Transcript Committee on the Ministry

Committee on the Ministry
Unit One: Your Ministry
Discernment, The Heart of Your Work
Each time your committee meets you are
collectively seeking to discern God’s desire
in each and every aspect of your work.
“… be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God…”
Romans 12: 1-2
What is the “ministry” of the COM?
Vocation
“Being called to a
specific work or
task”
Hans-Reudi Weber
expresses it in this
manner:
Christian work is mostly
not done in addition to our
ordinary work,
but it is ordinary work
done with grace.
Reflections
Take a moment and think
about your tasks.
How would you define the
“ministry” of the Committee
on the Ministry?
What makes the functions
you perform ministry?”
Vocation: Called and Equipped
“It is not a career choice;
it is the recognition of the
purposes of God in our lives …
it is a gift not an entitlement.”
Malcolm Warford
“Our Several Callings”
Reflections
Take a few moments to reflect
on that word, “calling.”
Scripture
“The gifts God gave were that some should be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
some pastors and teachers, to equip the
saints for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ”’
Ephesians 4:11-12
Bible Study
1.
2.
3.
4.
What gifts and skills are necessary to perform
this ministry suitably?
What gifts does each person bring?
What gifts do you bring?
How do you deal with those differences to
maintain a creative tension instead of
destructive tension?
Gifts Differing
1. How do your gifts complement one another?
2. Are there ways in which the differing skills and
gifts on the committee also create friction?
3. Are there gifts missing from your Committee?
Summarizing: The ministry of the
Committee on the Ministry
We are responding to a “call” from God
Our work represents a vocation of ministry
We are equipped to do this work with
God-given gifts and God’s grace.
Our work is ministry!
AUTHORITY AND YOUR WORK
Issues of power and authority
Episcopé
Several words &
phrases with similar
language roots:
Epi + scopé
Over + sight
Super + vision
“Big picture”
Episcopé and the Bible
To visit or to see:
Mt 25:36 “I was sick…
and you visited me.”
To care for:
Jas 1:27 “Religion… is
this: to care for
orphans.”
To supervise:
I Pet 5:2-3 “I exhort the
elders… exercising
oversight … Do not Lord
it over others, but be
examples to the flock.”
Ministry of Oversight
Understanding oversight as Episcopé
A role and function of Associations and
Committees on the Ministry
Oversight in the context
of Manual on Ministry
The COM’s Oversight tasks are …
Nurture
Accountability
Committee on the Ministry Functions
Which functions are Accountability?
Which functions are Nurture?
Reflections
Think for a moment about your own feelings
concerning authority.
What comes to mind when you contemplate this word?
Share a time when you experienced authority in a
negative way.
Share a time when you experienced authority in a
positive way.
What do these experiences tell you about authority?
Scripture
Matthew 21:23-27
“… and when he entered the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people
came up to him as he was teaching and
said, “By what authority are you doing
these things. Who gave you authority?”
Bible Study

What role does God play in the exercise of
authority?

How is that authority recognized or not
recognized in the passage from Matthew?

