PRACTICES OF GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER VI -- MINISTERIAL PROCEDURES

Procedures for Recording of Ministers, Certification for Ministers in Training, and Liberation for Special Ministries.

A. Recording of Ministers.

1) Recognizing the Gift. When a member, man or woman, has spoken in the public ministry to the edification and spiritual help of the congregation, the local Elders Board shall carefully consider whether the person has received from the Head of the Church a gift for ministry. Persons may occasionally speak, even fluently, to edification, or engage in exhortation, or give testimony to their experience, or offer vocal prayer with evidence of spiritual power without having received, necessarily, a gift for ministry. The following guidelines are suggested to help in determining who should be recommended for recording:

The person should have a clear sense of Divine call upon his or her life.

The person must have demonstrated gifts in public ministry, such as teaching, preaching, pastoring, evangelism, administration, counseling, and/or other similar gifts.

These public gifts should have been demonstrated over a sufficient period of time to indicate stability.

The person must be of consistent moral and spiritual character.

The person must have emotional stability.

The person must be showing evidence of developing maturity.

Encouraging its exercise. If its decision is affirmative, the local Elders Board then endeavors to encourage the member in the exercise of the gift and to thrust that person out into active service in the ministry.

Consultation with the Yearly Meeting Superintendent. When the local Elders Board is thoroughly satisfied that the person under consideration (hereafter called the candidate) has a gift for ministry, it shall invite the Superintendent to visit the Board regarding the significance and process of recording.

Report to the church. If the local Elders Board judges that the candidate has a gift for ministry that is worthy of recording, the clerk presents a recommendation to the local business meeting recommending that the recording process be initiated.

Action of the church. If the church acts favorably, the clerk sends a copy of the recommendations and written report of the local Elders Board to the Area Superintendent for the Area Elders Board. A copy shall also be sent to the Yearly Meeting Elders Board.

Action of the Area Elders Board. The Area Superintendent, upon receiving the information for recording of a ministerial candidate, immediately requests a copy of the candidate's informational questionnaire from the Yearly Meeting office. The Area Superintendent will arrange for a meeting of the Area Elders Board with the candidate to select a qualified mentor who will meet with the candidate on a regular basis, to give instruction and guidance to the candidate, and shepherd him/her through the recording process. With the mentor’s help and supervision, the candidate will work to define or refine his/her statement of faith and philosophy of ministry. He/she will be asked to prepare a written statement of belief in the fundamental and distinctive doctrines of Friends and view of Friends testimonies as recorded in this book of Faith and Practice. The Area Superintendent shall request that the candidate have college and seminary transcripts sent to the Yearly Meeting office. The Area Superintendent may also arrange for psychological assessments for the candidate (and spouse) and secure appraisals from those named as references in the informational questionnaire. When all these documents have been received, the Area Superintendent will present the information secured to the Area Elders Board. The Area Elders Board then considers carefully the previous actions of the local Elders Board and church and all documents submitted, giving attention to character and personality traits, the evidence of a gift and divine call, the candidate's beliefs in Friends doctrines and views on Friends testimonies, the adequacy of the candidate's formal and/or informal education, and the record of service previously and currently being rendered. The Area Elders Board then determines whether or not to bring the candidate under its care by scheduling a personal interview with the candidate and if married, with his or her spouse. If the Area Elders Board determines that recording is appropriate for the candidate, it will instruct the candidate about the course of action that is needed to proceed. (If it determines that recording is not appropriate, it will communicate the reasons for this determination to the local church.) The Area Elders Board shall give instruction and guidance to the candidate under its care for a minimum of two years. For a mature person with a proven record of ministerial service, this two year requirement may be waived with the concurrence of the local Elders Board, Area Elders Board, and Yearly Meeting Elders Board. At the end of two years, the candidate will be interviewed by the Area Elders Board, who will also solicit input from the mentor. The Board may ask the candidate to continue the mentoring relationship for additional observation, development, and training. If the Board is fully satisfied that the candidate is qualified to be recorded as a minister of the Gospel by the authority of Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting, it then recommends the candidate to the Yearly Meeting Elders Board.

Action of the Yearly Meeting Elders Board. This board, upon receiving the recommendation from the Area Elders Board, has the recommendation and any other necessary documentation read in the face of a regular board session. If it approves the board's action it recommends the candidate for recording to the Yearly Meeting in session.

