wfn.org | Changes in certification process will affirm specialized ministry

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

March 30, 1999 News Media Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville,
Tenn.   10-71B{172}
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - In an effort to affirm people who feel called to
special ministry in the United Methodist Church, the Division of Ordained
Ministry is changing its Christian education certification process. 

"The certification of Christian educators, youth workers, musicians and
evangelists is the church's affirmation that an individual has met the
required standards for academic training, experience and continuing study
necessary to achieve and maintain professional excellence in an area of
specialized ministry," said Joaquin Garcia, a staff executive in the
churchwide Section on Deacons and Diaconal Ministries. 

Certification is offered to lay, ordained clergy and diaconal ministers or
to people serving full or part time in ministry. Currently, 1,616 people are
certified in specialized ministry across the church.

Changes proposed in the certification process will provide a "significant
way for persons to serve the church who feel called by God to full-time
church work but do not desire to be ordained," said Jimmy Carr, a staff
executive in the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The changes will be implemented in the next few months. They were proposed
at the spring meeting of the Division of Ordained Ministry, March 15-17, in
Claremont, Calif.

The Board of Higher Education and Ministry is changing the process to make
it more accessible and to enable people serving in specialized ministries to
become more effective spiritual leaders, Garcia said.

Currently, certification is offered in Christian education, youth ministry,
music ministry and evangelism. The changes will "affirm the broader areas of
specialized ministry such as camping, practical spirituality, and conflict
mediation," Garcia said. "These and others are emerging areas of ministry,"
he said. The church should provide avenues for people who aren't ordained to
be affirmed in those specialized ministries, he said.

Many Christian educators and youth workers rose through the ranks, getting
involved when there was a need in the church and answering "here I am,"
Garcia said. By changing the process, "this is a bold move that can be a
transformational direction for the church to be more intentional about
affirming persons in a variety of ministries."

Although the proposed process will not affect the permanent deacon status,
one significant change will be the dropping of the titles of "reverend,"
"director" or "associate" in favor of using terms that are more appropriate
for each area of ministry.

When the 1996 General Conference created the status of permanent deacon, it
also adopted the commissioning of probationary members for those undergoing
ordination after they complete formal education and the candidacy process.
While commissioning sends a person into a particular ministry, questions
have arisen about the authority a commissioned person has to perform certain
ministerial functions, Carr said. 

A dialogue is planned that will address questions surrounding commissioning,
ordination and conference membership. The meeting will involve the Board of
Higher Education and Ministry, the Council of Bishops, the churchwide Board
of Discipleship, the Association of Lay Leaders, and the Commission on
Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

Other changes to the certification process include:
*	allowing undergraduate degrees in an area of specialty to qualify
for certification;
*	making certification more accessible by not requiring a minimum of
courses to be done on campus, and allowing for certification courses to be
offered by extension in cooperation with seminaries and annual conferences;
*	being open to adding new certification in areas of church service.

In other action, the directors of the division:
*	discussed the next Exploration event to be held in fall 2000;
*	 honored the Rev. Richard Stewart, who is about to retire, for his
work in the Section of Chaplains and Related Ministries;
*	approved plans for a pilot program to support clergywomen in
conferences where 10 percent or fewer of the full members are female;
*	received a report on a survey of the spiritual needs of mid-career
clergy;
*	approved an extension of the Women of Color scholarship program for
2000 to 2004;
*	decided to provide a $5,000 scholarship in memory of Jack McCabe for
a master of divinity student attending Garrett-Evangelical Theological
School;
*	approved funding a restorative justice consultation in 2000 in
response to a request from prison chaplains; and 
*	reviewed the report from the Connectional Process Team, charged by
General Conference with mapping out a transformational direction for the
denomination.

# # #

______________
United Methodist News Service
http://www.umc.org/umns/
newsdesk@umcom.umc.org
(615)742-5472