DBMD Training Part 2 Ministerial Preparation Process and Procedures Prepared by Education and the Ministry

The Ministerial Preparation Process What tracks of ministry are there in the Wesleyan Church? Credentialed Ministry in the Wesleyan Church falls into two main categories: A. Vocational Ministry B. Lay Ministry. A. Vocational Ministry B. Lay Ministry.

The Ministerial Preparation Process Vocational Ministry includes those whom God has called to full time vocational ministry in which their calling, gifts and usefulness have been recognized by their local church and their district. Some examples of individuals who serve in this capacity include: Senior Pastors, Solo Pastors, Associate Pastors, Assistant Pastors, as well as Missionaries, Chaplains, etc. The Wesleyan Church recognizes three forms of credentialing in this area of Vocational Ministry: Ordained Minister – This is the highest credential given by the Wesleyan Church to an individual who meets all the academic, spiritual and governmental standards of the church. They have authority to preach, administer baptism, serve the sacraments, perform weddings, transfer from one district to another, serve in any position in district government for which they are qualified and to vote in district conference sessions.

The Ministerial Preparation Process Commissioned Minister –This category is not open to most people. You cannot enroll in this category unless you: 1. Meet all of the special requirements (see the Manual of Ministerial Preparation and the Wesleyan Discipline) and 2. Your DBMD has contacted Education and the Ministry to approve your change from pre- ordination to this category. A person must already be a district licensed minister and 40 years of age or older when they entered the ministerial studies program.

The Ministerial Preparation Process Lay Ministry includes lay people whom God has called to special service in their local church and/or district. The Wesleyan Church recognizes two forms of credentialing in this area of Lay Ministry: Special Worker – God has called certain lay people to ministries such as director of Christian Education, lay evangelist, youth director, children’s worker, director of music, lay missionaries, lay counselors, etc. Special Workers serve under the guidance of their pastor and/or the district/general church. They are nonvoting members of the district conference. Lay Minister – These are lay people whom their local church has licensed to preach and serve under their pastor’s direction, and as opportunity affords. Normally lay ministers have no plans for ministry except in connection with their local churches.

The Ministerial Preparation Process How do I pursue ministerial credentials in the Wesleyan Church? THE LOCAL CHURCH LEVEL - Meet with your pastor and discuss your call to the ministry. Go over the different tracks of ministry in the Wesleyan Church. Check with your pastor to make sure that your covenant membership in your local Wesleyan Church is current. Fill out the application for recommendation and give it to your pastor for your interview with the Local Board of Administration of your church. If you are pursuing Ordination, or Special Worker status, you must receive a recommendation from your Local Church Conference (or Local Board if so authorized) to your district for licensing as a ministerial student. If you are a Lay Minister, you only need the vote of the LBA to become a licensed Lay Minister. You do not need to report to the district.

The Ministerial Preparation Process THE DISTRICT LEVEL – Meet with your District Board of Ministerial Development (DBMD - Ordination, Commissioning or Special Worker only). They will interview you and give counsel on the best course of action to take in your academic training for ministry. Contact your DBMD chairman to set up an interview date. You should have your DBMD chairman sign the District Permission Form for Studies, and have it sent to the Department of Education and the Ministry so that our office knows authorization has been granted for your ministerial study.

The Ministerial Preparation Process THE GENERAL CHURCH LEVEL – Enroll with the Education and the Ministry Department. There are four ways to enroll : 1. Fill out an enrollment form and send it to the Department of Education and the Ministry. 2. Print the enrollment form from the web site and mail it. 3. Call E&M at to fill out an enrollment form over the phone. 4. Enroll online at by going to the “Enrollments” then Ministerial Preparation. This enrollment is crucial to the ministerial preparation process. A student must have a file established in our office so that a report can be given to the DBMD of the student’s progress toward the intended credential goal.

The Ministerial Preparation Process To be ordained, commissioned or licensed in the Wesleyan Church, the DBMD must have certification from the Department of Education and the Ministry. The enrollment fee is $20.00 and should accompany the enrollment form for the student’s file to be initiated. Students may pay by MasterCard/Visa, check or cash. The enrollment fee is waived if the student has or is currently attending a Wesleyan Church College/University or one of our seven Wesleyan Church approved seminaries. We will keep a transcript of all completed courses. When we receive grades from the professors, we then send our students an updated transcript. We will also send a transcript whenever a special request is made by the student.

The Ministerial Preparation Process THE ACADEMIC LEVEL – Each track of ministry in the Wesleyan Church has a set of academic standards. All tracks have a set of specific required training courses that will help to prepare the individual for the many different tasks and opportunities of daily ministry. When the academic requirements have been met for the specific track of ministry, the individual is then certified Accordingly. The certification report is also sent to your DBMD. The district has the actual authority to ordain, commission or license (except for Lay Minister who is licensed by their local church).

