Synod 2000 adopted a number of standards in the areas of character, knowledge, and skills for those entering ministry. In adopting these standards, Synod was guided by the following principles:
- The Reformed confessional heritage should be the basic foundation for all ministry-staff job descriptions. A principle of proportionality should be thoughtfully applied to all persons who fill staff positions in any Christian Reformed church. The degree of understanding and skill required to apply the confessional tradition is proportional to the level of ministry responsibility assigned. As one’s sphere of authorized service extends, so should one’s capability for understanding, articulating, and discipling others in the Christian faith and Reformed confessional tradition.
- The CRC is committed to a theologically well-trained clergy and to maintaining the expectation that “the completion of a satisfactory theological training shall be required for admission to the Ministry of the Word” (Church Order Article 6-a).
- The church needs to take note of the general scriptural teaching concerning personal qualifications for ministry found in passages such as Matthew 18; 20:20-28; 28:18-20; Acts 6; II Corinthians 4; 5; Ephesians 4; and I and II Timothy.
The next two pages describe the standards for ministry as articulated by Synod 2000. The standards are described here relative to the office of Minister of the Word (Articles 6,7, and 8). The character, knowledge and skill standards for Ministry Associate can be found in Church Order Supplement Article 23 (also in the “tool kit” of this document, pp 92-93.
Character Standards
Any person called to serve Christ in a CRC ministry position should be:
- publicly committed to Christ and his church, submitting to its discipline.
- exemplary in piety and holy conduct of life, a humble person of prayer who trusts God’s providence.
- of good reputation, emotionally mature, honest, trustworthy, reliable.
- caring and compassionate for the lost and the weak.
- eager to learn and grow in faith, knowledge, and love.
- joyful in affirming the goodness of God’s creation and communicating to others a delight in its beauty.
- sensitive to others in all their personal and cultural variety (see also Calvin Theological Seminary’s Personal Qualifications for Ministry — Agenda for Synod 2000, (345-50)).
Knowledge Standards
A. Biblical Foundations
Any person called to serve Christ in a CRC ministry position should:
- know the content of the Old and New Testaments.
- know and be able to explain the basic structure and flow of biblical redemptive covenantal history centered in Christ (promise and fulfillment).
- be able to identify the main themes (covenant, kingdom of God, holiness) of Scripture as well as the large divisions (law, prophets, writings) and specific types of biblical literature.
- be able to articulate the significance of the various sections, books, or types of biblical literature to contemporary issues and questions.
B. Theological Foundations
Any person called to serve Christ in a CRC ministry position should:
- know and be able to explain the basic teachings of the universal Christian tradition concerning God, humanity, the person and work of Christ, salvation, the church, and the last things.
- know, be able to explain, and be ready and willing to defend the three forms of unity and a Reformed confessional stance on key doctrines such as predestination, unity of the covenant, infant and adult baptism, millennialism, and the cosmic scope of the Reformed worldview.
- have a rudimentary knowledge of and ability to respond to the key challenges posed to the Christian and Reformed faith in North America by the major world religions, the major cults, and the various forms of New Age spirituality.
- know the key concepts of CRC church polity.
Skill Standards
Any person called to serve Christ in a CRC ministry position should:
- be prepared to “give an answer to everyone who asks [you] to give the reason for the hope [you] have” (I Peter 3:15).
- be able and willing to make a clear presentation of the gospel to an unbeliever.
- be able to teach and disciple persons to deeper faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ.
- be able to prepare and deliver short Biblically based messages for public occasions (i.e. nursing homes, prisons, civic occasions).
- be capable of effectively leading a group in various tasks, including Bible studies, task completion, and resolving conflict.
