Information for Every Stage of the Candidacy Process

Start Here: Where Does My Vocation Fit?

Every Christian is called to ministry and service by virtue of their baptism: to participate in spreading the Good News and building God's kin-dom. Clergy are those called to "set-apart" ministry, over and above the ministry of all believers. This requires deep discernment, especially for deacons, many of whom are employed in positions for which ordination is not required. It's the call, not the role, that requires ordination. The candidacy process is an invitation to careful discernment among the many expressions of ministry available, to understand how and to what God is calling you.

Especially for deacons and others called beyond the bounds of parish ministry, this discernment requires an understanding of both set-apart and lay servant ministries. If you imagine clergy roles and servant ministry roles as the two circles in a Venn diagram, deacons are those that fall where the two circles overlap.

Clergy (set-apart) ministries in the UMC

There are currently three forms of set-apart ministry within the UMC: Elders, Deacons, and Licensed Local Pastors. All three groups share a common call to word and service (note that "word" is much broader than weekly preaching, and is central to the ministry of a deacon). Each also has a unique call: elders to sacrament and order, deacons to compassion and justice, and local pastors to witness and mission. Further, each plays a specific connectional role. Elders connect the church with the denomination, deacons connect the church with the world, and local pastors connect the church with the individual.

To be a part of one of these three groups, it is important to first discern how well each group's role fits with your personal call from God.

Deacons and Diakonia

The Order of ordained deacons is not the only manifestation of diakonia - servant ministry - in the life of the church, and it is important to discern to what form of servant ministry you are being called. A preceding manifestation of our role was the diaconal minister - a lay ministry with consecration to a lifetime of servant ministry. Some diaconal ministers still exist, although this is no longer an available vocational path. The primary point of discernment now is between the ordained deacon and the deaconess (men in this role are referred to as "home missioners"). Deaconesses and home missioners are laity commissioned to a lifetime of servant ministry. They complete basic theological coursework to prepare them for leadership in ministries of love, justice and service, As the phrase "home missioner" suggests, their role is to be in mission in their local communities. At the same time, their covenant community is global, including all the deaconesses and home missioners in the UMC. Like an Order, they support one another, gather for fellowship and training, and sustain one another in ministry.

In contrast to the connection-wide fellowship of deaconesses and home missioners, deacons' primary relationship is within the annual conference where they hold membership. The educational requirements are significantly greater - generally commensurate with the educational requirements for elders. The expectation for deacons to participate in congregational leadership alongside elders is also unique.

Before embarking on a particular pathway to ministry, those considering deacons' orders should discern how their individual call fits in comparison to the other orders of ministry (elders and local pastors) and forms of diakonia (deaconesses and home missioners)

Pre-Certification

When you're first exploring a call to ministry, the process is the same regardless of whether you end up on the path to be a deacon, elder, or local pastor (see paragraph 310 in the Book of Discipline)

The first step is to speak with your pastor or another clergyperson about your sense of call. Together, you and this clergyperson may use a book such as The Christian as Ministry and/or The Ministry Inquiry Process to help clarify your sense of call. You then write a statement of call.

Once you have a written statement of call, you send it to your DIstrict Superintendent with a letter requesting to enter candidacy and be assigned a candidacy mentor. You will meet with your mentor to go through the Candidacy Guidebook, and the registrar for the Board of Ordained Ministries (BOM) will help you register in the online candidacy portal.

Provided you have been a Methodist for at least 1 year, and completed High School (or equivalent), you can now set up a meeting with your church's Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), who will interview you about your call. If the SPRC votes to approve your candidacy, they will make a recommendation to the church's annual church conference. You need approval by a 2/3rds majority to proceed.

While these meetings are happening, there some other tasks you need to complete that you can coordinate with the BOM registrar and your mentor. (Note that some of these steps have costs associated with them).

The EM360 (which includes getting at least 5 references, and doing a self-evaluation)
Submitting a background check and notarized misdemeanor/felony statement
Completing psychological teseting
Attend a Ministry Exploration Summit

After completing all these steps, you can move on to the Certification stage!

Certification

Once you've completed all the steps described under "pre-certification" (see also this checklist), you can apply to become a certified candidate. To start this step, contact your district committee on ministry (dCOM). The BOM registrar can provide you with contact information. Upon verifying your completion of the prerequisite steps, the dCOM will schedule a time to interview you.

The Book of Discipline requires the following written material to be submitted to the dCOM prior to the interview:

Your statement of call (paragraph 310.1d)
From paragraph 310.2a: (i) the most formative experience of your Christian life; (ii) God’s call to licensed or ordained ministry and role of the church in your call; (iii) your beliefs as a Christian; (iv) your gifts for ministry; (v) your present understanding of your call to ministry as elder, deacon, or licensed local pastor; and (vi) your support system.
From paragraph 310.2d: 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 ones' influence as clergy, to make a complete dedication of yourself to the highest ideals of the Christian life (see paragraphs 103-105; 160-166). To this end you 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

The dCOM interviews you based on what you submit and must approve your certification by a 3/4ths majority.

Once you are certified, you will meet annually with the dCOM to be recertified. You have up to 12 years to apply for provisional membership (described below). During that time, you complete the educational requirements for provisional membership, and continue to clarify your call.

Educational Pathways for Deacons

There are 3 educational paths available for those seeking ordination as a deacon. The most common options are 1 and 2 below. Regardless of the pathway chosen, everyone must complete the same set of 9 basic graduate theological studies: New Testament, Hebrew Bible, Church History, Theology, Missions, Evangelism, Worship, UM Doctrine, UM Polity, and UM History.

Path 1: Seminary Master's Degree

A Master's Degree from an approved seminary (generally the M.Div.), including the BGTS classes.

Path 2: Other Master's Degree

A Master's Degree in your area of specialized ministry (e.g., teaching, counseling, public health, etc.) plus the BGTS classes.

Path 3: Professional Certification

If you are over 35 and have a Bachelor's Degree, you can meet the requirement by obtaining professional certification with at least 8 credits of graduate coursework (plus the BGTS classes)

Seeking Provisional Membership

Once you complete your educational requirements (with at least half of the BGTS classes), and have been a certified candidate for at least 1 year (but not more than 12), you are eligible to apply for provisional membership in the Annual Conference, and commissioning as a Deacon. The BOM registrar is can help you verify your eligibility. Note that the backgroud check and psychological evaluation expire after 7 years, and the medical report expires in 2 years, so after those time periods, they would need to be repeated.

When you decide to apply, make sure you pay close attention to deadlines! You can find dates and details on the BOM website. There are three deadlines to look out for:

(Summer): submit the application for clergy relationship, personal and professional information, and photo
(Dec) Submit all other requirements electronically
(Early Jan) Mail hard copies of all writted documents.

Your written work MUST follow the formatting requirements found in the application, including page limits, margins and font sizes. All of it must also include appropriate citations, including proclamation and worship material (in other words, avoid plagiarism!). The links below go into more detail about each document:

Before the second deadline, you will need to meet with and obtain approval from your dCOM to apply to the BOM. They often require similar written statements as those listed in the BOM application.

Make sure you also prepare the supporting documents listed in the application well before the deadline. Verify what the registrar already has (such as your medical and psychological evaluations and background check), and request references and transcripts, dCOM reports and paperwork from your mentor in plenty of time for others to complete what you need from them!

Deacons are available to read and offer feedback on your paperwork, provided that you allot at least 6 weeks prior to the deadline to receive feedback. Contact us to be connected with a reader!