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From Call to Settlement |
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by Lloyd M. Hall, Jr.
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Generally Accepted Standards
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Sections II (The Personal Call) and III (Response and Preparation)
will deal with the specifics of what preparation is normally
expected of a Congregational Minister. As with much of our Way,
these standards represent an accepted norm. Should an individual
Church find that a particular candidate for ordination has been
prepared in some other manner, and a Council find that the
alternative is adequate, the standards suggested need not pose an
insurmountable obstacle.
Any "substitutions," however, do present the Church and Council
with the most serious obligations for evaluation. Almost certainly,
if alternative preparation is to be considered, it will be in the area
of academic studies. We assume that academic preparation is
within the range of expectations when a candidate presents a
baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and a
Master of Divinity degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited
school of theology or seminary. In any other pattern of academic
preparation the responsibility for determining "equivalency" rests
with the ordaining Church and the consulting Council. 5
In most instances, notable deficiencies in academic preparation
should lead to exploration of status as a Lay Minister or Certificate Minister.
6 Such standing does nothing to diminish the status of the
individual as the Pastor of the Church to which he/she has been
called, nor should it affect peer relationships in associational life.
Preserving the highest standards for ordained ministry, however, is
a responsibility we have been given with respect to the other
ordained Congregational ministers and the fellowships of
Congregational Churches.
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5
"Strong emphasis should be placed upon thorough academic preparation for
the ministry; i.e., both college and seminary courses. Any tendency to waive
this standard should be resisted. " (Charles Emerson Burton, Manual of the
Congregational and Christian Churches; Congregational Publishing Society;
Boston - Chicago; 1936; p 63)
6
For an outline of this status, see Henry David Gray,
Congregational
Worshipbook;
American Congregational Center; Ventura, CA: 1990; p 726f.
The role a Council or Association should take in registering this status should be
similar to that taken during ordination inasmuch as this, too, impacts the
fellowship of the Churches. In these instances, the status is valid only for the
Church in which the individual is serving as is not transferable to other
Churches or associations.
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National Association of Congregational Christian
Churches
PO Box 288, Oak Creek, WI 53154 |
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