Your Theological Statement
Your Theological/Doctrinal statement is the longest an meatiest aspect of your application. It is the section that draws most heavily on your graduate studies in theology, while also expecting you to take "book learning" and make it your own - an integrated expression of your personal tenents of faith. If you feel a bit daunted by this task, you are definitely not alone - especially with a very limited number of pages to answer numerous, deep questions. Keep in mind that the document you submit will be just a precise of all that you believe. The purpose of the interview is to give you space to flesh out apects of your theology in greater detail.
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The sections below are tailored to applications for provisional and full membership, respectively. However, we encourage those applying for full membership to review the section geared toward provisional membership, since many of the guidelines and recommended resources will be useful at every stage of the ordination process.
What you believe - informed by what you've learned.
As mentioned above, your theological statement should be an expression of your personal beliefs, framed through the lens of what you've learned in your academic studies. Note the inclusion of both personal and academic emphases - BOM is not looking for a simple recitation of doctrine, but instead an articulation of doctrine that applies it to your personal experience and ministry. When you approach any interview on theology, keep in mind that the interview team's goal is to help you find that balance. If your paper is highly academic, they will ask questions to help you make it personal. On the other hand, if your paper relies heavily on personal experience, the team will ask question that invite you to tie what you've written to formal doctrines or theological concepts.
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The interview team is NOT trying to trick you and has no ulterior motive in the questions asked, other than to help you more fully articulate your theology in the context of your lived experience. They may also be specifically trying to help you elicit (1) why you are a Christian (i.e. trinitarian rather than unitarian or a different religion), and (2) Wesleyan (in other words, that there is some theological reason you've chosen to seek ordination in the UMC instead of a tradition like Baptist/Lutheran/Presbyterian/Catholic/Etc.).
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To address the question of why you are a Christian, include or be prepared to discuss how you personally relate to the persons of the trinity, especially Jesus as God incarnate, but also the Holy Spirit and Creator.
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To address the question of why you are Methodist, integrate central Wesleyan doctrines such as: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace; the quadrilateral; sacraments as means of grace; the ministry of all believers; and other content addressed within the begining sections of the Book of Discipline (ranging from the historic texts from the earliest Books of Discipline through the theological and doctrinal statements that precede all current legislation).
Making it personal with real-life examples
Given the format of the questions in this section, and their coexistence with several other written requirements about you as a person and minister, there is a tendency to approach this section as an academic exercise, separate from your personal experience, call, and practice of ministry. However, even though other sections are more personal (e.g., your autobiography and reflection on your work as a deacon), the theological statement is not intended to be a purely academic exericse. The BOM is looking for examples of who you are. They want you to integrate pieces of your personal life experience into your responses to theological questions. Of course, with the page limitations, you won't be able to go into detail about your lived experience of every aspect of theology. Instead, aim to offer glimpses of how you connect to a point of doctrine, or how it connects to your work. The interiew will offer time to unpack the connections you can only briefly mention in your paperwork. Even then, interviews are limited in duration. However, each interview includes ten minutes for you to use as you see fit, often by asking questions or elaborating on things that were or were not covered in the interview. If there are points you really wish you had more space to unpack in your paperwork, make a note of them and use your time in that interview to share the deeper reflections you would have liked to include in your written work.
Editing your theological statement for full membership
As in the above guidelines, the theological statement for full membership should integrate academic understanding with personal lived experience. It should also be congruent with Wesleyan Christian theology. However, there is a key difference when it comes to full membership paperwork. Your theology has already been examined - you passed the provisional interviews, after all! Thus, BOM is no longer looking for a simple articulation of your theology/doctrine. You'll notice that the questions ask specifically how the practice of ministry has shaped your understanding of each question. The invitation is to think about the last 3-8 years of active ministry, and tie your experiences in ministry to your theology. BOM is looking for solid theory combined with meaningful story-telling.