Identify the ways in which the work and ministry
of your committee are a “sacred trust”?
Reflections
Authority
Issues
What is the authority of the
Committee on the Ministry?
What does it mean to you to
know that your Committee is
authorizing on behalf of the
whole United Church of Christ?
How do you know when to say
“yes” and when to say “no?”
Summarizing: Authority & Oversight
Episcopé entails having a wider or complete view;
Committees on the Ministry have authority to
supervise and engage in tasks which nurture the
process and emphasize accountability of their
work;
The authority of the committee is “a sacred trust”.
Summarizing: Authority & Oversight
In the UCC, the Committee on the Ministry
has a bishop function!
UNIT TWO: OVERSIGHT AND THE
COMMITTEE ON THE MINISTRY
Guiding Principles for Your Work
Ministry in and on behalf of the entire United
Church of Christ
All aspects of work involve …
 Discernment
 Fitness issues
Work in partnership with local churches, calling
bodies, conference & association staff,
seminaries, and the national setting.
OVERSIGHT TASKS
Oversight procedures focus
on nurture and support:
 Periodic Support
Consultation
 Situational Support
Consultation
…and on accountability for
ministry
 Information Review
 Fitness Review
Periodic Support Consultation
Designed for continuing education, growth
and nurture of the minister and the ministry
Primarily nurturing and supportive
Expected that all persons will participate
Regularly scheduled by the Association
Situational
Support
Consultation
Primarily nurturing and supportive
Can be called by any covenantal partner
Information Review
All ministers are expected to
participate and provide basic
information for the review.
• Ensures that basic requirements for ministry
are met (UCC membership, call to ministry, etc.)
• Takes place on a regular scheduled basis
• Maintains basic accountability
Fitness Review
Designed for ensuring that ministerial integrity
and ethics are maintained
Scheduled by the Association only as circumstances
warrant
All ministers are subject to fitness review,
but few will ever experience it
Maintains accountability and may lead to
removal of ministerial authorization
Committee Resources
Conference & Association Staff
In Fitness Reviews, staff:
Serve as resource to the Committee on the
Ministry and Response Team members
 Are aware of, introduce and interpret resources
of the wider church
 Give oversight to the Committee’s and Response
Team’s process
 Provide pastoral care to the Committee

For your discernment
What does the COM do?
Who has what roles?
What are your first steps?
Fitness Review Scenario # 1
Jenny Jones is a pastor of a
local church. She is also a
member of the COM. Jenny
is married to the Associate
Conference Minister who
serves another Association
in your Conference. Jenny
has had allegations brought
against her for pastoral
misconduct.
For your discernment
A man comes to Bob Dietrich, who is a
member of your Association’s COM, he
tells him that he believe something ‘odd’
is happening in his congregation. He
says that the pastor meets with certain
kids from the youth group privately and
tells them not to say anything about their
meetings as they are the ‘real leaders’ in
the group and she doesn’t want the
other kids to be jealous. His daughter is
part of the ‘leadership group’. His
daughter thinks the pastor is great and
can’t understand why her dad won’t
‘back off’”.
Fitness Review Scenario # 2
What should Bob do?
Is there a role for the
COM or the Conference
Staff?
What comes next?
For your discernment
Fitness Review Scenario # 3
John Jones, the pastor of a
local congregation, has been
arrested for embezzlement.
The arrest has been reported
in the newspaper.
What is the role of the Conference or Association Staff person?
What is the role of the COM?
What happens next?
For your discernment
Fitness Review Scenario # 4
The members of First Church in Smithton are in an
uproar. It seems that their pastor is dating a woman
who is a member of the church. The woman has just
been divorced from her husband who also is a member
of the congregation. The pastor is single. The
Moderator of First Church has called the Association Staff
person and asked for help.
What is the role of the Conference or
Association Staff person?
What is the role of the COM?
What happens next?
For your discernment
Situational Support
Scenario #1
Jim Johnson, the pastor of a local
congregation, has been arrested for civil
disobedience. The arrest has been highly
publicized in the newspaper.
What is the role of the
Conference/Association Staff?
What is the role of the COM?
What happens next?
For your discernment
Situational Support
Scenario #2
Sarah Jenkins has officiated at the wedding of
a same sex couple. The ceremony did not take
place in the local church, but a number of
parishioners have complained to the
Conference Staff.
What is the role of the COM Chair?
What does the COM do now?
Where are there resources to help
in this situation?
Questions for Discussion
What advice might you have for each other about
effective ways to deal with these procedures?
•
•
•
•
Periodic Support Consultation
Situational Support Consultation
Information Review
Fitness Review
Questions for Discussion
What are you NOT getting to?
Which of these oversight processes
have you had experience with?
Fitness Review Basics
Gathering Information
Supporting Participants
Adjudicating the issue
Coordinating the Effort
Roles and Responsibilities
Committee on the Ministry
Oversight Adjudication of all
Fitness Reviews
Response Team
Gathering for Committee for all
Fitness Reviews
Supplement Committee with:
Support for Participants in all
Fitness Reviews Information
Parish Life and Leadership
Resources and Training
Consultation
Staff
Coordination of Fitness
Reviews (with Committee Chair)
Staff Support to Committee
Occasional Support to Local
Church
Nine Guiding Principles
•
•
•
•
•
•
Serious Treatment of all Concerns
Authorization versus Call
Ecclesiastical versus Legal
Attorneys have no Role
Conflict of Interest Issues
Confidentiality, Secrets and Privileged
Communication
• Jurisdiction Issues
• No Statute of Limitations
• Delineation and Separation of Roles
Resources for Fitness Review
Oversight section of MOM
 Guidelines
 Association or Conference
staff member
 Legal Counsel

