What does Jonathan do during those two weeks in Gastonia?

Jonathan’s Journals

You’ve heard me say it six times now, over the past three years: “I will be out of town on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week for Board of Ordained Ministry meetings in Gastonia. If you have a pastoral emergency, please call my cell phone.” Yes, for three days in February and three days in March, I am at Board of Ordained Ministry meetings. But what does that mean? We know what it means when the pastor goes out of town for annual conference, but what is this Board of Ordained Ministry stuff?

There is an extensive process that candidates for ordained ministry go through before they are ordained. After completing four years of college and three years of graduate school (seminary), candidates submit three sets of papers to the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. One set of papers goes to the Call and Disciplined Life Committee. Another set of papers goes to the Preaching Committee, and a third set of papers goes to the Theology and Doctrine Committee (of which I am one of the chairs). Members of these committees start reading these papers during January. In March, candidates for probationary membership in the Annual Conference come to Gastonia to be interviewed by these three committees. Candidates must pass the written and oral parts of all three examinations before being admitted into probationary membership in the annual conference. But even after all this, they are not ordained. They are “commissioned” at Annual Conference and begin a three-year period of preparation. At this point, they can begin serving as pastors (or some of them have already been serving as student pastors or local pastors – but that’s another story that I won’t get into right now.)

At the end of the three-year probationary period, candidates come back before the Board of Ordained Ministry in February and do work for the same three committees mentioned above. However, this time through, the standards are higher and a greater level of proficiency is expected. When candidates successfully navigate all three committees, they can be ordained as members of the annual conference in full connection. They can be ordained elder (which is generally what pastors are), or deacons (which is what some youth directors, Christian educators, counselors, or musicians are).

Some of the theological questions that the candidates answer are: What is your understanding of the Lordship of Christ? How has the practice of ministry shaped your understanding of God as it is derived from personal, historical, and biblical sources? What is your understanding of the sacraments? How does one interpret the Bible in relation to the church’s tradition, experience, and reason? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian faith and life? What is the nature and mission of the church? What is your understanding of human nature and the need for divine grace? In preparation for the February and March interviews, I read about 900 pages worth of theology papers, so keep me in your prayers! If this article hasn’t bored you to tears, and you would like to know more, just let me know. I’ll be glad to show you how all of this is outlined in the Discipline.

Well, there you have it in a nutshell. Of course, before candidates come to the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, they have been approved by the District Committee on Ordained Ministry, of which I am chair in the Salisbury District. The District Committee works with candidates as they go through several sessions with a mentor, complete their educational requirements, go through an extensive psychological examination, and discuss their understanding of their call to ministry. The District Committee meets for two days in December and one day in April.

It takes longer to become an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church than to become a doctor or a lawyer. Be proud of our church and the expectation our denomination places on its clergy!

Peace,
Jonathan

ps: The 2004 Discipline is out! Let me know if you would like to order copies!