A. Calling

• The individual experiences a sense of internal calling from the Lord to serve in vocational ministry. This calling is informally confirmed by others, likely including the individual ’s pastor, council, and family. Approximately one year before the individual anticipates beginning his or her seminary studies, the council directs the individual to make inquiry to the Synodical Ministerial Candidacy Committee (SMCC) concerning the process of ministry formation and preparation.

B. Inquiry Stage: SMCC

• The SMCC offers the interested individual encouragement, answers their questions, and outlines the necessary steps for pursuing ministry under the provisions of Church Order Article 6. The SMCC also ensures the individual has access to all the necessary documents to welcome and orient the potential student to the process of ministry preparation.

C. Affirmation and Support of Council

• The individual completes a Candidate ’s Application to Council Form, and then approaches his or her council to seek their official affirmation to begin preparing for the office of Minister of the Word.
• Council interviews the individual, completes a Council Recommendation Form, and forwards the form to the Classis Ministerial Leadership Team (CMLT). Along with their recommendation, they also forward to the CMLT the individual ’s Application to Council (including his or her Autobiography and Personal Statement of Faith). Note: For a council to endorse an individual to prepare for ministry under the provisions of Church Order Article 6, the individual has to have been a member of the CRC for a minimum of one year and had opportunity to demonstrate his or her giftedness for ministry.
• The council inquires about the student ’s financial needs and considers ways the congregation may be able to assist.

D. CMLT Interview and the Preparation of Study and Financial Plans

• The individual appears before the Classis Ministerial Leadership Team (CMLT), or its designated committee, for a personal interview.
• If, as a result of this interview the individual is endorsed, then the individual will draft a Study Plan which he or she will review with the CMLT. This plan will indicate where the individual intends to study and how long they intend to take to complete their degree.
• The individual will also draft a Financial Plan indicating how he or she intends to finance their education. This plan, also to be reviewed with the CMLT, will likely include several sources of funding, including: prior savings, part-time work, loans, grants, family assistance, spousal income, classical or congregational aid, scholarships, and bursaries.
• The CMLT completes a Classis Recommendation Form and forwards this form, along with the Study and Financial Plans, the CMLT Recommendation, and the individual ’s Application to Council (including his or her Autobiography and Personal Statement of Faith) to the SMCC.

E. Admission to the Candidacy Process

• SMCC reviews all documents, and endorses the individual’s Study and Financial Plans. SMCC may suggest additional changes to the plans before they provide their endorsement. Once the plans are endorsed, the SMCC admits the individual to the candidacy process and communicates their decision in writing to both the individual and the CMLT.

F. The Ministry Preparation Phase

• The CMLT, in consultation with the individual, ensures that the individual has a suitable mentor. It is recommended and preferred that this mentoring relationship be with a CRC pastor, although in certain circumstances it may be appropriate to establish this relationship with someone else.
• As the individual’s studies begin, his or her council will maintain contact and show active and ongoing interest in the student’s progress throughout the entire ministry preparation process. This may involve written communication and (where possible) personal contacts. The council should also provide ministry opportunities for the student within the congregation, including the opportunity to exhort once the student is licensed (where feasible).
• The CMLT will also maintain contact with the student throughout their studies, showing an active and ongoing interest in the student’s development. The CMLT provides financial assistance, encouragement, guidance, and accountability, also ensuring that the student is a member of a congregation where they are receiving spiritual support.
• The CMLT also assists students with the preparation of their Ministry Readiness Profile and tracks the student’s progress toward meeting the requirements inherent in the profile. In the case of students attending Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS), and for those pre-enrolled in the Ecclesiastical Program for Ministerial Candidacy (EPMC), the CTS staff and faculty will also be of great assistance in ensuring the Ministry Readiness Profile requirements are completed at the appropriate times. At set points throughout the student’s preparation, an evaluated psychological report will be completed, a positive health certificate obtained, and a criminal background check conducted. The individual will also be asked to make full disclosure of any acts of official discipline, criminal charges, or ecclesiastical complaint.
• After having received a recommendation from the individual’s CTS faculty advisor, SMCC will grant the student licensure to exhort once all the necessary requirements have been met.
• Where there are changes to the student’s Financial Plan or Study Plan, the CMLT endorses these changes and notifies the SMCC. SMCC may suggest additional changes to the plans before they provide their endorsement. Once the revised plans are endorsed, the SMCC communicates such in writing to both the student and the CMLT.
• For students studying at seminaries other than CTS, completion of the EPMC program is required. This program provides an introduction to Reformed hermeneutics, CRC Church Polity, CRC Church History, and other courses that may not be available elsewhere. Students should enroll in the EPMC program at the very beginning of their studies.
• At fitting points in the student’s academic journey, the individual’s classis finds appropriate means for celebrating and giving thanks to God for his provision of faithful and gifted leadership for his church.

G. The Candidacy Stage

• The SMCC interviews the individual and declares him or her a candidate for Minister of the Word in the CRC.
• SMCC ensures that the Ministry Readiness Profile is satisfactorily complete and that all required endorsements have been received. Once SMCC is satisfied that that all requirements for candidacy have been met, SMCC recommends to Synod that the individual be declared eligible for candidacy.
• Synod declares the individual a candidate for the Minister of the Word in the CRC and is eligible for call.

(1) Church Order Article 6 applies to those who prepare for the Ministry of the Word in the CRC through academic training that results in the student receiving a Master of Divinity degree.

Note: where necessary, the CMLT may make arrangements with other classes nearer to the school the student attends to fulfill some or all of their above mentioned responsibilities.

Summary

Ministry Readiness Profile

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