Assessing Candidates Before Ordination
Ordination should be approached thoughtfully, with churches taking seriously their responsibility to evaluate candidates for ministry. This resource introduces a three-part Christian Standard series on ordination and includes the opening of Paige Matthews’s article on assessing candidates.
- Churches benefit from a careful process for evaluating ministry candidates before ordination.
- Ordination carries long-term implications for both candidates and congregations.
- The original three-part series considers ordination from the perspectives of candidates, assessment, and congregational responsibility.
This article is no longer available online, but the entire three-part series is available for purchase as a downloadable resource/pdf.
Ordination
Item 02971 • $2.99
Ordination needn’t be a mystery, but it should not be undertaken thoughtlessly. This six-page resource, originally a three-part series in CHRISTIAN STANDARD, explores ordination with an eye toward helping individuals, churches, and God’s kingdom.
• J. Michael Shannon makes a case for why ordination is practical and sensible for individuals desiring a lifetime of service in the Lord’s church.
• Paige Mathews considers a process for assessing the person who wants to be ordained.
• And Tom Lawson challenges ordaining congregations to consider their responsibility for the lifetimes of those they ordain.
This download is ideal for churches that are considering ordaining a ministry candidate. All downloads include permission to reproduce material up to 10 times for ministry and educational purposes.
To order this resource, CLICK HERE; To sample the first few paragraphs of article one, continue reading below . . .
By Paige Matthews
Why Assess Candidates Before Ordination?
Why assess candidates before ordaining them for ministry? Two quick examples, both true, indicate an answer.
The first involves a minister on his 22nd church in 23 years. The second involves a minister circulating his resumé to churches with vacant pulpits following his third public moral failure. Both of these individuals were ordained by nondenominational independent churches and maintain their credentials unchallenged.
Let’s face it, in the independent Christian church movement it is tough to become “un-ordained.” Churches lose track of people over time; those they have ordained stop checking in; or perhaps, neither make any effort at all to maintain relationships.
Congregations need to spend more time evaluating their ministry candidates before ordination to ensure they are fielding the best Timothys possible. The church may never have the opportunity to correct a poor decision.
Congregations can do candidates a real service by developing a comprehensive process for assessments. Let me offer these suggestions . . .