Ordination Requirements General Education C21 Sociology/Cultural Anthropology C21 Sociology/Cultural Anthropology C22 Psychology C22 Psychology C31 Philosophy/Ethics C31 Philosophy/Ethics English Bible C03 *Old Testament Introduction C03 *Old Testament Introduction OT1 Old Testament Elective OT1 Old Testament Elective C04 *New Testament Introduction C04 *New Testament Introduction NT1 New Testament Elective NT1 New Testament Elective C14 Methods of Bible Study C14 Methods of Bible Study *=required for district license

Ordination Requirements Church History & Polity Church History & Polity C25 General Church History C25 General Church History C35 *Wesleyan Ch History/Discipline C35 *Wesleyan Ch History/Discipline Theology Theology C05 *Intro to Theology C05 *Intro to Theology C32 Advanced Theology C42 Doctrine of Holiness C32 Advanced Theology C42 Doctrine of Holiness

Ordination Requirements Practical Ministries Practical Ministries C23 Christian Education C23 Christian Education C26 Spiritual Formation C26 Spiritual Formation C28 Evangelism/Church Health C28 Evangelism/Church Health C29 Global and Intercultural Ministries C29 Global and Intercultural Ministries C33 *Intro to Homiletics C33 *Intro to Homiletics C34 Pastoral Work C34 Pastoral Work C36 Worship C36 Worship C38 *Church Leadership/Management C38 *Church Leadership/Management C43 Expository Preaching C43 Expository Preaching C44 Pastoral Counseling C44 Pastoral Counseling

Ordination Requirements Supervised Ministry (One year course) C55 Supervised Ministry C55 Supervised Ministry

Completing The Academic Requirements Several options are available. Wesleyan Colleges/Universities or Approved Seminaries - The preferred track of ministerial training in the Wesleyan Church is a four year degree in ministerial or pre-ministerial studies from one of our five Wesleyan school followed by completion of a three year Masters of Divinity program at one of our seven approved seminaries. The Wesleyan Church has five excellent schools, which offer all of the courses required for credentials in the Wesleyan Church. Our schools include : Houghton College, Houghton, New York; Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana; Kingswood University, Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada; Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Bartlesville, Oklahoma; and Southern Wesleyan University, Central, South Carolina.

Completing The Academic Requirements You may also take many of the ordination requirements at one of our eight approved seminaries: Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky; Haggard School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California; Evangelical School of Theology, Myerstown, Pennsylvania; Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri; Tyndale School of Theology, North York, Ontario, Canada; Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana; Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi; George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Portland, Oregon. To obtain more information on classes, costs, faculty, and admission, go to the Education and the Ministry web site at

Completing The Academic Requirements FLAME - These 3-5 day courses sponsored by the Department of Education and the Ministry are held in Indiana, North Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania at least six times per year. Students must be 28 years of age or older (unless an exception has been made at the request of the DBMD) and be considered non-traditional (not attending one of our colleges or seminaries). FLAME stands for Fellowship of Leaders Acquiring Ministerial Education. The goals of FLAME are: 1. Spiritual Renewal - 2. Fellowship and networking - 3. Quality ministerial training. All courses required for ordination (except for supervised ministry) are taught in a two-year rotation. Classroom time averages 20 hours with some reading and reports and/or projects being completed before and after class. (The pre-work and post-work for each class averages hours, for a total time investment of hours minimum per class).

Completing The Academic Requirements Distance Education Correspondence Courses - The Department of Education and the Ministry offers every course that one needs to complete ordination. (Please order the free Adult Education Options Catalog for details) Students must be 28 years of age or older (unless an exception has been made at the request of the DBMD and be considered non-traditional (not attending one of our colleges or seminaries). Qualified professors using the correspondence method teach these courses. Courses cost $ plus the cost of textbooks. Students have 6 months to complete each course and may register for two courses at one time. A full catalog of the correspondence courses and a registration form for an individual course is available from the Department of Education and the Ministry (order form in the back of this packet) or on our web site. These Courses are not for academic credit.

Completing The Academic Requirements District extension classes –. The Department of Education and the Ministry sanctions districts to hold classes at certain times during the year to train their ministers. You should check with your district leaders about such classes or check our web site for a listing of these classes. Credit by Portfolio – If an individual has mastered a particular area of the academic training standards (through extensive experience or a combination of related courses, seminars, extensive research and/or reading), they may request the Credit by Portfolio packet by calling the E&M office at or on the E&M web site.

Suggested order for completing courses for Ordination Please note that the following courses must be taken in this order: Intro to Homiletics before you take Expository Preaching Intro to Theology before you take Advanced Theology The classes for District Licensed Minister should be completed as much as is possible before moving on to more advanced courses. These courses are: Old Testament Intro New Testament Intro Wesleyan History/Discipline Intro to Theology Intro to Homiletics Church Leadership/Parliamentary Law

Suggested order for completing courses for Ordination Students should also attempt to take Methods of Bible Study as early in their studies as possible. This course will be a tremendous help in Bible elective classes as well as in the preaching classes. Supervised Ministry may be taken at any time during the students course of study.