THE BIG QUESTION!!!
If the allegations were found to be true, would
they call into question this person’s fitness for
ministry, in and on behalf of the United Church
of Christ?
Unit Three: Candidates for Authorized
Ministry
Commissioned
Licensed
Ordained
Defining: Ordained Ministry
An ordained minister is:
A UCC member called by God
 Recognized by the local church and authorized
by the Association or Conference to:
– Preach and teach the gospel
– Administer the sacraments and rites of the
church
– Exercise pastoral care and leadership in and
on behalf of the United Church of Christ

Reflections
Discuss the relationship between: a candidate’s
sense of call, the needs of the church and the
work of your Committee in authorization in and
on behalf of the UCC.
 What do you look for in a candidate for
ordination?
 How do you distinguish between someone called
to ordained ministry versus licensed or
commissioned ministry?

For your discernment
Ordained Ministry
Scenario #1
Matthew Smith is a senior in college. He feels
called to become a UCC minister. His pastor
brings him to meet with your committee.
How does your committee handle this situation?
For your discernment
Ordained Ministry
Scenario #2
Julie Johnson is a senior in an ATS accredited
seminary. She wishes to become a UCC pastor.
Julie was raised United Methodist.
How can your committee address this situation?
For your discernment
Ordained Ministry
Scenario #3
Marianna Jones is 45. She has
a doctorate in English in her
native country. She has been
a missionary for 6 years and
wishes to establish a new UCC
church primarily for folks who
come to the US from her
homeland. She wishes to be
ordained as a UCC pastor.
How does your committee handle this situation?
Defining: Licensed Ministry
A licensed minister is:

Called by God and the local community and
authorized by the Association to:
– Serve as pastor and teacher in a particular local
church
– May be authorized to administer Sacraments

Monitored under the supervision and guidance
of the Association
Licenses are renewable but not transferable
Reflections
What standards do your Association or
Conference have for the training of licensed
pastors?
 How do you recognize their contributions to the
church?
 How do you distinguish between someone called
to licensed ministry versus ordained ministry?

