If you sense a call to ministry, meet with your local church pastor to begin a process of prayerful discernment.
If the individual, the pastor, and the church board are in agreement, then you will begin the journey into the first season as a Local Ministerial Candidate (LMC). After a certain pre-determined level of mentoring, coursework, and ministry experience is met, the candidate and mentor will prayerfully begin the path of Conference Ministerial Candidate (CMC) toward possible ordination as Elder in the Free Methodist Church.
SEASON 1-PATHWAY TO
Local ministerial candidacy is for one who is seriously considering a call to vocational ministry. The person shall have been a member of the church long enough to have given evidence of possessing the developing qualities and gifts normally expected of a Christian minister: a heart for God and the mission of the church, leadership potential, good conduct and the ability to work with people.
Praise the Lord! You are seriously considering a call to vocational ministry. Make it public. Meet with your pastor to share and pray.
Download the Pathway Guide (link above).
Initiate a discipleship journey toward ministry activation & discerning if ordination is right for you.
Enter into a mentoring & coaching relationship with your pastor/designee. Utilize the provided outline & resources to establish your LMC formation plan (see Pathway Guide, link above).
Take the Uniquely You 9 Spiritual Gifts and 4 DISC Personality Types Online Profile (here).
Upon the recommendation of your pastor, meet with your local Board of Administration for LMC interview and ministry guidance.
If approved, your pastor will lead the church in recognizing this sacred milestone in your life and ministry.
SEASON 2-PATHWAY TO
Conference ministerial candidacy is a spiritual and pastoral mentoring journey for local ministerial candidates to become acquainted with the history and polity of the Free Methodist Church and Wesleyan theology – as they are discipled in preparation for pastoral ministry.
If you have not done so, complete the Application for Ministry form (link above).
Your pastor completes a CMC recommendation form (here).
Utilize the same the Pathway Guide (link above).
Continue in a mentoring & coaching relationship with your pastor/designee. Utilize the provided outline & resources (Pathway Guide) to establish your CMC formation plan.
CliftonStrengths (here).
Take a “Free Methodist History & Polity” class.
Upon the recommendation of your pastor, meet with the Conference MEG Board for CMC interview and ministry guidance.
Submit CMC Interview Request Form (here).
If approved, plan to attend the Acts Annual Conference.
SEASON 3-PATHWAY TO
Election to elder’s orders constitutes the acknowledgement of the annual conference that the person so elected has met all the biblical (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1) and ecclesiastical requirements to serve as an overseer in the Church. The elder shall administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper, solemnize marriages, and lead in divine worship. When appointed to a society, an elder shall perform the responsibilities of a pastor.
Continue in a mentoring & coaching relationship with your pastor/designee.
Establish your Elder formation plan (in Pathway Guide).
Upon the recommendation of your pastor, meet with the Regional MEG Board for your ordination interview.
CMC Completes the Acts 12:24 Theological Questionnaire (here).
If applicable, the CMC’s Spouse completes the Spouse Questionnaire (here).
Pastor completes the Recommendation for Ordination form (here).
If approved, plan to attend the Acts Annual Conference.
Acts 12:24 Churches wants to deploy many people into the harvest fields so that we can reach many people for Jesus.
Ordination is not guaranteed by the completion of these modules.
The recommendation to non-ordained ministry should not be construed as a failure.
However, we only want to ordain elders that Jesus has called into the ordained ministry.
Non-ordained options for ministry are very diverse and highly necessary in the Church of Jesus.
We want all disciples of Jesus to work “with all their might” (Eccl. 9:10) for Him. It is our prayer that many leaders will be raised up to do a mighty work for Jesus so that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea.” (Has. 2:14).