How do I finish the Covenant External Orientation Program?

The CEOP is comprised of three major components:
- Covenant Life Experiences
- The Advising Relationship
- The Orientation Courses

To complete External Orientation, you will need to finish all three of the components and pay your tuition in full. Certificates of Completion are printed before each Annual Meeting, after the grades from Midwinter courses are received.

I have had many Covenant experiences that do not appear on my student progress report. How do I get credit for the Covenant Life Experiences?

To get credit for your Covenant Life Experiences, you simply need to inform the CEOP office that you have attended a certain event or experience. The best way to do this is by writing the experiences on a copy of your Student Progress Report and then mailing/faxing it to the CEOP office. You can also simply send an email, or call the CEOP office.

What counts as a Covenant Life Experience?

A list of accepted Covenant Life Experiences can be found in the general information sent with your application and online. If you have a question about a particular experience, feel free to ask!

I met with my mentor at least three times. How do I get credit for completing the Advising Relationship?

Your advisor is responsible for sending a report to the Covenant External Orientation Program verifying the completion of your advising relationship. A one-page form for this purpose should have been sent to your advisor at the beginning of the process. If your advisor has lost his/her copy of the form, we can mail/email another form, you can download a copy, or your advisor can simply write and send write a full-page letter that briefly describes the character and content of your relationship.

Does Covenant External Orientation Program have something like graduation?

Although you will receive a Certificate of Completion, there is no graduation service for the CEOP. The majority of pastors enroll in the Covenant External Orientation Program to seek commissioning, ordination, or transfer of ordination. Therefore, completing CEOP is considered as one step, albeit a lengthy step, on the way to this final credentialing goal (which may be more analogous to graduation.)

I finished my last course, when do I get my Certificate of Completion?

Certificates of Completion are generally printed in May of a given year. Since most people enroll in the program for credentialing reasons, and credentialing happens at the Covenant Annual Meeting in June, the CEOP waits as long as possible to finalize the list of those who have complete in a given year. The CEOP follows a standard academic year beginning each August with courses taking place at fall retreats, the Midwinter Conference, spring Annual Meetings, and in June prior to the Covenant Annual Meeting. When you take your last course before an Annual Meeting, however, you will be listed as having actually having completed the CEOP in the following year.

When do I have to take my last course to be credentialed at an Annual Meeting?

Pastors must complete their last course at or before the Midwinter Conference course offerings in February before the June Annual Meeting. For example: if you desire to finish the CEOP and be commissioned in 2005, you would need to take your last course at or before the 2005 Midwinter conference and make sure that you have received credit for the other CEOP requirements, Covenant life experiences, advising, paid in full, by April 2005.

Can I take my last course at the Annual Meeting? Will I complete at that meeting?

Yes and No. Yes, you can take your last course at an Annual Meeting. For that matter, you can take it whenever it is most convenient for you and your church. No, if your last course is taken after Midwinter, you will not receive your Certificate of Competition or be eligible for commissioning/ordination at that year's Annual Meeting. There needs to be ample time for writing and grading papers as well as for other administrative tasks. If your last course is taken at either a conference or denominational Annual Meeting, your Certificate of Completion will not be issued until the following May.

For example: if you take your last course in June 2004, and have already finished all other requirements, you will be counted as finishing the program, ready for ordination in 2005. At first glance, this may seem excessive, however, a class is not complete until grades are received. For a typical June course, grades are received in early September-- that is, grades are received during the next academic year.

If I will not be able to finish the CEOP when I said I would, what are my options?

The CEOP was designed for completion in three to six years. Sometimes, because of sicknesses, church or family emergences, and other reasons, pastors miss courses they were planning to take and fall behind their original schedule. There is no problem created by not finishing the program on your original schedule. Although each year you move back your CEOP completion, you also move back your ordination or commissioning. If you plan to complete the CEOP in a year different than is listed on your Student Progress Report, you should contact the CEOP office and have your estimated completion date updated.

I was supposed to finish the CEOP in six years, what if I need longer?

If, at the end of your sixth year, you have not finished the CEOP, you will need to inform your superintendent. With his/her approval, you may petition the CEOP Committee for approval to continue your enrollment in the CEOP. There will be an additional yearly tuition charge of $500 for up to three additional years. This extra tuition fee is to be paid by the enrolled pastor, and is not covered in church planting agreements. Failure to complete the CEOP may result in the inability to renew your credentials.

How does completing the CEOP fit into the ordination process?