Final Act of Recording. The Yearly Meeting, no obstacle appearing, takes action in accordance with the favorable report of the Yearly Meeting Elders Board to record the candidate as a minister of the Gospel. It authorizes the presiding clerk to issue a certificate of recording and to notify the local church involved as to this action.

Recognition. The Yearly Meeting Elders Board, in cooperation with the General Superintendent, arranges a recognition service for newly recorded ministers as an integral part of the Yearly Meeting sessions. The local church may also wish to recognize its newly recorded pastor.

The Recorded Ministry. A minister is entitled to the privilege of exercising his or her gift in the ministry, of whatever type it may be, in pastoral, evangelistic, and other fields. A minister may answer a call to such types of service when it has come through proper channels.

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B. Certification for Ministers in Training. The local Elders Board may at times find it advisable to assist a young person whose gift and call it has recognized, in order that the person may continue preparing for ministerial service without interruption. This may be done, provided the circumstances as described below are such as to apply, by recommending the person to the Chairperson of the Yearly Meeting Elders Board, who is the Presiding Clerk, for issuance of a certificate as a minister in training. Such certificate is valid only if the member holding it is engaged in school work, theological or other, which contributes specifically toward preparation for the work the person is called to do, or is receiving training in service by acting as assistant pastor of an established church, or as assistant pastor in charge of work in a new work supervised by a Friends church, or any combination of these. The certificate is issued for a period of one year, but may be renewed at the request of the local Elders Board provided the conditions which made it valid are still in effect. When such a person has been employed as a regular pastor and has been recorded as prescribed, or when final action of recording has taken place in accordance with this book of Faith and Practice, the certificate as a minister in training is terminated.

Care is exercised by the local Elders Board to bestow this recognition only upon those who have shown vital interest and taken part actively in the work of the church and who give evidence of sincerity in regard to the call of God to service.

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C. Liberating for Special Ministries. When a minister feels called of God to perform ministerial service outside of his or her own area, the following course is to be pursued:

Presenting the Concern. The minister brings the concern before the local Elders Board. If this body unites in the concern, it recommends to the church that a certificate of its unity and concurrence be granted.

Service Within the Yearly Meeting. If the proposed service lies within the limits of the Yearly Meeting, the church may grant the certificate, defining the nature and the field of service, and commending the minister to the fellowship of the Friends to whom he or she may minister. In case the time of the local business session is too far distant for convenience, the local Elders Board through its Chairperson, who is the clerk of the local church, issues a certificate liberating the minister on behalf of the church; the clerk reports the same at the next regular business session. Special service may be undertaken under the direction of the Elders Board of the Yearly Meeting without the securing of a certificate.

Service in Another Yearly Meeting. If the proposed service lies within the limits of another American Yearly Meeting and the local church approves, it transmits its certificate of unity and concurrence to the Elders Board of the Yearly Meeting. If the board approves, it endorses the certificate of the local church and liberates the minister for the service in prospect.

Service Beyond the American Yearly Meetings. If the proposed service lies beyond the limits of the American Yearly Meetings, the local church transmits its certificate of unity and concurrence to the Elders Board, and the board to the Yearly Meeting, indicating its own concurrence by endorsement. If the Yearly Meeting also concurs in the service, its clerks add their endorsement and present the certificate to the minister requesting it; the minister then is free to pursue the performance of the service. When a certificate has been duly endorsed by the board and time does not permit consideration by the Yearly Meeting, the certificate is forwarded to the clerk of the Yearly Meeting. If the clerk endorses the certificate, the minister is free to enter upon the service. He/she informs the Elders Board of his/her action in their next session, reporting also the attendant circumstances.

Power of Endorsement. In every case where a certificate for ministerial service is regularly granted, the presiding and recording officers of those bodies which take action to concur endorse the certificate. In cases of emergency, the signatures of the presiding officers are sufficient.

