UMC Ordained Elders/Deacons Seeking Transfer To The FMC

CONTACT:  Amelia Cleveland-Traylor, Chair, River Conference Ministerial Education and Guidance (MEG) BOARD

CONTACT INFO: [email protected]

Below you will find an outline of the items needed to transfer your credentials from the United Methodist Church to the Free Methodist Church:

1. Complete the River Conference questionnaire for transfer.
2. Request an interview with the MEG board. Send that request to [email protected].
3. You will be provided an invitation to join the transfer portal on Pathwright. Pathwright is a tracking system used by the Free Methodist Church Center for Pastoral Formation to provide education and official documentation for the denomination. On the portal, you will complete an application for ministry within the Free Methodist Church and upload relevant documents such as CVs/resumes, transcripts, certificates, etc. There is some overlap in requests between the conference and the denomination.
4. Two courses will be required of you: Free Methodist History and Polity and the Free Methodist Way. There are multiple options to complete both. One is to complete a verified course in person. There are also courses online and in Pathwright.
5. hose of you that have been divorced in the past (or are married to a divorced person) will also need to undergo divorce clearance. That consists of questionnaires that are completed by you, your present spouse (if applicable) and your past spouse. The MEG does detailed interviews with you and presents
   a summary of the information obtained to the Board of Bishops (BOB). The BOB provides final approval of divorce clearance after receiving a recommendation from the MEG board to grant divorce clearance. These clearances are good throughout the FMC USA and need not ever be repeated unless divorce is repeated after the initial clearance has been granted.
6. Please obtain a letter or certificate from the UMC that verifies that you are an elder/deacon in good standing.
7. Once the above items have been completed, your request for transfer will be presented to the conference MEG for an official vote. The River Conference MEG board meets the first Thursday of each month. Once the MEG has voted, you will receive notification that your transfer has been approved. Deb Baggett, the conference administrator, provides ministry cards/certificates. She can be reached at [email protected].
8. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor is the chair of the River Conference MEG board. She can be reached at [email protected]. Tim Auw is the River Conference MEG board coordinator. He can be reached at [email protected].