Preparing "Workers for the Harvest": Designing a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development to Facilitate the Transition from Calling to Effective Ministry in Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches
by
Margo Lori MacDougall
B.A. (Hon.), Carleton University, 1985 M.A., Winnipeg Theological Seminary, 1987 M.Div., Acadia Divinity College, 1995
Thesis-Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry
Acadia Divinity College, Acadia University Spring Convocation 2008
© by Margo Lori MacDougall 2008 I, Margo Lori MacDougall, grant permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to reproduce, loan, or distrubute copies of my thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats on a non-profit basis. I, however, retain the copyright in my thesis.
Signature of Author
Date This thesis by Margo Lori MacDougall was defended successfully in an oral examination on 24 March 2008.
The examining committee for the thesis was:
Dr. Andrew MacRae, Director/Chair
Dr. Allison Trites, External Examiner
Dr. Ida Armstrong-Whitehouse, External Examiner
Dr. Carol Anne Janzen, Faculty Reader
Dr. Bruce Fawcett, Supervisor
Dr. Harry Gardner, President
This thesis is accepted in its present form by Acadia Divinity College, the Faculty of Theology of Acadia University, as satisfying the thesis requirements for the Doctor of Ministry degree. CONTENTS
List of Tables vi Abstract vii List of Abbreviations viii Acknowledgement and Dedication ix
Chapter
Introduction 1
1. Why Christians Prepare for Leadership in the Ministry: Biblical, Historical, and
Theological Foundations 4
Hebrew Leadership in the Old Testament
Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Old Testament Priest
Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Old Testament Levite
Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Old Testament Prophet
Spiritual Leadership in the New Testament
Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Ministry in the Gospels Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Ministry in the Acts and Epistles 2. Why Baptists Prepare for Leadership in the Ministry: Ordination in Church History 45
The Ancient Church to the Protestant Reformation
The Patristic Period of the Church
The Church in the Middle Ages
The Church in the Renaissance
Ordination in Church History: The Emergence of the Baptists to Today
Baptist Ministry in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century America
Ordained Baptist Ministry in "Canada": Eighteenth- to Twentieth-Centuries
IV 3. A Way to Facilitate Preparation for Ordained Ministry: The PSPD .... 78
Origins of Individuation
Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
Application of the IEP to the Preparation of Candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry
4. Phase One of the Project: Determining the Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement in the Preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry Ill
Identifying Qualifying Factors
Report of Data Analysis for Qualifying Factors 5. Phase Two of the Project: Formulating the Template for the PSPD in Preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry 171
6. Conclusions 179
Summary of the Argument for a PSPD
Significance of the Thesis-Project to the Practice of Ministry
Implications for Further Study
Works Cited
Works Read
Bibliography
Appendix A
A. 1 Cover Letter to BMSE and ECO
A.2 Questionnaire for All Groups
Appendix B Samples of Resources Used by an Association
B. 1 Application for Association License to Minister
B.2 Association License to Minister Interview Questions
B.3 Association of Atlantic Baptist Churches Scholarship Application Form
Appendix C Resource Used by Examining Council for Ordination
Appendix D Template for PSPD (Including an Example of Its Use with "Calling")
v LIST OF TABLES Table
1. Local Church Respondents to Questionnaire 120
2. Local Church Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? 121
3. Local Church Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? 123
4. Local Church Question 2: How do you identify...? (Vote or Interview) 124
5. Local Church Question 2: How do you identify...? 125
6. Local Church Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? 126
7. Local Church Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain. . . . 127
8. Association Respondents to Questionnaire 130
9. Association Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? 132
10. Association Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? 133
11. Association Question 2: How do you identify... ? 134
12. Association Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? 135
13. Association Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain 136
14. BMSE Respondents to Questionnaire 138
15. BMSE Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? 139
16. BMSE Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? 140
17. BMSE Question 2: How do you identify...? 141
18. BMSE Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared... ? 141
19. BMSE Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain 142
20. Respondents from Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO 150
21. Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO 150
22. Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO Who initiated the request for an Interview? 151
vi 23. Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO Question 2: How do you identify...? 152
24. Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain 153
25. ECO Respondents to Questionnaire 155
26. ECO Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? 155
27. ECO Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? 156
28. ECO Question 2: How do you identify...? 157
29. ECO Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? 158
30. ECO Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain 159
31. Cumulative Respondents to Questionnaire 162
32. Cumulative Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? 163
33. Cumulative Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? 164
34. Cumulative Question 2: How do you identify...? 166
35. Cumulative Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? 167
36. Cumulative Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared... ? Explain. . . . 168
vn ABSTRACT
To formulate a template for designing a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
(PSPD) to help facilitate the preparation of potential candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry,
100 representatives who are active in 12 evaluative stages in the present process towards
Ordained Ministry within the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches completed a three-item questionnaire. They identified 16 Qualifying Factors (QFs) that they use to determine a candidate's potential for effective ministry, including Calling, Spiritual Readiness, and
Theological Education and Reflection. Respondents also suggested 19 areas in which candidates could be better prepared for individual stages in the process, as well as the total process, towards
Ordained Baptist Ministry, including Follow-up and Support throughout the process, Preparation for Interviews, and Further Information Regarding the Process. Based on these results, a template was formulated for use in designing a PSPD for each potential candidate for Ordained
Ministry. The template appears in Appendix E, with a suggested partial PSPD for the QF of
Calling. Suggestions for further study include testing the validity of the template here formulated, to determine whether or not a personalized approach is a viable resource for the preparing of candidates for Ordained Ministry within the Convention of Atlantic Baptist
Churches.
vin ABBREVIATIONS
ABU Atlantic Baptist University
ADC Acadia Divinity College
BMSE Board of Ministerial Standards and Education
CABC Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches
CSF Critical Success Factors
ECO Examining Council for Ordination
IEP Individualized Educational Plan
PSPD Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
QFs Qualifying Factors
IX ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND DEDICATION
I want to thank God for His Strength and Guidance throughout my life and throughout this project.
I also want to dedicate this finished work to:
my mother, Merle H. MacDougall, for living and instilling the value of faith in the Living God;
my father, Murray K. MacDougall, for living and instilling the value of education;
my teacher, Albert B. Cain, for living and instilling the value of encouraging the individual; my supervisors, the Reverend Kirk Sabine and Dr. Bruce Fawcett, for living and instilling the value of excellence;
my friends, Dave Trouten, and Rose & Doug Tatton, for living, loving, and instilling the value of humour;
all who have supported me in prayer and word;
and all to the glory of God.
x INTRODUCTION
Each semester that I serve as Counselor at Bethany Bible College, I see a few students preparing for leadership in full-time ministry who are undeveloped or underdeveloped in certain areas vital to effective vocational ministry. I have also observed how the lack of development in these areas has the potential of hindering these individuals personally and in ministerial leadership, as well as potentially hindering the recipients of their ministry. Because I believe that many of these areas can be developed if attended to in a purposeful, systematic way, I propose to design a Christian counselor's tool for coaching individuals through their pre-ministry development, so as to facilitate their successful transition from their sense of calling, through to effective Ordained
Baptist Ministry. This tool, called a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
(PSPD), would serve as a God-honouring, Biblically-responsible, individualized map for the candidate's journey to effective Ordained Baptist Ministry. As a guide and facilitator to some on their journey to effective ministry, I would find such a tool invaluable to my counseling ministry as I seek to "prepare workers for the harvest".
The purpose of this thesis-project is to formulate the template for designing a
PSPD that will facilitate the holistic development of Ordained Ministers of the Gospel in the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches (CABC).
Before a template could be developed to design a PSPD, the Critical Success
Factors or Qualifying Factors (QFs) for pre-ministry development had to be identified through investigating the bases for the decisions made at the various stages in the process of preparing individuals for Christian Ministry. Decision-makers at these stages are God, as seen through His written Word, Christ's Example, and His Spirit's leading; Local Church Licensers who are usually pastors', deacons' boards, and leadership committees;
Association Licensing Committees; the Convention's Board of Ministerial Standards and
Education; the admissions and graduation committees of the Convention's educational institutions, Atlantic Baptist University and Acadia Divinity College; the Director of the
Supervised Field Education Program; the Committee for "Readiness for Ministry"
Certification; the Director of the Candidates' Internship Program; and the Convention's
Examination Council for Ordination.
The current research begins with an investigation of the current evaluative practices used to determine the holistic readiness of candidates for effective Baptist
Ministry. The investigation identifies the criteria being used to determine candidates' readiness for the next step in ministry preparation—the Qualifying Factors. Chapter One,
"Why Christians Prepare for Leadership in the Ministry: Biblical, Historical, and
Theological Foundations", shows the Scriptural basis for preparing Christians for
Ordained Ministry, with emphasis on the Old Testament precedent of those being called and otherwise qualified for ministry to God on behalf of the people: the priest, the Levite, and the prophet. The New Testament foundations which began with Jesus' Ministry and that of His Disciples/Apostles, is shown to continue in the function and character of the deacon, elder/bishop, and pastor/teacher. Chapter Two, "Why Baptists Prepare for
Leadership in the Ministry: Ordination in Church History", continues from this
Scriptural foundation by showing the development of Ordained Ministry through Church
History, to the practices involved in one's calling, equipping, and serving in the Ordained
Baptist Ministry of the CABC.
Chapter Three, "A Way to Facilitate Preparation for Ordained Ministry: The
2 Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development", uses the precedent of individualization in Learning Theory, Psychology, the Guidance Movement,
Developmental Guidance, and individualized program delivery in Education as the rationale for an individualized approach to preparing for Ordained Baptist Ministry.
Chapter Four, "Determining the Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement" presents the first phase of the project and details of the design and distribution of a three-item questionnaire to representatives of the 12 evaluative stages of the ordaining process.
Details of data-gathering, -collating, and -identifying are reported, including the cumulative lists of reported Qualifying Factors for effective Ordained Ministry and Areas for Improvement in candidates' preparation for Ministry.
Chapter Five, "Formulating the Template" presents the second phase of the project that applies the gathered data to the formulation of a template for designing a
Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development. Finally, Chapter Six,
"Conclusions" summarizes the argument for the use of the PSPD, points of the significance of these results to the Practice of Ordained Baptist Ministry, and suggests some implications for further study in terms to its potential usefulness to the Christian
Counselor, Coach, or Mentor who wants to facilitate an individual's successful transition from a sense of calling through to effective ministry; for the individual making that transition; for those who would evaluate candidates at the various steps in the process towards Ordination; for the ministry settings in which that individual will be ministering; and to the glory of God.
3 CHAPTER ONE
Why Christians Prepare for Leadership in the Ministry: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Foundations
A. Hebrew Leadership in the Old Testament
1. Brief History of the Old Testament Priest
2. Etymology, Practices, and Principles of the Old Testament Priest
3. Brief History of the Old Testament Levite
4. Etymology, Practices, and Principles of the Old Testament Levite
5. Brief History of the Old Testament Prophet
6. Etymology, Practices, and Principles of the Old Testament Prophet
B. Spiritual Leadership in the New Testament
1. Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Ministry in the Gospels
2. Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Ministry in the Acts and Epistles
4 CHAPTER ONE
Why Christians Prepare For Leadership In The Ministry: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Foundations
Why do Christians prepare for Ordained Ministry and how do they prepare?
Crucial to answering this question is an exploration of the Biblical, historical, and theological foundations of preparing leaders for Christian ministry. This chapter will consider the Biblical and historical foundations of Christian ministry through Old
Testament practices, and the New Testament example of the Life and Ministry of Jesus
Christ, and will close with an examination of the practice of the New Testament Church.
Each of these sections will conclude with theological reflections on how these Biblical practices are a firm foundation on which the Christian Church has built the practice of
Ordained Ministry.
Hebrew Leadership in the Old Testament
When considering history, whether Biblical or otherwise, hindsight encourages linear thinking—looking for a straight time-line—that runs through the myriad of people and events of the past. An historian knows though, that the people and events of history might be better seen as influences—not fixed points—over time. So when one begins to trace the Biblical and historical roots of preparing for Ordained Baptist Ministry, one looks for influences along the line of time.
The Biblical foundation for preparing leaders for Christian ministry begins with the examples and principles of the spiritual leaders of the Hebrew people in the Old
Testament. Baylor University professor, Thomas Brisco, asserts that although Christian
Ordination as practised today did not take place in Old Testament times, the ritual and
5 practices of the religious leadership of the Old Testament point towards today's practice of preparing and ordaining church leadership.1 In a response to Brisco's paper, Hardin-
Simmons University Professor, Susan M. Piggot writes that there may be other considerations, such as the rite of the Nazarite in Numbers 6, that make a stronger connection than Brisco presents between present-day Christian Ordination practices and the religious practices of the Old Testament.2 With both these assertions in mind, this discussion of the contribution of the Old Testament literature will begin with a brief history of the Hebrew people's leadership, followed by a more detailed look at three specific categories of spiritual leaders including the etymology of the terms used, and will conclude with some theological reflection on how spiritual leadership in the Old
Testament relates to why Christians prepare for Ordained Ministry today.
The Biblical record of the leadership of the Hebrew people begins with the first phrase of Genesis, "In the beginning God..." (1:1).3 The thread of God's creative initiative in His ownership and leadership of humankind develops throughout the
Scriptures with the echoing variations of His statement: "They will be My people and I will be their God."4 Since God, the Universal Leader, has continually sought relationship with His followers, He organized His chosen Hebrew people into families, with fathers as their official leaders. Although mothers also played a role in the upbringing of the
'Thomas Brisco, "Old Testament Antecedents to Ordination," Perspectives in Religious Studies 29, no. 2 (2002): 159-175.
Susan M. Piggot, "A Response to 'Old Testament Antecedents of Ordination,'" Perspectives in Religious Studies 29, no. 2 (2002): 177-182.
3The Bible translation used for this study is the Revised Standard Version.
4Gen. 17:8; Lev. 26:12; Jer. 7:23; 11:4; 24:7; 30:22; 31:1, 33, 32:38; Eze. 11:20; 14:11; 36:28; 37:23, 27; Hos. 2:14-23; Ro. 9:25-26; 2Co. 6:16; and Heb. 8:10.
6 children, Old Testament examples of "leading" fathers are Abraham (Gen. 17), Isaac
(Gen. 17:19; 27:21-29, 37-40), and Jacob (Gen. 27:18-29, 28:10-22); each of whom had been raised up with a particular calling, to lead a particular people, in a particular aspect of the redemptive history of Israel.
Later, as the tribes of Israel developed, these family leaders could also be designated tribal ro'sh5 and some even became judicial and military leaders (Deut. 33:2-5,
21; and Judg. 10:18; 11:8, 9, 11).6 The post-exilic "tribal head" became less official, as the position returned to one of overseeing the affairs of the individual extended family.7
Coupled with these "heads" were "elders", who, because of their wisdom or age, wielded influence on matters of family, politics, and/or justice (see Deut. 31:28; 16:18; 19:12;
31:28; 1 Sam. 30:26-31)8.
Still later in Israel's history, God raised up national leaders—again for particular tasks of leading the people at particular times. For example, in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy as well as Joshua, one reads that Moses led Israel out of Egyptian bondage and to the brink of the Promised Land, while later Joshua led the military actions of the Israelites into the Promised Land. After the death of Joshua, Yahweh "raised up judges" (Judg. 2:16) to guide and lead the people. But a circular pattern developed in which the people of Israel followed their judge into victory, only to fall away into evil
The Hebrew in this document will be represented by its transliteration.
Francis Brown, Samuel R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, Entry for ro'sh (Strong's 07218), in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon: With an Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007); John R. Bartlett, "Use of the Word ro'sh as a Title in the Old Testament," Vetus Testamentum 19, no. 1 (1969): 8-9.
7Bartlett.
8Matthew George Easton, Entry for "Elder", in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, rev. ed. (London, EN: Nelson, 1894).
7 practices after the judge's death (Judg. 21:25). Soon the people called out to Yahweh for a king to lead them, rather than being led by God alone. God responded by giving them what they had asked for through a long line of kings (1 Sam. 8:4-32). Throughout this time, spiritual leaders also emerged to serve God and the Hebrew people as priests,
Levites, and prophets. The first of these leaders to be discussed is the priest.
Brief History of the Old Testament Priest
With reference to the Judaeo-Christian tradition, Johnson Bible College founder,
Ashley S. Johnson, has written that, "The idea of a priest and his intercessory work underlies all religion. From the time that the smoke of Abel's sacrifice ascended to God to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, the history of the human race is inseparably associated with altars, priests and sacrifices."9 Although, the word kohen is not used in the Old Testament until Melchizedek, who is called "the priest of the most high God" in
Genesis 14:18-20, priestly functions involving the eldest son of each family responding to God's command to make offerings to Him as family representatives are recorded as early as Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1-5), Noah (Gen. 8:20), and Abraham (Gen. 12:6-8, 13:1-
3; 22:1-9); as well as Isaac (Gen. 26:18, 23-25), and Jacob (Gen. 35:1-3; 46: l).10
At the time of the Exodus, God set apart Aaron and his sons as Israel's priests (Ex.
28:1; Num. 18:1-7). The ascension of Aaron as high priest, with its particular functions, was the beginning of a long line of high priests—totalling over 80, if followed through to
9Ashley S. Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood", in Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia (Louisville, KY: Guide Printing and Publishing, 1896).
10Brown et ai, Entry for kohen (Strong's 03548); Easton, Entry for "Priest".
8 Phannias when the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. The high priest's position was initially held through heredity and for life (cf. 1 Kings 2:27), but later became more of a political appointment.12 It has been said that during the kingships of
David and Solomon, the Jewish priesthood experienced its "culminating period of ... glory."13
It is also important to note that despite this designation of priests and high priests from Aaron's line, the people of Israel as a whole were called to be a "kingdom of priests" (Ex. 19:6) —set apart by their "direct access to God's Presence in the tabernacle"; set apart to worship Yahweh corporately in the sanctuary (Ex. 24:3-8); and set apart as mediators to the surrounding peoples (Isa. 61:6).14
Etymology, Practices, and Principles of the Old Testament Priest
Having provided an overview of the Biblical roots of the priest, the discussion will now turn to the etymology, practices, and principles of these ministerial leaders as they might relate to the preparation of Christian leaders for ministry.
Although the origin of the English word, priest, is unclear, since kohen is found almost 750 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, Bible dictionary authors William Smith and Matthew George Easton, both consider it the "primary" Old Testament word for
"For example, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar (Num. 20:22-29; 26:1-4; 27:21; Joshu.l9:51), Ithamar, Phinehas (Num. 31:6; Josh. 22:13, 30-32; Judg. 20:28), Eli (1 Sam. 1:9), Abiathar (1 Kings 2:27), and Zadok(l Kings 2:35).
12Easton, Entry for "High Priest".
13William Smith, Entry for "Priest", in A Dictionary of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Nelson, 1986), 532-533.
14Richard E. Averbeck, Entry for "Priest, Priesthood", in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001).
9 priest.15 Smith links priest to the Greek word npeofiviepoc; (presbuteros)1 which connotes "elder" which comes from the Hebrew masculine noun, kohen11, while Easton traces its etymology from kohen, through the Greek, iepevQ {iereus), and the Latin, sacerdos, which always denote "one who offers sacrifices".18
Kohen can also denote the "principal officer or chief ruler."19 Related terms round out this definition of. priest: the verb, kahan, means "to act as (or become) a priest"
(used 23 times), "to minister in a priest's office (Piel)", or "to play the priest"; the feminine abstract noun, kehunnah, translated "priesthood", denotes the "office of priest"
(Ex. 29:9; 40:15; Num. 3:10; 18:1, 7; 1 Sam. 2:36; Ezra 2:62; Neh. 7:64; 13:29)" whether the exclusive, "Aaronic office of 'priesthood'" (cf. Num. 16:10), or the leadership of the
Levites; the masculine noun, kahen, translated "priest" from the Aramaic, is found exclusively in Ezra 6 and 7; and the masculine noun, kamar, refers only to priests of foreign "gods".20
From this brief etymology, it is seen that the Old Testament usage of words translated priest with reference to Israel's leaders, shows an elder—connoting a wise one—-who acts, serves, and/or ministers in the office of an intercessor between God and
15Brown et al., Entry for kohen (Strong's 03548); Averbeck
1 Brown et al.; Averbeck; James Strong. Entry for presbyteros (Strong's 4245) in The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Nelson, 1984).
17Brown et al, Entry for kohen; Smith, Entry for "Priest"; Averbeck.
Easton, Entry for "Priest"; Strong, Entry for hiereus (Strong's 2409); Danker, Entry for hiereus (Strong's 2409).
19Brown et al, Entry for kohen.
20Brown et al, Entry for "kahan (Strong's 03547)"; Averbeck; Brown et al., Entry for "kehunnah (Strong's 03550)"; Brown et al., Entry for "kahen (Aramaic) (Strong's 03549)"; Brown et al., Entry for "kamar (Strong's 03649)".
10 humankind.
The practices of the Old Testament priesthood will be classed in terms of their identity, authority, and function. Priests and High Priests were identified first, by heredity, as descendants of Levi; second, by the ceremony of consecration by the anointing of blood and oil (Lev. 8:30) when they were 20 or 25 years of age (Num. 8:24;
4:2-49; 2 Chr. 31:17), and third, by their vestments. At the time of his death, the High
Priest's vestments—which were more distinct than the secondary priests'—were passed down to his first-born son as his successor (Ex. 29:29; Num. 20:20-29).21
The priests were also identified by their life-style. They were supported by the peoples' giving as a reflection of Yahweh's provision, and also so the priests could serve
Him unreservedly, that is, without being distracted by too much wealth or too much poverty.22 This precaution against avarice was one of the many ways that the priests were to avoid defilement (see Lev. 21:1-4, 7); the High Priest had even further restrictions (Lev. 21:10-14).
The office of priest brought with it the authority of God's anointing to perform the duties directly related to the religious practices of the people and God of Israel. Some priests also had duties outside of their religious practices such as serving as a scribe or magistrate. The High Priest had responsibility for the structure of the priesthood
21 "The dress of the high priest consisted of breeches, broidered coat, girdle, robe of the ephod, ephod, curious girdle, breastplate, mitre..." (Ex. 28, 39; Lev. 8; Ju. 20:28; 1 Sam. 14, 23), in Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood"; The priests wore a linen coat, girdle, bonnet, and breeches (Ex. 28 and 39), Johnson, Ibid.; Easton, Entry for "High Priest."
22The priests were supported by a tenth of the peoples' tithes, the additional third-year tithe (Num. 18:26-28; Deut. 14:28; 26:12); the "redemption money" (Lev. 27:1-34); the "spoils of war" (Num. 31:25- 47); parts of some offerings and showbread (Lev. 6:25-30; 7:6-10; Num. 18:8-14); "the first fruits of corn, wine and oil (Ex. 23:19; Lev. 2:14; Deut. 26:1-10)"; and, once they settled in Canaan, the proceeds of their thirteen God-given cities (Josh. 21:13-19). Johnson, Entry for "the Priesthood"; Smith, Entry for "Priest."
23Joseph Blenkinsopp, Sage Priest Prophet: Religious and Intellectual Leadership in Ancient
11 including the individual priests (1 Sam. 2:29), the religious festivals, tabernacle activities
(for example, in Lev. 16; Ex. 30:1-10; 1 Sam. 1:9, 12-17); and the Day of Atonement.24
The High Priest carried the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate of his garments and was responsible to use it to determine the LORD'S choice in various decisions (Ex.
28:28-30).25
The duties of the secondary priests included intercession, administering and teaching Mosaic Law (especially to the children), administering blessings, ruling on disputes and assaults (Deut. 21:5), divination, preparing the ark and vessels for transportation by the Levites, tending to the fire on the altar, and feeding the perpetual lamp.26
From the example of Samuel's own training (1 Sam. 1-3) and his setting up of priestly colleges (1 Sam. 19:18-24; 2 Kings 2:3,15; 4:38), it is clear that the priesthood did require extensive training to administer correctly the spiritual, intellectual, and technical nature of the duties, functions, authority, and lifestyle requirements of priests.
To conclude the discussion of the Israelite priest as seen in the Old Testament account, three characteristics are noteworthy: the priests were identified by their being called, appointed, and anointed by God; their authority came from their qualifications of heredity—if they were without defect (Lev. 21:16-24)—but most were also well-trained; and their responsibilities included the duties of intercession between God and the human race, especially in conjunction with the Tent of Meeting (Ex. 33:14-15; Lev 10:2), by
Israel (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), 2.
24Averbeck; Easton, Entry for "High Priest."
25Ibid.
26Averbeck; Easton, Entry for 'High Priest"; Smith, Entry for "Priest."
12 distinguishing between the "clean" and "unclean", and by administering consecration duties (Ex. 32:35; 33:2-3, 14-15; Lev. 10:10).27
Brief History of the Old Testament Levite
A second group of spiritual leaders to emerge in Israel's history that is relevant to the discussion of preparation for Christian Ordination was the Levites. Both Moses and
Aaron were from the tribe of Levi, and after using them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt,
Yahweh commanded that the firstborn of man and animal be "sanctified" to Him (Ex.
13:2, 11-16).28 But when he returned from communing with Yahweh on Mount Sinai,
Moses found the people worshipping a golden calf instead of Yahweh (see Ex. 32:1-28).
Thus, Moses called the zealous tribe of Levi to "gather around him," and then commanded them to kill many of the idolaters (Ex. 32:26). For this act of loyalty to
Yahweh and to Moses, Yahweh substituted and set apart the tribe of Levi for His service, instead of Israel's firstborn children.
The Levites served diligently as assistants to the priests. However, when the remnant of Israel returned from Babylonian captivity (see Ezra 2:40-42), the priests willing to return numbered in excess of 4,300, while the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers combined totalled only 341; with only 38 Levites actually returning (see Ezra 8:15-19).30
After that, little is written about the Levites in the books of the prophets.
Easton, Entry for "Priest"; Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood"; Averbeck.
28Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood."
29Blenkinsopp.
30Stephen J. Bramer, in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Walter A. Elwell ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996).
13 Etymology, Practices, and Principles of the Old Testament Levite
Having provided a brief overview of the Biblical roots of the Levite, the discussion will now turn to the etymology, practices, and principles of these important leaders as they might relate to today's Christian ministry. The etymology of Levite begins with the proper name that Leah gave her third son by Jacob: Levi (Gen. 29:34).
Levi occurs 64 times in the Old Testament and means "to be joined to."31 The English
Levite, from leviyiy, is the adjective form of Levi and occurs 286 times in the Old
Testament in reference to the descendants of Levi, whom God sanctified for His service.32 Other forms of Levite reinforce this being "set apart by God": the Aramaic noun, leviy, used only in Ezra (four times); the corresponding feminine noun, livyah, used only in Proverbs (twice) to mean "ornament"; and the verb, lavah, used 22 times as
"to join, to borrow, or to cause to borrow."
The public consecration ceremony of the Levites required that they first be sprinkled with purifying water. Then they were to wash their own clothes and shave themselves before the meat and sin offerings were made. To signify that the Israelites were offering the Levites to Yahweh, the Israelites laid their hands on the Levites' heads, after which the Levites would lay their hands on the slain sin offering and their burnt offering, so that they would be atoned.34
31Brown, et al., Entry for Leviy (Strong's 03878); Bramer.
32Brown, et al., Entry for Leviyiy (Strong's 03881).
33Brown et al., Entry for Leviy (Aramaic) (Strong's 03879); Brown et al., Entry for livyah (Strong's 03880); Brown et al., