Flexible Pathways, Faithful Formation: Truett Seminary’s Extended Learning Opportunities
At Truett Seminary, theological education is not limited to residential degree programs. For those hungry to grow in faith, serve the Church, and engage the world with theological depth, Truett’s extended learning opportunities offer flexible, accessible, and mission-shaped pathways for formation. Through a variety of offerings, these programs extend Truett’s commitment to gospel-centered formation beyond the traditional classroom, meeting learners where they are and equipping them for faithful service in diverse contexts.
Online Certificate Program
Truett’s Online Certificate Program (OCP), which offers non-credit theological education for adult leaders, church members, and even co-vocational ministers who are seeking formation that is accessible, affordable, and enriching. Designed for learners whose lives already include significant ministry, work, and family commitments, the OCP provides education at a level “between Sunday School and Seminary.” Over an 18 to 24 month period, students engage in spiritual formation, sustained study of Scripture, and introductions to Christian doctrine and Church history, culminating in a Certificate of Christian Foundations. Those desiring further preparation in ministry may continue toward a Certificate of Ministry, which includes instruction in preaching, pastoral care, and Christian witness. Courses are fully asynchronous, require an average commitment of three hours per week, with no in-person components. The OCP currently serves roughly two hundred students annually from across the country and around the world. One participant shared that the program as “carefully orchestrated… to support and edify the people of God.”
Faith & Sports Institute Online Certificate Program
One of Truett’s most dynamic certificate offerings is the Faith & Sports Institute (FSI) Online Certificate Program. Since 2020, over 200 unique leaders have enrolled in the program, reflecting a growing interest in the theology of sports and spiritual formation in athletic contexts. These students engage in courses that explore how faith informs competition. In 2025 alone, the certificate launched three redesigned certificates, added a new certificate, and debuted a course on Sports Chaplaincy. Each course is designed to help participants see how Christian discipleship animates every area of life, including the playing field and sidelines.
Students consistently describe the program as formative for both their faith and vocation. One participant shared that the Bible and Sports course helped them understand more fully how to apply biblical principles to competition. Another student reflected that the Sports and Spiritual Formation course broadened their understanding of how to integrate faith with sports and to see the importance of incorporating spiritual disciplines into daily life.
Spiritual Direction Training Program
Alongside these programs, Truett’s Spiritual Direction Training Program continues to nurture deep, prayerful accompaniment rooted in the historic ministry of the Church. This two-year program equips its students to listen attentively, discern God’s presence, and faithfully accompany others through seasons of calling, transition, and spiritual growth. Since its launch in fall 2017, more than 100 participants have earned the Certification in Spiritual Direction. Past participants have included pastors, chaplains, nonprofit leaders, and committed laypersons. Cohorts gather for theological study, spiritual formation, and supervised practice, fostering both depth of prayer and practical ministry skill. Joel Perritte, ministries pastor at Vista Community Church in Temple, Texas, describes the program as invaluable for his pastoral work, noting that it provided the theological grounding and practical tools needed to expand his care for other pastors and ministry leaders, strengthening both his own ministry and the teams he serves.
Wesley House Pastoral Studies Program
Completing the suite of extended learning opportunities currently available at Truett is the Pastoral Studies Program (PSP) found in the Wesley House of Studies. This program is specifically designed to equip, train, and form those called to ministerial leadership with Wesleyan life in general and the Global Methodist Church (GMC) in particular. Through courses taught by experts in their respective fields and enriched by practical ministry experiences offered through Truett Seminary, students are both academically challenged and spiritually formed. Designed as an alternative educational pathway, the program prioritizes accessibility and affordability for those balancing significant commitments alongside their calling to ministry.
As an “Approved Educational Institution” for the GMC, Truett Seminary supports students pursuing the Alternative Educational Pathway to fulfill ordination requirements. The program, which offers courses in both English and Spanish, now serves over 200 students. Leigh Gettman Allen, worship leader at Tyler Street Global Methodist Church in Dallas, describes the program as a life-forming journey that has grounded her spiritually, has sharpened her sense of calling, and has equipped her to serve the Church with wisdom, humility, and faithfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