For your discernment
Licensed Ministry
Scenario #1
Mark Jones is a 2nd year
seminarian at a UCC seminary.
A small UCC congregation in the
area wishes to call him as their
pastor.
How will your committee address this
circumstance?
For your discernment
Licensed Ministry
Scenario #2
Letha Smith is a member of a small UCC
congregation. She has taken a number of
courses at the Conference Lay School for
Ministry. Her home congregation wishes to call
her as their pastor.
How will your committee
discern this situation?
Defining: Commissioned Ministry
A member of the church who is:
 called by God
 commissioned by the Association for a specific
Church-related ministry
Some examples of Commissioned Ministries:
–
–
–
–
Music
Christian Education
Spiritual Direction
Parish Nursing, etc…
Commissioned Ministry
In what ways might the work of an educator or
parish nurse serve the entire denomination?
2. What is their responsibility for the care of
souls?
3. Has your Association set requirements for
commissioning?
4. When a candidate approaches you to explore
being commissioned to a ministry, how will you
determine if this ministry is appropriate for
commissioning?
1.
Commissioned Ministry
For your discernment
Scenario #1
A candidate has come before you seeking
authorization for a ministry of spiritual
direction. You are aware that some
Associations have commissioned spiritual
directors.
Conduct a mock interview and determine if you have enough
information to make a decision
Working with Candidates “In Care”
Discernment
Formation
Mentoring
Appropriate paths of preparation
Discernment, The Heart of Your Work
Each time your committee meets you are
collectively seeking to discern God’s desire
in each and every aspect of your work.
“… be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God…”
Romans 12:1-2
Discernment
While everyone is called to
ministry through baptism,
discernment relates to
what FORM of ministry is
appropriate for preparation
& perceiving or recognizing
a person’s call to a ministry
in and on behalf of the
United Church of Christ?
Definitions of Discernment
Discernment:
1.) To perceive or recognize
2.) To separate one thing
from another
Christian Context:
“Discernment is the
intentional practice by
which a community or
individual seeks,
recognizes and
intentionally takes part in
the activity of God in
concrete situations.”
(Dorothy Bass, ed)
How We Discern…
…seeking to bring our
desires and our will into
harmony with God’s
desires and God’s Will.
Respect
Trust
Honesty
Cultural Sensitivity
Consistency
New Testament translations
Anakrino
– to examine
– judge closely
Diakrino
– to separate out
– to investigate
– to examine
The discernment process can include:
Listening
Talking
Seeking Spiritual Counsel
Recognizing the Holy Spirit at work
Consolation
Desolation
Maintaining Openness to God’s Guidance
Commitment
Motivations
Sensitivity
Applying Discernment
Are we passionately committed to listening to God?
Are we willing to follow what we believe God is calling us to
do and to be faithful to the needs of the church in this
time and as revealed to us by the Spirit?
Are we willing to enter into the process with humility,
believing that our hearts and minds might be changed
and others may have a perspective worth listening to?
Have we really discerned God’s Will?
From Practicing Our Faith—Dorothy Bass
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Fidelity to scripture and tradition
Fruit of the Spirit
Inner Authority & Peace
Communal harmony
Empowerment and contributing to the health &
well-being of the collective body
Scripture Romans 12:1-2
NRSV
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you
may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and
perfect.”
The Message
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your
everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going to work, and
walking around life—and place it before God as an offering.
Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for
him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it
without thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be
changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what God wants from
you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always
dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings out the best
of you, develops well-formed maturity in you”
Bible Study
Name some of the sacrifices you make in order to
be part of your Committee on the Ministry?
How does your COM prepare itself to hear God’s
word in new ways (step out of conformity)?
What is the difference between discernment and
decision making?
Bible Study
What does transformation have to do with
discernment?
 Name some ways you as an individual and/or as
a committee have been transformed by the
Spirit.
 What do you hear this passage saying to you
about your work with ministerial candidates?

Discernment Tools
Bible reflections
Resource Guide to discernment
Listening to God, the candidate and one another
Prayer and Meditation
Partners in discernment
For your Discernment
What has been your own personal experience
with spiritual discernment?
 How can the committee develop sensitivity to
the ways of God?
 Think of a time when your committee had to say
no to a candidate. How did you decide? How
did you stay open to God?

Summarizing: The Discernment Process
The work of this committee is guided through and
by your discernment process.
Discernment requires:

Openness to God’s guidance and the prompting of the
Holy Spirit

Obedience to God’s will and desire for our lives and the
ministry of the church.

