New York School Of Ministry
NEW YORK CONFERENCE · UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
New York School
of Ministry
Deepening the knowledge, skills, and spiritual life of ministers and lay leaders
About NYSOM
Education for Everyone —
Wherever You Are
The New York School of Ministry (NYSOM) exists to prepare and continually form leaders for the church of today and tomorrow. We offer 16 20-contact-hour core ministry courses on a 3-year rotation, plus workshops and required training, to meet the continuing education needs of ministers and enhance the ministry of lay leaders.
All courses are video-conferenced via Zoom, where participants interact with instructors in real time.
Everyone is welcome — UCC or not, ordained or not, seeking continuing education or simply looking to grow.
“NYSOM does the sacred work of shaping minds for the important work of ministry.”
Rev. Dr. Marsha Williams
Conference Minister – NYSOM Instructor
Ministry Preparation
A Path to Ordained Ministry
Without Going Into Debt
The NYSOM prepares gifted people for authorized ministry. Our educational and formational path provides a way for working people, whose life circumstances prevent them from attending seminary, to gain the knowledge and develop the skills required for faithful and effective pastoral ministry.
Created in 2008 and revised in 2024, our path is carefully curated to help Members in Discernment to develop and demonstrate the capacities to minister in and on behalf of the United Church of Christ. All our participants are juggling many commitments — caring for loved ones, leading small churches, and/or holding secular employment.
Formation for ministry is at the heart of what we’re about: growth in character, faith, ethical understanding, spiritual and emotional maturity, and a developing pastoral identity.
Path at a Glance
- Designed to be completed in 6 years
- 14 core ministry courses (20 hours each)
- 2-year Ministry Practicum (theology, ethics, preaching, pastoral care)
- 2-6 month periods of supervised ministry
- 2 Advanced Intensive Weeks
- Cross-cultural experience required
Tuition 2025 – 2026
$1,350 / year · NY Conference
Financial aid available · Per-course fee: $250
“I am so thankful for NYSOM. I am blessed to have been supported by both staff and fellow students from the moment I inquired, right through to ordination. I could not have done it any other way!”
Minister, United Church of Christ, Bridgeport
NYSOM isn’t just for New York…..
Our video-conferenced courses and ministry practicum enable us to share our educational resources beyond New York. We offer five 20-hour courses each academic year, with a steady class size of nine to twelve students. Using the Zoom platform, participants interact with their instructors and peers in real time, learning in a community that currently stretches across the Northeast.
We are glad to work with Committees on Ministry beyond New York to provide a path of preparation for Members in Discernment or to use elements of our path to prepare people with (and for) Lay Ministerial Standing. We are beginning to work on shorter educational modules to give lay people the needed skills and knowledge to lead the congregation in times of transition.
Courses may be rearranged based on faculty availability. Each course: 20 contact hours ·
$250 NY Conference · $345 outside NY Conference
Continuing Education
Courses, Workshops & Trainings
“My continued engagement of NYSOM courses is a key piece of maintaining my commitment to a theology that flows, moves, and breathes as God does. By auditing, I honor my vow to faithfully serve my congregation in continually walking through topics and having conversations that have the same demand mentally that I haven’t had since seminary.”
Rev Lynnette Colden
Pastor, Schroon Lake Community Church
For ministers, lay leaders, and all who seek to grow
Core Courses
Audit Any Course
We invite any ministers and lay people to audit our core ministry courses. With scholarship money from the Jeannine Heller Foundation, we work to make learning possible for everyone
“It is a great opportunity to audit a class. I look forward to taking another course. Truly continuing my education!”
Rev. Joanne Ferguson, East Side UCC, Binghamton NY
Workshops
Free Workshops
We offer workshops each year on topics that meet the current needs of ministers and congregations — free of charge, through the generosity of the Jeannine Heller Foundation
Church & Clergy Taxes 101
September 12 · David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Ph.D.
Required Trainings
BAT & CRMT
Boundary Awareness Training
Basic (5 hrs) · Refresher (6 hrs) · Retirement (5 hrs)
Required every 3 years for all ministers
Culturally Responsive Ministry
Current: Culture & Sexuality/Gender (2024 – 2026)
Next: Culture & Disabilities (2026 – 2028)
Our Faculty
Meet the NYSOM Core Faculty
Instructors who bring expertise in the subject matter and experience in ministry
Dean
Rev. Marjorie Purnine, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Boston University · M.Div. Yale · Dean since 2007
Conference Minister
Rev. Dr. Marsha Williams
Ed. D. Indiana Wesleyan · Conference Minister & NYSOM Instructor
Core Faculty
Rev. Michael L. Sloan, D.Min.
D.Min. Homiletics · Senior Minister, First Congregational Spencerport UCC
Core Faculty
Rev. David A Kaden, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Toronto · Senior Minister, First Congregational Ithaca
Core Faculty
Rev. Wayne E. Gustafson, D.Min., LMHC
D.Min. Andover Newton · Psychotherapist & ACPE Trainer
Core Faculty
Rev. David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Ph.D
Ph.D. Hebrew Bible · Claremont · Clergy Tax Specialist
NYSOM Founder & First Dean
Rev. J. Mark Lawson, Ph.D.
Founded NYSOM in 2004 · Religious Studies faculty at Le Moyne College · Author of Fully Free: Rejecting Racism, Renouncing Christian Nationalism (Smythe & Helwys, 2024)
Our Graduates
Where NYSOM Graduates Serve
Our graduates lead UCC, PCUSA, and ELCA congregations in urban, suburban, and rural contexts — and provide ministry in hospital and eldercare chaplaincy.
Rev. Becky West, Rev. Marna Pritchard, Rev. Craig Wilson, Rev. Brenda McCutcheon — with Dean Marjorie Purnine
Most Recent Graduate
Tina Bacon
Pastoral Minister
Mercy Nursing Facility at OLV, Buffalo, NY
Graduate
Rev. Hadley Bunting
Associate Pastor for Families, Children, & Youth
Charlotte Congregational Church UCC, Charlotte, VT
Graduate
Rev. Tammy Torelli
Pastor
Wolcott Congregational Church UCC, Wolcott, CT
Graduate
Rev. Rachel Roberts
Pastor, St. Paul’s Lutheran, Redwood, NY
Pastor, Evangelical Lutheran, LaFargeville, NY
“My sense of call came in a 14 floor nursing home. What a blessing. NYSOM opened doors to a path of study I will forever be grateful for. Thank you for the learning, preparing, and mentoring. What a gift you offer.”
Rev. Brenda McCuthcheon
Pastor, Preble Congregational UCC
Ready to Register?
Browse upcoming courses, workshops, and trainings — and register through our event page. Everyone is welcome.