Covenant News
New Ordered Ministry Rules to be Posted
CHICAGO, IL (March 12, 2002) - The first complete revision of the Rules for the Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) since 1973 will be made available for full viewing on the Covenant website March 15.A 16-member team worked on the revision project during the past two years. Members included representatives from Covenant administrative offices, North Park Theological Seminary, the Council of Superintendents and the Covenant Ministerium (with senior pastors and commissioned staff members).
Each of the upcoming conference and regional annual meetings will include a presentation and discussion of the newest draft of the Rules of the Ordered Ministry, according to Dave Kersten, executive minister of the Department of Ordered Ministry. The draft will then be voted on at the June annual meeting of the Covenant Ministerium in Keystone, Colorado. If approved by the Ministerium, it will be presented for action by delegates to the ECC Annual Meeting.
The revision comes in response to a motion at the 1999 Ministerium annual meeting asking that a task force be formed to address the Covenant credentialing process.
Kersten and Carol Lawson, director of staff ministry, believe that the most substantive changes in the new rules occur in redefining the meaning of ordination in the Covenant. Ordination has been divided into two categories: ordained to word and sacrament; and ordained to specialized ministry. In both cases, one who is called by God is formally set apart for ministry.
Those ordained to word and sacrament, according to the new rules, are fulfilling a special theological function as a leader of a local congregation and receive permanent licensing with ordination. They are involved significantly in functions such as preaching and teaching, administration of sacraments, conducting worship services and providing spiritual leadership and pastoral care while managing a local congregation. They must:
- Earn a Master of Divinity degree from a seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ACTS) or through Centro Hispano de Estudios Teologicos (CHET).
- Complete one year of residency at North Park Theological Seminary or complete the Covenant's External Orientation Program.
- Serve at least two years in their respective ministry following completion of the required academic program.
Those ordained to specialized ministry such as youth ministry, Christian formation, camping and certain other areas are not required to earn a Master of Divinity degree. However, they must either earn a theological masters degree with 60 or more hours of credit from an ACTS-accredited seminary or CHET, or earn a non-theological masters degree and take an additional 30 hours or more of training with an accredited seminary.
Commissioning will continue to be offered for those with bachelor degrees who are called to serve in an area of specialty in the church, said Lawson.
Kersten said the new rules take into account the kind of parameters needed to serve in the church of the next generation. "There's a difference in form and function, but not a difference in call and status," he said.
In another change, consecrated missionaries in the denomination will now be cared for and disciplined in the same manner as Covenant pastors through the Department of the Ordered Ministry. Prior to this proposed change, the Department of World Mission (which will still approve or reject missionary candidates) was the pastoral care and discipline resource for consecrated missionaries.
The new rules may be found by visiting the Covenant website at www.covchurch.org and looking under the "Resources" section.
Individuals desiring to offer comments or ask questions can contact the department by regular mail at 3311 W. Foster Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625; by email at carol.lawson@covchurch.org or by telephone at 773-583-3211.
Printable version of this page.