Committee on Preparation for Ministry
Attention: Pastors Serving Churches
We have 23 people enrolled in our 2007-2008 Commissioned Lay Pastor Program
We need field education sites in urban/suburban settings and in rural settings and pastors willing to mentor a candidate for one or two five-month periods
When? September 2007 – January 2008, or February 2008 – June 2008, or both terms with a new candidate each term.
New E-Mail Group for Inquirers and Candidates!
Do you ever wish that you could be in touch with other inquirers or candidates in order to share experiences, to get ideas about the upcoming ordination exams, or maybe just to vent?
A new e-mail group has been set up for the use of inquirers and candidates under the care of the Committee on Preparation for Ministry — inquirersandcandidatesdiscussion@pbygenval.org! All persons currently under the care of the committee have been added to the list.
The purpose of the list is to provide a forum for discussion among the members of the group on issues related to the process of preparing for ministry, such as ordination exams, field education, the discernment process, or looking for a call. To ensure confidentiality of discussions, the list will include only those persons currently under the care of the committee. This is intended to be a discussion group, so responses to postings will go to the group. Individual e-mail addresses will not be shown.
The chair of CPM may occasionally post a message to this list. The CPM chair is not a member of the group, and will not be able to receive or read any messages posted to the group. Anything that you post will be available to the other inquirers and candidates in our Presbytery.
Contact if you have any questions about the list. We hope you will find this helpful.
Mission
Membership: 18 (equal number of elders and ministers).
To enter into a covenant relationship with those preparing to become Ministers of the Word and Sacraments or as Commissioned Lay Pastors so as to ensure that those who are to be ordained or commissioned as such receive full preparation for their task. The Committee on Preparation for Ministry not only assists inquirers and candidates and Elders as they prepare for ministry but it also provides nurture and care for those enrolled as inquirers, candidates under care or as commissioned lay pastors.
The Committee Shall:
- Be authorized to act on behalf of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley in accordance with G-11.0103v and G-14.0303e, G-14.0309, G-14.0310a, G-14.0312 and G-14.0801.
- Meet with sessions when a member of the church desires to become an inquirer in order to provide an orientation to the preparation process, and instruct sessions as to their role in the inquiry and candidacy phases.
- Interview prospective inquirers and enroll them as Inquirers or grant their withdrawal from the process if so requested and report that action at the next Presbytery meeting in accordance with The Book of Order.
- Provide consultation and guidance during the inquiry phase, ensuring that all requirements of the Book of Order are met.
- Confer with inquirers and review evidence that they are ready to proceed to candidacy, making a definite recommendation to the Presbytery with respect to whether the inquirer should be received as a candidate.
- Provide continuing consultation and guidance during the candidacy phase, in order to determine whether each candidate to be ordained has fully demonstrated readiness to begin the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament or grant withdrawal from the process if so requested and report the same to the next Presbytery meeting as required by the Book of Order.
- Consult annually with each inquirer and candidate as required by the Book of Order, and report such actions to the Presbytery.
- Recommend to Presbytery for election readers for candidates examinations. [See the Book of Order Sections G-14.0300–G-14.0314, and applicable sections of G-14.0400, Preparation For Ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA)]
- Provide and coordinate training for elders to be considered as potential candidates for pulpit supply or as commissioned lay pastors.
- Interview prospective elders for the commissioned lay pastor program and enroll them as such or grant their withdrawal from the program if requested and report such actions to the next Presbytery meeting.