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The Church’s Basic Standard for Consideration for Commissioning & Ordination
1. Clergy candidates must be at least 21 years of age prior to seeking ordination.
2. Our clergy can be married or single; however either state requires living a sexually pure life.
3. Clergy who are single upon entering into Holy Orders are allowed, thereafter, to enter into marriage.
4. The church does not obligate a clergy candidate to attend a seminary program prior to licensure; however all of our clergy are required to fulfill the requirements of the ongoing Clergy Development Program in a timely manner.
5. All clergy candidates for Holy Orders are required to submit to, and pass a background check, before their candidacy can be legitimized.
6. The church ordains women as deaconesses.
7. The church does not consider the issue of divorce and remarriage as an automatic disqualification for serving in the ministry; each situation is discerned on a case by case basis.
8.The church does not ordain homosexual men or women.
The Church’s Concept of “Clergy”
It is important to realize that, within the church, the role of the clergy is somewhat distinctive from that of your more “traditional” church organizations. First of all, the church 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 clergy. What’s the difference? Well, while the entire eldership is responsible for the ongoing development and functioning of the local body the clergy, that is, the “episcopate” is called by God to minister the Gospel 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. Members of the episcopate do carry a higher level of spiritual authority and are involved in a distinct leadership role, but we do not lord our authority over the church.
At this point it should be stated that, within the church, 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 church’s adherence to the validity of Apostolic Succession. Here 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 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. Those women ordained to be a deaconess ministry primarily work with other women but may assist in other areas as well.
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 church, the priest is the primary voice of the church on ecclesiastical matters for the parish and directly administers the parish wide “Gathering of the Saints” as well as their respective Home Fellowships. The parish priest works in conjunction with the deacons and the eldership in the administration of the church parish community.
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 one or more Parishes. A bishop is the primary voice of the church on ecclesiastical matters for the local church diocese (usually comprising of several counties, but may be limited to a single larger city or even a state or region) 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 a church diocese.
Archbishop: The Archbishop of the church is selected from among his peers and approved by the eldership of the church for the pastoral ministry of his fellow bishops and the church as a whole. The archbishop, in consensus with the College of Bishops, is the primary voice of the church on ecclesiastical matters. The archbishop is the patriarch, the primary pastor, counselor, motivator, facilitator and Preserver of the Faith for the church. The archbishop works in conjunction with the College of Bishops in the administration of the church.
At first glance this ecclesiastical structure must seem a lot like the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic or other 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 church’s concept of “clergy” that one fully understands that the “clergy” of the church 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 church 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 church 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 church 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. Leaders take on a paternal or in the case of women, maternal role, caring for them as they would their own family. Again, there is an element of spiritual authority, but the clergy, within the church, are first and foremost servants. Furthermore the process by which church members become clergy is one in which familiarity among the body is essential. At no time will a church community ever have a member of the clergy with whom they are unfamiliar, permanently imposed upon them. All church clergy come from within the local body.*
*Note: The exception to this would be when a new church minister has initiated a “missionary community” effort.
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