Vocations

Church of the Ancient Christian Faith

Early Church Principles for a Modern World

Vocations

The COTACF Basic Standards for Consideration for Ordination

COTACF Clergy Candidates Must be at least 21 years of age Prior to seeking Ordination.

COTACF Clergy can be Married or Single; however either state requires living a sexually pure life.

The COTACF Ordains Women as Deaconess'.

The COTACF Does Not Ordain Homosexuals.

The COTACF Does Not consider the issue of Divorce and Remarriage as an automatic disqualification for serving in the ministry; however each situation is discerned on a case by case basis.

COTACF Clergy who are single upon entering into Holy Orders are allowed, there after, to enter into Holy Matrimony; however any COTACF Clergy that may suffer the pangs of divorce are not permitted to remarry while serving in the ministry of the Communion.

The The COTACF does not obligate a Clergy Candidate to attend a Seminary Program prior to Licensure; however all COTACF Clergy are required to fulfill the requirements of the ongoing Clergy Development Program in a timely manner.

The COTACF Clergy
Development Program is facilitated and administered by the School
of Clergy Development;
+Bishop Timothy Buss, Chancellor.

All COTACF Clergy Candidates for Holy Orders are required to fulfill their internship requirements with an existing COTACF community before their ordination.

All COTACF Clergy Candidates for Holy Order are required to submit to, and pass a background check, before their candidacy can begin.

The COTACF Concept of “Clergy”

It is important to realize that, within the COTACF, the role of the clergy is somewhat distinctive from that of your more “traditional” church organizations.

First of all the COTACF adheres to the “Broader Episcopate” concept of Church leadership inscribed in Scripture in which the local church body is lead, first by Christ then by a plurality of “Elders” ( those mature in the faith as made evident by their living testimony and soundness of the faith).

Within the Eldership of the local church body you will have both Elders and episcopates. What’s the difference?
Well while the entire Eldership is responsible for the ongoing development and functioning of the local body the “episcopate” is called by God to minister the Gospel to both, the body and the general public as well as preserve the orthodoxy of the faith within the local body. So while all members of the episcopate are Elders, not all Elders are members of the episcopate.

At this point I feel it should be stated that, within the COTACF, all decisions (not involving the essentials of the faith) are to be made by “the consensus of the Eldership” of which the decision in question will affect. Consensus Rule is NOT Majority Rule or Episcopal Rule;
It IS, in submission to the Holy Scriptures, the coming together in full understanding of all those involved.

Also it is important to note that, at a minimum, it is through the episcopate that the foundations of inter-church communion are laid due to the COTACF’s adherence to the validity of Apostolic Succession.

Here I think some practical definitions may be in order.

Elder: A member of the local body who has demonstrated a maturity in the faith and selected by the local body to assist in the day to day guidance of the same.

Deacon/ess: A member of the local body called by God and ordained by the Church to the service ministry of the local body. Within the COTACF where there are two or more fellowships in any given Parish (community/town/city) it is usually a Deacon/ess that directly administers
( in conjunction with the other Elders)
the second (or more) local House Church Fellowship.

Presbyter (Pastor/Priest): A member of the local body called by God and ordained by the Church to the service and Pastoral ministry of the local body.
Within the COTACF the Priest is the primary voice of the church on ecclesiastical matters for the Parish and directly administers the Parish wide “Gathering of the Saint” as well as their respective Home Fellowships.
The Parish Priest works in conjunction with the Parish Deacons and the Eldership in the administration of the COTACF Parish Community.

Note: There is a practical limit to how many Home Fellowships that one Priest can effectively minister to. (that number constitutes the limits of any given Parish) That being true there will often be more than one COTACF Priest in a given community of any substantial population.

Bishop: A Presbyter called by God and selected from among his peers and ordained by the Church to the Pastoral Ministry and administration of a geographical area in which there is more than one COTACF Parish Fellowship.
A Bishop is the primary voice of the church on ecclesiastical matters for the local COTACF Diocese (usually comprising of several counties, but may be limited to a single larger city) and the Pastor to the Parish Priests within the Diocese. The Bishop works in conjunction with the Diocesan Priests and Eldership in the administration of an COTACF Diocese.

Bishop Prelate: The Bishop Prelate of the COTACF is selected from among his peers and approved by the Eldership of the COTACF for the Pastoral Ministry of his fellow Bishops and the Communion as a whole The Bishop Prelate, in consensus with the Council of Bishops, is the primary voice of the Communion on ecclesiastical matters.
The Bishop Prelate is the Primary Pastor, Counselor, Motivator, Facilitator and Preserver of the Faith for the COTACF.
The Bishop Prelate works in conjunction with the Communion Council of Elders and House of Bishops in the administration of the COTACF.

At first glance this ecclesiastical structure must seem a lot like the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic or Episcopal Churches and there is a good reason for that. The terms applied to the positions are indeed Scriptural therefore there will, obviously, be apparent similarities. However it is imperative to gaining a proper understanding of the COTACF’s concept of “Clergy” that one fully understands that the “Clergy” of the COTACF stands as part of the Eldership of the Communion and not apart from it.

The only differential point in distinguishing the “Clergy” from the Eldership within the COTACF is the fact that the Clergy are those called by God and Ordained by the consensus of the Church (at their respective levels) for the specific ministry to the body while the “non Clergy” Eldership is charged with both the practical administration of the body and, along with every member of the body, edification of the church and evangelizing of the lost.

One final note. Within the COTACF we strive for genuine intimacy in the Spirit between members of the body. This includes the “Clergy”.

By striving to keep and maintain this relational association in the faith we diminish the concept of “rulership” so often evident in the more “traditional” church bodies.

With the COTACF the “Clergy” do not rule, they facilitate, in response to their divine calling, the edification of and Pastoral ministry to the body of Christ in His Service. The Clergy, with in the COTACF, are first and foremost Servants. Furthermore the process by which COTACF members become “Clergy” is one in which familiarity among the body is essential.

At no time will and COTACF community ever have a member of the “clergy” with whom they are unfamiliar, permanently imposed upon them. COTACF “Clergy” come from within the local body.*

*Note: The exception to this would be when a new COTACF minister has initiated a “missionary community” effort.