About
A school with a heart, born in Detroit
Unity Urban Ministerial School offers an affordable, high-quality online graduate-level program that is a sanctioned path to ministry through Unity Worldwide Ministries — with an emphasis on serving community and urban ministries.
Our founder
The Unity Urban Ministerial School was founded by Rev. Ruth Mosley as a five-year pilot program in 1979, to reach those committed to living the principles of Jesus Christ as taught by Unity School of Christianity.
In 1982 the Urban School graduated its first class. Those eight students, known as “The Detroit Eight,” joined the Unity School of Christianity students at Unity Village to complete their final year, leading to licensing and ordination by Unity School of Religious Studies in 1983. Since then some 200 students have attended the Urban School, and practically all of them have become licensed and ordained Unity ministers.
Our program
UUMS offers an online graduate-level program in alignment with the academic credentialing requirements for the ministry path through Unity Worldwide Ministries. In addition to online courses, the program includes periodic face-to-face and virtual interviews, interaction between students, and a nine-month internship leading up to ordination through Unity Worldwide Ministries.
Our emphasis on urban ministry skills is one thing that differentiates UUMS from other Unity ministry paths.
Executive Director
Rev. Sandra J. Campbell, MSM
Rev. Sandra began studying part-time for the ministry at Unity School in 1994. When Unity Urban Ministerial School launched its online program in 2009, she was the first student to enroll and one of three graduates from the online program’s first class in 2012, all of whom were ordained by Unity Worldwide Ministries in 2013. She was Associate Minister at Unity Temple on the Plaza, an Adjunct Professor at Webster University for nearly two decades and at UUMS, and served three terms on the Unity World Headquarters board of directors, including as Secretary and Vice Chair. She has been Executive Director of UUMS since 2018.
Staff
Rev. Sandra Campbell
Executive Director
Rev. Karen Saunders
Registrar
Rev. Carolyne Jeane Rhodes
Administrative Officer
Rev. Liesa Chase
Help Desk
Rev. Richard Pacheco
Webmaster
Seiry Perdomo
Bookkeeper
The Unity Urban Ministerial School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, religion, and sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and scholarships.
Governance
Board of Directors
The UUMS Board of Directors provides governance and strategic direction for the school, working alongside the Executive Director and the UUMS Alumni Association.
Officers
President
Rev. Ken Fendrick
UUMS Class of 2021. Serves as a board officer and on several board committees, and invites alumni to serve on the Bylaws, Strategic/Visioning, Fundraising/Planned Giving, Personnel, Board Candidate Search, and Reunion/Conference Planning committees.
Read: A Message from Our Board of DirectorsExecutive Director
Rev. Sandra Campbell
Executive Director of UUMS since 2018. One of three graduates of the first online class in 2012, ordained by Unity Worldwide Ministries in 2013, and a former three-term member of the Unity World Headquarters board of directors.
Read her full biographyVice-President
Position open
Secretary
Rev. Linda Poole Jackson
UUMS Class of 1995 and Chairperson of the UUMS 2025 Reunion Committee. Ordained a Unity minister in 1995, following her mother, Rev. Leola Poole, who was a member of the school's second graduating class.
Read: Spotlight on Our Board of Directors
Treasurer
Rev. Ken Ficklin
Directors & Alumni Association
Director
Cora Alexander
Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT). Has written for UUMS on the school's Prison Ministry Certificate Program.
Read: Message from Our Board, January 2025
Director
Rev. Josephine Furlow
UUMS Class of 1983 and a proud member of the school's second graduating class. A retired Detroit Public Schools educator and 1969 graduate of Kentucky State University.
UUMS Alumni Association President
Rev. Richard A. Pacheco
Leads the UUMS Alumni Association, which connects graduates, mentors current students, and supports the school.
Visit the Alumni Association
Interested in serving?
Board committees include Bylaws, Strategic/Visioning, Fundraising/Planned Giving, Personnel, Board Candidate Search, and Reunion/Conference Planning. Reach out to the school to learn how to get involved.
Contact UUMS