The CEOP is required of all pastors seeking ordination who have not attended a year of studies at North Park Theological Seminary. Completing the CEOP is only one of the requirements that pastors must meet to be ordained. A full listing of the ordination requirements can be found online.

Can I have a brief overview of the final steps of the ordination process as it relates to the CEOP?

Every June, the Board of the Ordered Ministry approves a list of ordination candidates who are eligible for ordination at the next year's Covenant Annual Meeting. CEOP students who will finish in the next year are suitable ordination candidates. Ordination candidates will be asked to complete an ordination paper the summer before they are ordained. Some candidates will write their paper before they finish orientation but they must finish their last CEOP courses at the Midwinter Conference. Pastors who have not completed the CEOP will not be ordained until they complete the CEOP -- even if they have written their paper and had a successful interview with the Board of the Ordered Ministry.

How does completing the CEOP fit into the Commissioning process?

The CEOP is required of all pastors seeking to be commissioned and who have not attended at year of studies at North Park Theological Seminary. Completing the CEOP is only one of the many requirements that pastors must meet to be commissioned. A full listing of the commissioning process and requirements can be found online.

Can I have a brief overview of the final steps in the commissioning process as it relates to the CEOP?

Every June, the Board of the Ordered Ministry approves a list of commissioning candidates who are eligible for commissioning at the next year's Covenant Annual Meeting. CEOP students seeking commissioning who will finish in the next year are suitable candidates. Commissioning candidates are asked to complete a commissioning paper the summer before they are commissioned. Some candidates will write their paper before they finish orientation but they must finish their last CEOP courses at the Midwinter Conference. Pastors who have not completed the CEOP will not be commissioned until they finish the CEOP-- even if they have written their paper and had a successful interview with the Board of the Ordered Ministry.

I am in the Commissioning process and need 4 courses, but can I take all 7?

Yes, as one enrolled in the Commissioning process, you have the option of taking all seven courses. If you choose to do so, however, you will have to pay the larger corresponding tuition.

How does completing the CEOP fit into the Transfer of Ordination Process?

The CEOP is required of all pastors who transfer their ordination unless they opt to attend a year of studies at NPTS. Pastors must enroll in the CEOP before receiving provisional standing, and finish the CEOP before finalizing their transfer of ordination. A full listing of the requirements and process is available at the Department of the Ordered Ministry Website at http://www.covchurch.org.

Can I have a brief overview of the Transfer of Ordination Process?

The transfer of ordination process involves 1) entering the CEOP, 2) receiving provisional ordination standing, 3) completing the CEOP and 4) finalizing your transfer. Students enrolled in the CEOP that have not received provisional standing are strongly encouraged to do so. Once you have provisional standing, you work to complete the CEOP. In your final year of provisional standing, you are to write a final transfer of ordination paper.

Since the finalization of your transfer will occur at a Covenant Annual Meeting, you must finish all of your CEOP requirements and take your last course no later than the Midwinter Conference before your finalization. Pastors will not finalize their transfer until they have completed the CEOP-- even if they have had provisional standing for three years, written their final paper and had a successful interview with the Board of the Ordered Ministry.

How do I know if I have Provisional Ordination Standing?

The easiest way to know if you have provisional ordination standing is to look yourself up in the Covenant Yearbook or Appointment Book. If there is a (OWS/P) behind your name, it means that you have "provisional ordination standing" and have formally begun the process of transferring your ordination.

I have provisional standing; do I need to get a license this year?

No, if you have provisional standing, you do not need a license. The ECC recognizes you as an ordained pastor; your provisional ordination is your credential.

I have already had an interview with the Board of the Ordered Ministry to begin my transfer, but I am still listed in the yearbook as (LPO) and not (OWS/P). Why?

To gain provisional standing, you need (in addition to other things) 1) a favorable interview with your conference committee on ministerial standing and 2) to submit various supporting papers to the Department of the Ordered Ministry. The Annual Meeting approves the Board's recommendation to change your standing to provisional ordination, but your name is not submitted to the Annual Meeting until all papers are received. Your change in standing may have been delayed because all or some of your supporting papers were not received. If this is your case, you can submit the missing papers before the next Annual Meeting and gain provisional standing at that time. Contact the Department of the Ordered Ministry concerning what papers you may or may not have on file.

I am ready to finish orientation, but do not have provisional standing. Do I need to have a full three-year provisional standing?

Many pastors found the process of applying for transfer and applying for the CEOP confusing. As a result, some pastors enrolled in the CEOP with the misunderstanding that that was also their application for transfer of ordination. Pastors in this situation need to gain provisional standing by following the standard process, but may petition to have their provisional period shortened to one or two years.

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