hours—synchronous (Zoom)

Fri Oct 30 Sat Nov 7

Classes close 10:00a-Noon

LPLS Wrap Up—Synchronous

(We will meet as a group on Zoom for a wrap-up session and debriefing)

LICENSING SCHOOL CURRICULUM

The following is the listing of the curriculum topics that will be taught during the Holston AC Licensing School. Please note that the order in which they appear in this document may not coincide with the order in which you are asked to complete each module. In all, there are a total of 11 modules that you will be responsible for reading, viewing, and discussing over the eight weeks of the licensing school.

These Candler School of Theology (CST) modules will be asynchronous—meaning you can study at your own pace each week, whenever it is most convenient for you to do so.

HOWEVER, you will only have a week to complete a module(s). We will all work on the same module at the same time. You will work on them during the week that they are released to you. Each Friday morning a new module(s) will be assigned and you will have until the next Friday morning to complete the module(s).

Please note that more specific instructions may be given with each module and there might be some changes to the format. These are included only to give you an idea of what you will be required to study.

I invite you to view the videos below as an introduction to the licensing school. Please view the one from Candler with Amy Walker first and note that some of the things she says will not apply to the Holston School. The second video, with Terry Goodman, will seek to clarify the differences.

Candler School of Theology (CST) - Amy Walker Video Password is: jesuslovesme Holston AC Video—Terry Goodman—will be posted soon in Basecamp.

CST—Curriculum 

Evangelism

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Weddings & Funerals

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United Methodist Tradition

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Education

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Leadership & Administration

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Pastoral Care

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Mission

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Worship

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Preaching

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Sacraments

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Spiritual Formation