Last fall, while many first-year seminary students were studying for midterms, Libba McCluskey was preparing for something else entirely: presiding over her first funeral.
The experience captured the unique reality of McCluskey's theological education at Duke Divinity School. As a student pastor serving Lea's Chapel United Methodist Church in Roxboro, N.C., she isn't preparing for ministry someday. She is already doing it each week.
She’s preaching every Sunday, leading worship, coordinating ministries, and walking with congregants through some of life's biggest moments while simultaneously pursuing her Master of Divinity degree.
Pursuing Degree While Preaching the Gospel
McCluskey, MDiv ‘29, is part of Duke Divinity School's student pastor program, which allows certain United Methodist students serving local congregations to fulfill their field education requirements through their pastoral appointments. Student pastors complete the residential MDiv over four years rather than the traditional three, integrating academic study and congregational leadership throughout their theological education.
The student pastor program was one of the primary reasons she chose Duke.
"I experienced God's call to ministry at a young age and have been on a wild goose chase with the Holy Spirit ever since," she said. “When I finally realized that God was inviting me down this particular path, I knew that I would need some education.”
After exploring a wide range of ministry experiences—college ministry, refugee work, overseas church planting, and more—McCluskey knew she was called to ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church, particularly in a rural setting. In addition to the student pastor program, McCluskey chose Duke because of its “stellar reputation,” connections to the UMC, and the Thriving Rural Communities program. "I didn't even apply to any other schools,” she said.
That decision ultimately led her to Lea's Chapel United Methodist Church, a rural congregation that was founded more than two centuries ago, just celebrating its 275th anniversary. The church has approximately 65 members and a long history of nurturing emerging clergy.
"I'm actually student pastor number 19," McCluskey said. "More often than not, the pastor here is a student at Duke and a Rural Ministry Fellow. The congregation sees one of its primary ministries as helping new pastors learn the ropes and begin the journey of ministry.”
A Servant for Anything and Everything
At Lea's Chapel, McCluskey serves as the congregation's only staff member, leading worship and preaching each week while overseeing administration, children's ministry, and youth ministry.
Though small in size, the church maintains a significant presence in Person County through partnerships with local nonprofits and community organizations. Every month, congregants serve meals to roughly 100 people in downtown Roxboro and regularly deliver meals to older adults and others unable to leave their homes.
Still, the demands of being the only pastor holds unique challenges and has transformed the way that McCluskey makes decisions about her ministry and education.
For McCluskey, that means the focus of her schooling has to connect to real people in her congregation.
McCluskey says attending Duke has helped confirm her vocation and emphasized that the congregations we lead deserve pastors who are well-trained and deeply formed. Many of her peers are passionate about chaplaincy, advocacy, nonprofits, or something else entirely. Learning with them makes her sharper, she says, but it also confirms her calling to the rural church pulpit.
For McCluskey, theological education is about becoming the strongest version of her full self, from spiritual growth to professional preparation to academic depth. Not for ego or for a degree on the wall, but so she can feed herself back into the life of the congregation she serves.
Your Generosity Matters
Your support of the Ministerial Education Fund Apportionment helps schools like XXXX to prepare people to discover their calling through the challenging curriculum. Your generosity enables the church to increase financial support for recruiting and educating ordained and diaconal ministers and to equip annual conferences to meet increased demands.
excerpt from a story by Rebekah Ramlow
This story shows the power of the Ministerial Education Fund—one of seven apportionment funds of The United Methodist Church—to prepare and equip those answering God’s call to ministry. Your church’s support provides theological education, scholarships, and leadership development through our United Methodist seminaries and boards of ordained ministry. Together, we ensure that faithful, well-prepared leaders continue to guide the Church into the future.
When your church supports the Ministerial Education Fund, you invest in the next generation of United Methodist clergy and leaders.
