Qualifications for a Ministry Associate (C.O. Supplement Article 23)

This section of material is found in the CRC Church Order, Supplement Article 23a (p. 47-50), and is intended to give applicants, churches and CMLTs an idea of the sought for qualifications of a candidate for ordination as a Ministry Associate.

Character
The ministry associate is mature in Christ. “Christ-likeness” covers all of what it means to be godly. The following guidelines, which are rooted in Scripture (references are meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive), suggest many aspects of godly character:

  1. Devoted to Jesus - The ministry associate is “in Christ” (John 15:5), filled with his Spirit (Acts 1:8), and exercises personal spiritual disciplines.
  2. Committed to the church and its mission (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Eph. 4:11-13, 1 Tim. 5:22) - The ministry associate is a person in Christian community. She/he has been tested and proven. She/he has been recognized as prepared for ministry by the community of believers and evidences accountability to it.
  3. Called and gifted (Matt. 28:16ff, Acts 1:8) - The ministry associate has a calling from God that is confirmed by the church. That calling provides her/him with a mission, with vision, and with intrinsic motivation. She/he ministers out of giftedness (1 Cor. 12, Rom. 12, etc.).
  4. Filled with love (Matt. 22:37-40) - The ministry associate is characterized by love—love of God, love of self, and love of others, including lost and diverse people.
  5. Possesses the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) - The ministry associate gives evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
  6. Possesses the qualities of an officebearer (1 Tim. 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9) - The ministry associate demonstrates such qualities as being: reputable, loyal, self-disciplined, respected, hospitable, mature, honest, sincere, teachable and able to teach, emotionally stable, blameless, lover of God and not money, resilient, responsible, not quick-tempered, not overbearing, not quarrelsome, not abusive (of others or substances), managing her/his own household well (including spousal support of ministry), risk-taking, flexible, adaptable, etc.
  7. Has a servant’s heart (Matt. 20:26) - The ministry associate is a servant-leader.
  8. Possesses wisdom (Prov. 1:1-7) - The ministry associate lives according to God’s design, recognizes Christ as “wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30, Col. 2:3), and seeks wisdom from above (James 1:5, 3:13).
  9. Manages life well - The ministry associate practices good stewardship of time, talents, finances, and physical creation (Gen. 1:27-28, Ps. 8:6-8).
  10. Eager to learn - The ministry associate is a lifelong learner, ever studying God’s word and world (Ps. 19) and demonstrates that she/ he has been and is currently being mentored.

Biblical Knowledge
The ministry associate has a working knowledge of the Bible in her/his native language, and:

  1. is able to identify Scripture’s main themes (covenant, kingdom of God, missio Dei, etc.) and to locate their place in the redemptive history that is centered in Christ;
  2. has command of the divisions of Scripture (Law, prophets, gospels, epistles, etc.), the historical and literary contexts of each biblical book, and basic hermeneutical principles required to interpret them;
  3. is able to demonstrate knowledge of key Scripture passages, and to apply them appropriately to life and ministry.
  4. Based on the above, the ministry associate is able to prepare and preach/ teach meaningful and motivational messages/lessons that are true to Scripture. The ministry associate is able to communicate clearly the gospel to unbelievers and believers.

Theological Knowledge

  1. The ministry associate has knowledge of doctrinal standards and systematic theology at the level of Berkhof’s Manual of Christian Doctrine. This would include knowledge of Reformed systematic theology, the Ecumenical Creeds, and the three confessional standards of the Christian Reformed Church. Furthermore, the ministry associate is able to differentiate and defend the Reformed faith biblically from other systems of thought, both Christian and non-Christian. She/he is able to reflect from a biblical perspective on the cultures, circumstances, and events of everyday life and ministry.
  2. The ministry associate has a basic knowledge of church history (including Christian Reformed Church history and culture) and is able to apply its lessons to present reality and ministry.

Skill - Practice of Ministry
Ministry associates give evidence of ministry skills. The skills necessary for ministry are many, and not all ministry associates possess them in the same measure. Someone in a ministry position will be expected to demonstrate skills in relation to the particularity of her/his position. Ministry associates, whether in specialized ministry within an organized congregation or in new church development, use skills to lead the church of Jesus Christ to fulfill the New Testament purposes of outreach, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and service. Some necessary ministry skills are:

  1. Leadership & Administration - The ministry associate is able to help people and the church move from where they are to where God wants them to be. To do this, ministry associates possess such skills as: casting vision; creating ownership; creating functional organizational systems; resolving conflict; developing gift-based ministries; planning ministry; developing and mentoring leaders; and managing time, money, and people (according to principles of CRC polity).
  2. Outreach - The ministry associate is able personally to share (witness); to defend (apologetics) the faith; and to lead the church in reaching out to the lost, in receiving them, and in developing new churches.
  3. Worship - The ministry associate is able to prepare and deliver messages/teach lessons (homiletics), administer the sacraments, and lead in worship and prayer.
  4. Pastoral Care - The ministry associate possesses relational skills that enable her/him to provide personally and through the church (corporately) pastoral care, visitation, small groups, youth ministry, spiritual counsel, and conduct of weddings and funerals.
  5. Fellowship - The ministry associate is able to foster a nurturing Christian community.
  6. Discipleship - The ministry associate is able to raise up, teach, and nurture disciple-making disciples.
  7. Service - The ministry associate is able to respond to personal and community needs by mobilizing the church for ministry.
  8. Specialized - The ministry associate has any necessary skills specific to her/his particular calling within the church.

(See Acts of Synod 2004, p. 619 and Agenda for Synod 2004, pp. 373-75)