History and Formation of the Wesley House of Studies

In the fall of 2016, a series of providential conversations rekindled a childhood connection that would significantly impact the future of Wesleyan theological education in Texas and beyond. Rev. Dr. Rusty Freeman, then serving in Methodist ministry, reconnected with his old Wichita Falls neighbor, Rev. Dr. Todd D. Still, who became  Dean of Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in 2015. Over the course of several meetings, Still shared his long-held hope and vision for a dedicated Wesleyan track within Truett, a Baptist seminary, that would serve orthodox, evangelical Methodists seeking robust theological education and spiritual formation in the heart of Texas.

Freeman quickly brought to the conversation one of his closest ministry partners, Rev. Ryan Barnett, who had been recently appointed senior pastor of First Methodist Church in Waco. Still, Freeman, and Barnett began meeting regularly to pray and dream. With the United Methodist Church facing deep divisions and difficult decisions, the need for a confessional, Wesleyan-friendly seminary option in Texas became increasingly clear. Many Texas students and annual conferences wanted an in-state alternative rooted in historic Wesleyan commitments.

Way led to way, and in June 2020, Rev. Dr. William J. Abraham was named as the inaugural Director of the Wesley House of Studies. The Wesley House officially launched in August 2020. In August 2020, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary officially launched the Wesley House of Studies as an embedded program designed to equip Wesleyan-Methodist students for gospel with two full-time students.

From mustard seed beginnings and very modest programming, extraordinary growth and development have followed:

• By the end of the first full academic year, there were 25 students enrolled, due in large part to the recruiting efforts and networks of Rev. Dr. Freeman.
• During the program’s second year, 53 students enrolled in the Wesley House, with another 30 prospective masters and doctoral students at various stages in the application process.
• In the fall of 2022, Truett Seminary dedicated first-floor office space at its flagship Waco campus for Wesley House of Studies faculty and staff. 
• As of November 2025, the Wesley House was serving 115 full-time degree-seeking students across Truett’s Waco, Houston, and San Antonio locations and comprised nearly twenty-five percent of Truett's total student enrollment.
• An additional 150 pastors are currently enrolled in the non-degree Pastoral Study Program (offered in both English and Spanish) and tailored for bi-vocational and transitioning clergy, especially those serving in the Global Methodist Church.
• Truett’s Wesley House of Studies presently has seven employees (four full-time and three part-time), along with a number of student workers. Additional full-time faculty are being sought to support and expand the work of the House even as more office space is now necessary for the House, which just celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Key partnerships have fueled this rapid growth and expansion. No partner has been more integral and vital than the Mid-Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church under the leadership of Bishop Leah Hidde-Gregory. Her enthusiastic support has led  numerous degree-seeking students to opt for Truett’s  Wesley House, has highlighted the pressing need for accessible training options like the Pastoral Study Program, and has forged a strong, formal partnership between the House and the Conference, which  continues to send and resource pastors for orthodox Wesleyan ministry in Texas and beyond.

Financial support has followed the enrollment surge. In just five years, generous donors, including numerous Methodist churches in Texas, have contributed more than $12 million to the House, primarily for student scholarships. Along with additional scholarship support provided by Baylor University and Truett Seminary, this funding has enabled the Wesley House to award full-tuition scholarships to numerous Master of Divinity candidates and to establish several strategic positions, including the endowed Wesleyan Chair of Christian Theology (currently held by Rev. Dr. Jason Vickers), the Scott L. Engle Endowed Directorship (currently held by Rev. Dr. Freeman), and distinguished adjunct appointments such as Bishop Scott Jones, Rev. Dr. Chappell Temple, and Dr. Steve Moore.

Core Wesleyan courses—Wesleyan Theology and Doctrine, Wesleyan History and Polity, Wesleyan Worship and Sacraments, Wesleyan Faith and Cultural Engagement, and The Doctrine and Ministry of the Holy Spirit—now form the backbone of the curriculum, supplemented by various elective courses as well as new initiatives such as an expanding Course of Study (Pastoral Study Program) for Global Methodist clergy.

From those first exploratory conversations between old friends to a thriving community of more than 265 students and pastors spanning across and beyond Texas -, the Truett Wesley House of Studies has become one of the fastest-growing Wesleyan educational movements  in North America. By God’s grace and through countless partnerships,Truett’s Wesley House of Studies has grown into a vital center for orthodox, Wesleyan theological education, preparing pastors, scholars, and lay leaders to serve Christ’s Church with conviction and joy for generations to come. Come and see the House and join the movement!