Becoming A Minister

When people of faith believe they have received a call to pursue ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the PC(USA), the Presbyterian Church has a process to work with you and your congregation to prepare you for this ordained office.

The process of preparation for ministry involves two phases: Inquiry and Candidacy.

The Inquiry Phase is for you and your church to explore your call together with the presbytery’s Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) to determine your suitability for ordination through spiritual development, guidance, goals, and consultations.

After the presbytery approves, you enter the Candidacy Phase and continue to work with CPM to become certified and ready to receive a call.

Perhaps the most overwhelming part of the entire process is filling out so many forms; having so many conversations; and the many steps in the process. Once you become an Inquirer, you’ll have the support, encouragement, reminders and help you need.

It’s also important to note the Book of Order requires you be an active member of a church in Grace Presbytery for at least six months before applying to become an Inquirer.

Useful Resources

All related forms & documents are located in the Document Library of this website. Use these links to find the resource you need.

VISIT OUR Documents & Forms Library

Book of Order PC(USA)

Preparation for Ministry : Office of the General Assembly

INQUIRY PHASE

STEP 1 – Talk it out

STEP 2 – Learn about the process

Please review the information found on the Grace Presbytery website. Much of the information found there will help guide you through the application process. There is a link to all of the forms that will be used throughout your preparation for ministry. Included on the website are links to resources that may be helpful, as well as reminders of important dates and deadlines, such as registration for ordination exams.

STEP 3 – CPM visits your session

If more than one year has elapsed since your session has been visited by CPM, a member of CPM will need to meet with your session. This person will inform and encourage your session on how to support and care for Inquirers and Candidates, as well as discuss any changes in the process since the last time an Inquirer/Candidate came under care of the session. Talk with your leadership and have your Moderator or Clerk of Session call the presbytery office to arrange this visit.

STEP 4 – Fill out forms and submit them to your Session

All related forms & documents are located in the Document Library; Search using the tag CPM.

Submit all forms to your Clerk of Session prior to your interview with your session. This is how they will learn about you and your call. Take your time and answer all of the questions thoughtfully and carefully. Computer-generated or typed responses are required throughout the process. The content as well as the presentation of your paperwork, and the thought and care put into answering each question will determine the initial impression you make to both your session and the CPM.

STEP 5 – Appear before your Session

After you have submitted these forms to your Clerk of Session, set a date when you can meet and interview with the Session members of your church. It is important that they hear your call story.

Upon their endorsement of you for Inquiry, they will need to fill out the Session Evaluation and Recommendation, (Form 1D) which includes the selection of an elder to be a liaison between you and your Session.

Both you and the moderator of the Session also need to sign the Covenant Agreement and Inquirer Release, (Form 2B.)

STEP 6 – Submit paperwork to the presbytery

After your endorsement by your Session, the following documents must be on file with the presbytery office before your Inquiry interview can be scheduled. Your file becomes a permanent part of your PC(USA) record.

Forms 1A, 1B, 1B-1, 1C, 2A & 2B – Make sure these forms are completely filled out, and then email them to the presbytery office. The Clerk will fill out Form 1D on behalf of the Session and email it separately to the presbytery.

Criminal Background Check Release Form – In addition, there is a form that allows a member of the Grace Presbytery staff to conduct a criminal background check. Be advised that if there is a positive hit on your background check, it does not necessarily preclude you from coming under care of Grace Presbytery. In such an event, a member of presbytery staff and/or the moderator of CPM will have a conversation with you regarding any past incidents.

Post-high school transcripts – You will need to have every institution of higher learning (community college, college, university, graduate studies, seminary, etc.) send an official transcript to the presbytery office for inclusion in your file.

All of these documents need to be on file at the presbytery no later than 10 days prior to your interview. The one exception to this requirement is the report based on your psychological evaluation, which will be sent directly to the presbytery by the evaluator.After you have submitted these forms to your Clerk of Session, set a date when you can meet and interview with the Session members of your church. It is important that they hear your call story.

Both you and the moderator of the Session also need to sign the Covenant Agreement and Inquirer Release, (Form 2B.)

STEP 7 – Psychological Evaluation

STEP 8 – Schedule your interview

After you have submitted all your paperwork and have set a date for your meeting with the psychological services provider, call the presbytery office to set a date for your CPM Inquiry interview.

Once you become an Inquirer, you will be assigned a CPM liaison who will help guide you through the rest of the process. We look forward to hearing your call story and journeying with you through the process of exploring your call to Christian service.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Theological Education

The Candidate shall complete all requirements of a Masters of Divinity degree program or its equivalent, from a theological institution which is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and acceptable to the presbytery. The course of study shall include Hebrew and Greek, exegesis of the Old and New Testaments using Hebrew and Greek, satisfactory grades in all areas of study, and graduation or proximity to graduation. Transcripts shall be sent to the presbytery before Final Assessment.

Clinical Pastoral Education

Every Inquirer/Candidate shall complete at least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) from an accredited program of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education.

It is the Inquirer/Candidate’s responsibility to be sure that written copies of the supervisor’s final evaluation of the Inquirer/Candidate are forwarded to the CPM to demonstrate that this requirement has been successfully fulfilled.

CPE is not a substitute for an internship – it is in addition to the internship requirement.

Polity Requirement

PC(USA) Standard Ordination Exams

Criminal Background Checks

Healthcare Coverage

Inquirers/Candidates are free to obtain healthcare from the provider of their choice. The Board of Pensions of the PC(USA) offers healthcare coverage to seminary students at a reasonable cost. This plan will also allow plan members to continue coverage in any ‘gap’ time between graduation and receiving a call. Many other plans terminate coverage upon graduation or charge expensive premiums to cover this in-between time.

The Board of Pensions application forms can be downloaded from the board’s website. If you have any question or want more information, please call the Board of Pensions at 1.800.773.7752.

Boundaries Training

Every Inquirer and Candidate is required by the Book of Order to have completed a boundaries training course and filed a certificate of completion with their respective presbytery every 36 months. (G-2.0603, 2.1002, 2.1103) Grace Presbytery requires Inquirers and Candidates complete this training prior to ordination and provide a copy of their completion certificate to the Presbytery Office.

A six hour boundaries training is available online at no cost from the Synod of the Sun. While completion of the Synod course is recommended, if boundaries training is provided to Inquirers or Candidates as part of their seminary course of study, documentation can be provided by submission of a certified transcript that shows successful completion of the course.