Extended Service. When a minister desires to engage in special and extended pastoral or evangelistic service within the limits of another Yearly Meeting, the minister lays the matter before the local Elders Board as for other service. If this committee and the church concur and a certificate is granted, the minister submits it to the Yearly Meeting Elders Board. If, after due consideration, the Board is satisfied that the minister's standing and qualifications offer no hindrance to entering upon the proposed service, the chairperson of the board endorses the certificate and the minister is free to go. In the performance of this service he or she must work in harmony with the authorities entrusted with such matters in the Yearly Meeting where the service is performed. In case such service is extended until it becomes indeterminate in length, a transfer of membership is recommended. When the local Elders Board being served becomes satisfied that the minister's services are no longer profitable, it notifies the church of its judgment. If it concurs, the minister is obliged to discontinue all service in that locality. Information of this action is forwarded to the church of which the minister is a member. When a church has enjoyed and profited by the ministry of a liberated minister, a returning minute should be granted, and the certificate returned to the church which granted it.

Similar certificates for service by Christian workers (as chaplains and missionaries) may be issued by the appropriate boards.

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2. Annual Report of Ministers. Every recorded minister not a pastor whose membership rests within the Yearly Meeting, regardless of place of residence, makes an annual report to the Yearly Meeting Elders Board and to the General Superintendent. He or she indicates location and occupation and especially the exercise during the year of his or her gift in the ministry. If engaged as an evangelist, the minister recounts indications of success in gospel labors and efforts for self improvement for greater usefulness. All reports are sent to the Yearly Meeting Elders Board and to the General Superintendent in the month before the Yearly Meeting convenes or earlier. The Elders Board examines carefully and individually each report. If any of the reports are unsatisfactory or if no report is sent, the Board or a committee may make investigation or take action. The board does as it deems best in each case.

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3. Transfer of Ministers. Every certificate of transfer of membership issued on behalf of a minister includes a statement of his or her position as a minister. Transfer within the limits of the Yearly Meeting carries both membership and position to the church receiving it. One who transfers from another Yearly Meeting of Friends is received by certificate as a member, and unless called to serve as a pastor, the person's position as a minister is referred to the Yearly Meeting Elders Board for consideration. In such case, the person is not listed as a minister unless the Board reports favorably to the church where he or she has been received. Procedure in such cases is outlined as follows:

The certificate of membership sent to the church where the minister will be in membership is to be accompanied by all necessary papers or certificates of ministerial training.

The clerk, immediately upon receipt of this transfer, sends this biographical information relating to ministerial status, along with a recommendation from the local Elders Board, to the Chairperson of the Elders Board of Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting with a request for immediate action. This is to be done prior to action by the local or extension church.

The Yearly Meeting Elders Board and the General Superintendent are to be notified immediately by the chairperson regarding the request and the status of the minister. In normal cases, an immediate reply by mail will suffice to give the sense of the Board in regard to the question. In some cases a special called meeting may be necessary. When the decision has been reached by the Board, the clerk of the church is to be notified immediately. Unnecessary delay in processing this matter may be an embarrassment and a hindrance to both the new minister and the church receiving the membership. Therefore attention is to be given promptly to this matter. However, it is recognized by all that the Elders Board has every right to be fully satisfied in the matter before making a decision.

The clerk, upon receipt of a letter from the Yearly Meeting Elders Board, then presents to the church in business session both the transfer of membership and ministerial status with the above letter for official action. Upon favorable action, the minister in question is then officially recognized as a recorded minister of Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting. Notification of this action is sent to the church which sent the transfer of membership and ministerial standing in order that the minister's name may be removed from its list. Ministers who transfer their membership to another denomination are entitled to a letter containing a statement of their position in the Friends church. One who thus transfers and later returns to membership among Friends is not listed as a minister until the full process of recording has been repeated on his or her behalf. A minister of another denomination who becomes a Friend is not received as a minister but may, if the local Elders Board sees fit to initiate action, be duly recorded in the regular way.

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4. Voluntary Surrender of Position As a Minister. Ministers, whether pastors or others, who come to feel that they have fulfilled their call and discharged all responsibilities connected with it, are urged to take steps on their own volition to adjust their relationship to the Yearly Meeting accordingly. This may be done by notifying the local Elders Board of their conclusion and returning their certificate of recording. The local Elders Board notifies the Yearly Meeting Elders Board. This board reports the entire procedure to the Yearly Meeting; the person's name is then removed from all official lists of ministers.

The same course is urged upon any ministers who find themselves at variance with the doctrinal or ethical standards of the Yearly Meeting and no longer able to measure up to the conditions which would be required of one under consideration for recording as a minister.

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