For over 15 years, the Stegall Seminary Scholarship Endowment Foundation has existed to invest in the church leaders of today and to- morrow. Through your gifts, over $5 million in cash scholarships has been awarded to 240 seminary students over the years. The continued faithfulness of donors to the Foundation’s mission is supporting qualified, educated, and called church leaders for the future.
“It has been a great privilege for me to watch the impact of the Foundation grow and expand over these past 15 years,” says Dr. Paulette Thompson, chair of the Scholarship Sub-Committee of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The Foundation has shown great flexibility in adapting its pathways for encouraging and supporting clergy leadership in our geographic area.”
Over the years, the Foundation has steadily expanded support for students. Offering scholarships to part-time seminary students was one of the first shifts made, then an inclusion of support for online and hybrid seminary students. Recognizing that licensed local pastors have long provided essential and highly valued leadership, the Foundation later opened a path for reimbursement for Course of Study students.
“As online seminary education models expanded, so has our support for students choosing to continue to work in home church ministries while completing the majority of their classwork online and spending only a few required weeks on campus,” said Thompson. “This has proved highly beneficial for both the student and the local church.”
“Most recently, while not changing our close and valued association with the Alabama - West Florida (AWF) Conference of The United Methodist Church or the support of its students, the Foundation Board opened a new pathway for the support of AWF-area students who are called into ministry but whose home church is or may be disaffiliating from the United Methodist denomination,” said Thompson.
Recognizing that Foundation Board members, donors and students are all individually impacted in various ways by the issue of disaffiliation, that decision by the board has allowed the Foundation to continue its mission of supporting and encouraging Christian leaders who will return to serve local churches and communities.
The Stegall Seminary Scholarship is available to:
~ certified candidates in the Alabama - West Florida (AWF) Conference of The United Methodist Church, and
~ seminary students who are endorsed members of churches that were formerly members of the Alabama - West Florida (AWF) Conference of The United Methodist Church
The Course of Study Reimbursement Scholarship is available to:
~ qualified Full-Time and Part-Time Licensed Local Pastors serving in the Alabama – West Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church who successfully complete Course of Study classes.
All scholarship recipients must meet requirements set forth by the Board of Directors, including but not limited to: local church support, satisfactory grades, progress in degree program, a commitment to returning to serve in the AWF geographic area, and strong professor and supervisor/mentor recommendations.
Despite the challenges facing the United Methodist Church, the board of directors is committed to supporting qualified men and women who wish to devote their lives to the church. Donors can be assured that gifts are being used for this purpose and will continue to make a difference in the day-to-day life of those both preparing to serve and currently serving local churches.
“It has been said that there has never been a time when we were more in need of strong Christian leadership, and I couldn't agree more,” said Thompson.
If you have questions about eligibility, please contact apply@stegallscholarship.com.