Roberts School Loses Sanction of Methodists

The Methodist University Senate has removed Oral Roberts University’s School of Theology from its list of approved seminaries, Oral Roberts’ son says.

Richard Roberts said the Methodist body had so notified Paul Chappel, associate dean of Oral Roberts University’s School of Theology.

Chappel said the loss of certification was “somewhat of a surprise, since the school has a very strong Methodist ethos.” He said that since the school was certified annually since 1980, it would have been more appropriate to have received a notice setting a timetable for improving on weaknesses.

But Richard Roberts said: “This is not a Methodist seminary. It never has been and will not be. We’re serving many denominational students as well as non-denominational students.”

Their comments were published in the Tulsa World this week.

Students enrolled in the seminary established by the television evangelist will not be affected, but any new student seeking Methodist ordination will need to transfer to a Methodist seminary by his or her senior year, Roberts said. The degrees of doctor of ministry and master of arts in religion are not included, he said.