Trusting and respecting others in our committee’s work.
Paths of Preparation
Deciding for
the needs
of the
church
Deciding for the
good of the
candidate
Assessing Ministerial Readiness
Faith Affirmation
Church Loyalty
Knowledge and Skills
Personal Qualities
Is this person
“ready” to be
authorized for
ministry in and on
behalf of the United
Church of Christ?
Fostering Ministerial Excellence
Spiritual Direction & Mentoring
Support/Supervision:
• Peer led
• Professional facilitator
• Clinical supervision/consultation
Life-long Learning & Continuing Education
Specialized Ministries
Government &
Military Chaplains
Non-government
Chaplains
Pastoral Counselors
Others
How does your committee
maintain relationships with
your pastors in Specialized
Ministries?
For your discernment
Mary Smith is a chaplain in the U.S.
Navy. She is endorsed for ministry
by your Association. She will be
sent over seas with her unit for a
year. Mary has a husband, a tenyear old son and a three-year old
daughter.
What is the role of the COM
in Mary’s situation?
What is the role of Mary’s home
church in this situation?
Specialized Ministries
Scenario #1
Unit 4: Ministerial Standing
Privilege of Call
When a minister from another denomination
wishes to become a UCC minister
Check credentials – make sure in good
standing with home denomination
Pay attention to issues of UCC polity,
theology and practice
Comparison
Dual Standing
Privilege of Call
Who would apply?
Ordained minister from
another denomination,
serving in a setting of
the UCC
Ordained minister in
another denomination
who wishes to become
and serve in UCC
Relationship with
present denomination
Duration
Portability
Wishes to relinquish
Wishes to retain current
present standing and
denominational standing
become UCC
Ends at conclusion of
the ministry in that
UCC setting
Full and ongoing
standing in UCC
Not transferable from
one association to
another
As a minister with
standing in the UCC,
may transfer standing
to any new ministry
setting
Working With Our Partners
► Ministerial Partners
► Dual Standing
► Formula of Agreement
► Overseas Partners
Full Partnership and
Formula of Agreement
Comparison
Ordained Ministerial
Partner Standing
Applies to
DOC ministers
ELCA, PCUSA, RCA
ministers
Purpose
Wishes to search for a call in
UCC
Available for invitation to
serve
Requirements
UCC Polity Course
Denominational Assurance
of Good Standing
Self-disclosure/release form
Criminal Background Check
Formula of Agreement
UCC Polity Course
Denominational Assurance
of Good Standing
Self-disclosure/release form
Criminal Background Check
Opportunity to serve
through
Association COM
By invitation of conference/
association staff
Ministerial Profile
Used
UCC
Candidates’ own
(ELCA, PCUSA, RCA)
Formula of Agreement
Share your experiences with Formula of Agreement or Ministerial Partners.
What went well?
What are some of your concerns?
How might you talk with a Formula of Agreement pastor to communicate why
s/he is not free to enter the UCC search and call process?
How might you talk with a church that wanted to consider a minister from one
of these traditions but did not check with your Committee, Association or
Conference staff first?
How can you help strengthen the understanding of and ability to follow the
unique polity of the UCC while serving in this denomination?
For your discernment
Rev Marsha Matthews, an
ordained minister in the Reformed
Church of America, has come to
the Conference Minister or the
Association Minister and said that
she would like to serve a UCC
congregation in your area.
Scenario #1
It is important to remember that when
an ELCA, PCUSA or RCA candidate
approaches the United Church of
Christ, the candidate may only be
considered by a local congregation at
the invitation of a conference or
association staff person.
Unit 5: The “Church” in Church and Ministry
Your primary role in this area is to nurture the
covenant between local churches and the
Association or Conference
Relating to Local Congregations
Maintaining ongoing relationships with local congregations is
important to the health and vitality of the Church.
Some ways in which COM’s nurture local congregations include:

COM subcommittees address issues/concerns/problems

Situational Support Consultations

Scheduled church visitations

Sponsored events & learning opportunities
For your discernment
As you reflect on your Committee on the
Ministry’s ministry to congregations:

In what ways does your committee relate
to local churches in your association?

How has your committee nurtured and
supported congregations?

How might you expand your efforts?
For your discernment

What expectations of covenant does your
committee have of its churches?

What expectations of covenant do your
churches have of your association and
conference?

How have you listened to and dialogued
about those expectations?
For your discernment

What procedures are in place to respond
to non-covenantal behavior?

How have you utilized Manual on Church
in discussions about covenant and
accountability?

