Dear Friends of the Maine School of Ministry,
Welcome!
MESOM currently offers affordable fall and spring courses taught by highly qualified faculty which are designed for adult students who are exploring their own spiritual formation, exploring a call to ministry, as well as ordained clergy seeking quality continuing education, and open to all persons seeking spiritual and educational and enrichment. In addition, as both the vision and reach of MESOM expands, shorter courses will be offered in collaboration with local churches and other justice seeking organizations here in Maine and beyond.
Sunday February 23,, 2020 has been designated in the Maine Conference UCC as MESOM Sunday, with the hope of spreading the good news about MESOM’s educational offerings and undergirding financial support for the School.
Please feel free to contact me directly for further conversation abut MESOM. I’m always excited to hear about your interests and your ideas about possibilities for future offerings.
Many blessings,
Ron Baard, Acting Dean
Spring 2020 Courses
The Spring 2020 Courses will be announced in November!
More info coming soon!
More info coming soon!
Contact MESOM
Rev. Dr. Ron Baard
Acting Dean Maine Conference United Church of ChristMaine School of MinistryBiography
Very well known to so many in the Maine Conference, Ron Baard is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison (B. S., Education) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M. Div.). He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Theology and Personality (with emphasis in pastoral counseling) at Claremont School of Theology. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Dr. Baard is a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a member of Spiritual Directors International and the Society for Pastoral Theology. He served as the Imes-Lowry Professor of Pastoral Studies and Dean of Students at Bangor Theological Seminary until its closure in 2013. More recently, Ron has taught classes at Andover Newton Theological School and Boston University School of Theology. In pastoral ministry over many years, he has served as a local church pastor of a small U.C.C. church, a hospital chaplain, an associate pastor on a large church staff, a chaplain at a continuing care retirement community, and a full-time pastoral counselor.
Ron currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at New York Theological Seminary, and taught a pastoral care class for the Maine School of Ministry in the fall term of 2018. He is an active member at First Parish Church, United Church of Christ, in Brunswick, where his spouse Mary serves as Senior Pastor. In his free time he enjoys reading, movies, gardening, walking and spending time with his family, including his two year old grandson Caleb.