1/23/2017

Dear friends,
 
The District Committee on Ministry is planning a March meeting if we have enough candidates to interview.
 
Please let me know ASAP, if you have a candidate who needs to be recertified, or recommended to BOOM.
 
Also, if you have a candidate for ministry who is ready to be certified, please make sure they have accomplished all the tasks below.  However, the most important thing is that they have the written psychological evaluation and you have review this with them.  They must have had their interviews at Kenwood and have the completed report.
 
If you have that done, they I can order the background check.
 
Here is what I send to candidates that are asking to come before the DcOM for their interview for certification:
 
We ask that you and your mentor review the questions from the 201 Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.  This is to be an academic exercise.  We hope to see references to theologians, a Wesleyan understanding, and a candidate’s personal theological journey.  There is no right or wrong theology.  What is most important is that you as the candidate can articulate your call to ministry and can express a theological understanding of the Christian tradition.  We want to see an integration of the theological and practical aspects of ministry.  
 
Also, as you should ask your mentor and at least one other person to review the material for grammar, misspellings and typo’s.   This is one of the most important interviews and the submission of excellent written material should be of the highest expectation.
 
You are required to provide the written answers of the Wesley Historical Questions to the committee.  This was to have been done for the Staff Parish committee interview of your local church:
 310.  Wesley’s Questions for the Examiners—In order that The United Methodist Church may be assured that those persons who present themselves as candidates for licensed or ordained ministry are truly called of God, let those who consider recommending such persons for candidacy as licensed or ordained ministers in The United Methodist Church prayerfully and earnestly ask themselves these questions:

 1. Do they know God as pardoning God? Have they the love of God abiding in them? Do they desire nothing but God? Are they holy in all manner of conversation?
2. Have they gifts, as well as evidence of God’s grace, for the work? Have they a clear, sound understanding; a right judgment in the things of God; a just conception of salvation by faith? Do they speak justly, readily, clearly?
3. Have they fruit? Have any been truly convinced of sin and converted to God, and are believers edified by their service?
 When a candidate comes for an interview before the committee, the following are the criteria from Paragraph 310. 2 of the Discipline.
 
2. Candidates approved by the charge conference and seeking to become certified for licensed or ordained ministry shall:
          a) request to meet with the district committee on ordained ministry. In preparation for meeting with the district committee on ordained ministry, consult with the mentor to provide the following written information, in addition to the material written for ¶ 310.1.d.: (i) the most formative experience of their Christian life; (ii) God’s call to licensed or ordained ministry and role of the church in their call; (iii) their beliefs as a Christian; (iv) their gifts for ministry; (v) their present understanding of their call to ministry as elder, deacon, or licensed ministry; and (vi) their support system;
  b) complete and release required psychological reports, criminal background and credit checks. They shall submit, on a form provided by the conference Board of Ordained Ministry:
(1) a notarized statement detailing any convictions for felony or misdemeanor or written accusations of sexual misconduct or child abuse;   Covered by NYAC background check.
(2) a notarized statement certifying that this candidate has neither been accused in writing nor convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, any incident of sexual misconduct, or child abuse. Covered by NYAC background check.
  c)provide other information as the district committee may require for determining gifts, evidence of God’s grace, fruit, and demonstration of the call to licensed or ordained ministry; and                                                                         
  d)agree for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness of the gospel, and in consideration of their influence as clergy, to make a complete dedication of themselves to the highest ideals of the Christian life as set forth in ¶¶ 102-104; 160-166. To this end they shall agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity, fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God.³ Where possible, the local church is encouraged to assist candidates with the expenses of candidacy.
 
Here are the things our District Committee Needs from you:   
 
WRITTEN WORK FOR THE INTERVIEW:
          All written work should be submitted by email to me so that I can forward to the committee. (PDF or Word) We ask for this work at least one week in advance of the meeting. 
 
 A.    An up-to-date resume of your professional, church and volunteer activities.
 
 B.     Wesley’s Historic Questions, (Paragraph 310)
 
 C.  The following should be answered in 15 to 20 pages:
           i) the most formative experiences of your Christian life; 
           ii) God's call to licensed or ordained ministry and the role of the church in your call; 
           iii) Your personal beliefs as a Christian
 
                 Our committee asks for the following sub-sections of this question:
 
                In your answer we want you to write your personal theological beliefs and to highlight the theologians who have helped you to come to your views concerning:
 
                The Trinity              sin         repentance         atonement        reconciliation
                grace       salvation            resurrection      eternal life          the sacraments                the authority of scripture        understanding of the Kingdom of God

 
                Our district committee expects this to be at an academic level compared to where the candidate is in the process.  If a seminary student, then this should be answered at that academic and professional level.  If a high school student, our expectations would be different.
          
        iv) Your personal gifts for ministry; 
 
          v) Your present understanding of your call to ministry as elder, deacon, or licensed ministry; 
            (And our committee also wants you to explain the difference between these orders and why specifically you are seeking the order to which you feel called.)
       
            (vi) Your support system;
 
 When answering all the questions, we expect you to explain your theological beliefs, your foundational understanding of all theological perspectives, and that you have come to some conclusions of your own understanding of God and God's work in the world. Our committee has a high expectation of an intellectual and theological grounding in addition to a personal passion for ministry in the name of Jesus Christ.
 
You will also need to have official transcripts sent from your college and seminary to my attention at the UMCS office.  If you are still in school, an up-dated transcript is required.  These need to be sent directly to me from the registrar of your school. 
 
 If you have not completed any of the following forms previously, make sure you do so before your interview.   You may find these forms at the Board of Higher Education and Ministry website, under their resource library.  You should have filled in   We need A COPY OF THE Form 102, Personal Data Inventory, which you should have completed during your on-line registration process.  Also Form 103, Medical Report of Candidate, and Form 104 – Declaration of Candidacy which is the report from the Charge Conference that has recommended you and/or re-recommended you. You can find all these forms at the GBHEM.org website.
 
 If you are coming before the committee for certification – Please make sure that you have had an evaluative time with your mentor concerning your Psychological Assessment. If your psychological evaluation made recommendations, please be prepared to provide written evidence of your progress on these recommendations.  If it was suggested for you to enter therapy, a letter from the therapist of the number of meetings and any progress that you and the therapist agree to share with the committee would be helpful. 
 
Also, the Board of Ordained Ministry is requiring all candidates who come before them for probationary membership to have taken the Clergy Sexual Ethics and Boundary Training and you must have a letter or certificate verifying that you have completed this training.
 
 Also, please be aware that when you are certified and are requesting to move on to the Board of Ordained Ministry interviews for probationary membership and commissioning that  the following will be required for your commissioning ordination in the process.
 
       Courses on United Methodist __Polity; __Doctrine; __History; __Evangelism
 
(Please be sure these courses are taken before you appear before BOOM for the commissioning interviews.  They are required by the time of Commissioning for the Elder’s and Deacon’s candidates.  For Associate Membership, the completion of the Five Year Course of Study meets the requirement.  These courses should be commenced or completed before the candidate’s files are transferred to the Registrar (though they can still finish these courses before the Commissioning Service.)       
 
The New York Annual Conference requires that you have completed Clinical Pastoral Education for ordination as an Elder.   Ordination may be a few years down the road, but we encourage you to finish while you is still in seminary.  It is not required for Deacon’s Orders if you are going that track.
 
The deadline for the written answers to the Disciplinary questions and the theological work and for the professional resume will be one week before your interview.  Please email the materials to me at bshillady@umcitysociety.org followed by a hard copy sent to me in the mail. 
 
All forms, all transcripts, and any written evidence that you would like to present to the committee should be sent ahead of the meeting, but must be in our possession for the interview to take place.  Again, please have an updated transcript sent to me.
 
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY CANDIDATES READY FOR THIS INTERVIEW SO THAT WE CAN SCHEDULE A MEETING.
 
Blessings,
 
Bill
 
Rev. Dr. William S. Shillady
Executive Director, CEO
UM City Society
Room 1922
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115
 
212-870-3094
 
email: bshillady@umcitysociety.org