How might you engage Manual on Church
in your efforts to strengthen covenantal
relationships with your local
congregations?
Summarizing: Local Churches
Covenant
Relationships
Nurture
Accountability
Unit 6: Organizing Your Process
Committee Structures
Scheduling Meetings
Record keeping
Committee Structures:
Organizing for Effectiveness
Divide into task-specific subcommittees
 Use former members or recruit persons to assist
with:

–
–
–
–
–

Periodic Review
Situational Support Consultations
Work with In Care candidates
Strengthen the ties with local congregations
Other situations where Committee needs extra help
Divide work geographically
Committee Structures
Dealing with Distance
Cultivating Closeness
Dividing the Workload
Shared Oversight
Transitions & Continuity
Organizing Meetings & Maintaining Records
Meetings
Scheduling
Records
Minutes
Procedures
Public
Confidential
Roles
Storage
Agenda
Confidential
Issues
Unit 7: Committee Resources
Materials
Manual on Ministry
Guidelines
Manual on Church
UCC Constitution and By Laws
Book of Worship
Staff Resources
Conference & Association Staff
Parish Life and Leadership
Conference & Association Norms
Conference & Association Staff:
Oversee the training and orientation of
committee members on an ongoing basis.
 Often play a role in ecclesiastical councils,
ordinations and installations, but not as
“Association Representative”.
 Represent the wider settings of the United
Church of Christ.

Conference & Association Norms
Conference & Association Staff:
Do not serve as members of the
Committee on the Ministry
 Do not speak for or on behalf of the
Committee on the Ministry
 Do not correspond on behalf of the
Committee on the Ministry
 Do not make decisions for the
Committee on the Ministry

Committee Resources
Conference & Association Staff

Contact judicatory colleagues in checking on
clergy seeking:
– Transfer of Standing
– Dual Standing

- Privilege of Call
- Ordained Ministerial Partner Standing
In that capacity, they resource committees
around national, conference and association
issues, concerns and initiatives (includes
distributing the monthly PLL Bulletin to members of
Committees on the Ministry).
Committee Resources:
Parish Life & Leadership Team
We provide:
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Resources and consultation for
Committees on the Ministry
Resources and consultation for
Conference and Association staff
Orientation for new conference and
association
Seminarian events hosted in Cleveland
Monthly PLL Bulletin
Resources for the Committee
Core Resources
Manual on Ministry
 Guidelines for Resourcing
Committees on the Ministry
 Manual on Church
 Ministry during the Interim
Time
 Constitution and Bylaws
 Parish Life and Leadership
Bulletin
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Unit 8: Continued Learning & Self-Care
for the Committee
Sensitivity
Explore issues of discomfort and confront them
as a committee before addressing them with
candidates, or situational consultations, or
fitness reviews.
Respecting Differences
 Cultural
 Ethnic
 Sexual Orientation
 Disability
How can the COM explore issues of discomfort
with difference?
How will the COM discuss difference with a
candidate?
Developing Awareness
Visit and share in worship with a
congregation whose primary
ethnicity and/or culture is different
from your own.
What values are important to them?
What role does the pastor play in the life of
the congregation and community?
Is language a potential barrier?
Are there issues of cultural transition from their
homeland?
Developing Awareness
Meet with disability advocates from the UCC
Disabilities Ministries to continue to educate
yourselves about disability and leadership.
Have general discussions about human sexuality
and sexual orientation on a regular basis in your
training sessions.
Scripture
Genesis 18:5
“Let me bring a little
bread, that you may
refresh yourself.”
Bible Study
The Gift of Hospitality
1.) Do you consider yourselves a hospitable
Committee on the Ministry?
2.) In what ways do you show hospitality?
3.) What are the risks of offering hospitality?
4.) What are the benefits?
Continued Development for the Committee
Anti-racism Training
Boundary Training
Fitness Review Training
Response Team Training
Reflections
Have you participated in any of the trainings
discussed?
 Share some ways that your committee already
engages in activities which provide development
and training.
 What might be missing and how might you fill in
the gap?
 How might the training opportunities assist you
with your committee tasks?

Taking Care of
Yourselves
Retreats
Spiritual resources
Examining one’s conscience
Skill enhancement opportunities
Debriefing after difficult tasks
Keep in mind …
The Church is more than just a building…
Remember, the Church needs…
YOU to accomplish this sacred work.
Thank You!