The United Methodist Church has removed Asbury Theological Seminary from its list of approved schools for ordination candidates, ending a relationship amid ongoing disagreements over biblical teaching on marriage and sexuality.
Asbury, an evangelical seminary founded in 1923, serves students from more than 75 denominations and has been recognized by the UMC as an approved institution for ordination candidates since 1981.
In a statement provided to The Christian Post, the Wilmore, Kentucky-based seminary said the UMC’s University Senate voted to remove Asbury from its list of approved theological institutions for students preparing for ordained ministry in the denomination.
“We understand the Senate’s governing role within the United Methodist Church and acknowledge its decision. However, this outcome reflects a determination made by the UMC rather than a shared resolution,” said Asbury President David Watson.
The decision comes after the denomination’s 2024 General Conference removed longstanding restrictions on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy.
Watson said the seminary’s biblical convictions regarding marriage and human sexuality were incompatible with the UMC’s revised standards.
“The Senate’s requirements, particularly those related to the UMC’s 2024 Social Principles concerning ‘Human Sexuality’ and ‘Marriage,’ are not aligned with Asbury Theological Seminary’s institutional ethos and the historic witness of the Christian faith,” Watson stated.
“We affirm marriage as sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union for life, as delineated in Scripture, and provides the sole context for sexual intimacy, helping to ensure the blessings of that relationship as God intended,” Watson continued.
“Our theological commitments, including our commitment to Scripture, remain unchanged. As an independent, multi-denominational seminary in the Wesleyan tradition, we have remained steadfast for more than a century in the unchanging truth of orthodox Christianity.”
The seminary said the decision will not immediately affect current United Methodist students. Those who begin their studies by the fall 2026 semester will remain eligible to complete the denomination’s ordination process under a grandfather provision.
Asbury also emphasized that its academic accreditation remains unchanged through the Association of Theological Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The school will also continue to serve as an approved seminary for the Global Methodist Church and several other Christian denominations.
