NACOS Vision

The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

This vision statement complements the Church's longstanding mission statement, inspired by Matthew 28:1-20: "The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

The vision encourages United Methodists to embody the following principles:

Love Boldly

Passionately love God and, like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender and walk of life.

Inspired by Matthew 22:37-39 and John 13:34-35

Serve Joyfully

With a Christ-like heart, journey alongside the most vulnerable, offering care and compassion with joy.

Inspired by Psalm 100:1, Nehemiah 8:10, John 13:14-15 and 1 Peter 4:10

Lead Courageously

Follow Jesus’ example by resisting and dismantling all systems of evil, injustice, and oppression, striving for peace, justice and reconciliation.

Inspired by Joshua 1:9 and Ephesians 6:10

“This new vision is not simply a statement or a plan, it is a catalyst for transformation. It is a vision that will help the Church embrace the opportunities before us, to follow where God is leading us, and to more fully engage in our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

— Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, President of the Council of Bishops.

History

In response to needs identified by members of the West Michigan Indian Workers Conference, and a Racial Ethnic Task Force report of 1998, serious conversation about starting a Native American Course of Study was begun. Classes began in the Spring of 2003.

Content

The intent is to make pastoral training economically accessible, culturally interpreted, contextually relevant and communally comfortable for those attending the class. A typical course includes: Two four-day sessions, reading texts and preparing papers prior to class, interactive sessions with dialogue, field application and feedback that will include some written and oral work.

Who May Attend

Our mission is to educate and train Native American local pastors in the United Methodist Church. The school uniquely prepares students to work cross-culturally in a variety of settings. In addition to Native Americans, NACOS is open to pastors of all races/ethnicities serving Native American people within their congregations and communities, as well as those pastors responding to a call to work in Native American Ministries.

Accreditation

This school is an extension school of the Course of Study School of Ohio at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. It is under the accreditation of the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education, and has been approved as a national school, accredited for basic course of study. Although a course of study does not terminate in a degree, classes are accredited and can be applied toward a seminary degree.