New Blog for Classis Candidate Care

Classis Responsibilities for Candidates in the Certificate of Fitness for Ministry Process

The Reformed Church in America (RCA) utilizes a dual track process for preparing and credentialing candidates pursuing ordination to minister of Word and sacrament. The agents designated by the General Synod; New Brunswick Theological Seminary, the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency, and Western Theological Seminary, have responsibility for one of the tracks and award the Certificate of Fitness for Ministry. The candidate’s classis is responsible for “orthodoxy” and grants licensure and ordains. The process being explained by this document is that of the classis.

Approximately a decade ago, Article 8 (Supervision of Students of Theology) of the Book of Church Order (BCO), Part II was rewritten to alter the assessment procedures available to the classis in regard to candidates pursuing ordination by means of the Certificate of Fitness for Ministry. The introduction of the Approved Alternate Route (AAR) resulted in separating the classis assessment process from the seminary curriculum and the M.Div. degree. The categories were redefined and the means of assessment was revised in such a manner that competence is to be determined and actual examination language is lost. In other words, assessment is not necessarily a traditional examination and creative possibilities are not only implied, but encouraged.

The weakness in the pre-2000 approach to examining students was that it tended to separate areas for examination into the discrete subjects of the theological curriculum of a seminary rather than taking an integrative approach that more closely matched the actual practice of ministry in congregations and other ministry settings. The shift from examination to assessment not only invites classes to exercise creativity and imagination in their means of assessment, the shift from academic subject to broader areas of competence invites them to think in a more integrative way.

The current BCO now reads as follows :

As candidates pursue their preparation
The classis shall satisfy itself that the candidate exhibits:
(1) Appropriate character and call to the ministry of Word and sacrament;
(2) Comprehension of Scripture and of the history, theology, and church order of the Reformed Church in America;
(3) Requisite skills in interpretation and proclamation of Scripture, including sufficient Greek and Hebrew to understand the nuances of the biblical text;
(4) Competence for ministry;
(5) Commitment to the unity of the church, the ministry of all Christians, and the proclamation of the gospel. (BCO 1.II.8 Section 6)

When the candidate has earned the Certificate of Fitness for Ministry
The classis shall examine the candidate for licensure and ordination by satisfying itself that the candidate is competent in:
(1) Theology
(2) The nature and administration of the sacraments
(3) Knowledge of and adherence to the Constitution (Standards, the Government and Disciplinary Procedures, and the Liturgy) of the Reformed Church in America
(4) The history and program of Reformed Church mission (BCO 1.II.8 Section 7)

The transition for incorporating the new definitions has been a rather difficult one for many classes, and some have opted to stay with old and established procedures, not changing anything. This document proposes to assist classes in understanding the new definitions and provide tools for the role of assessment and support. It is important to note that the role can be less of an “examiner,” and more of an agent, satisfying itself in creative ways that competencies and qualities are possessed by ministerial candidates.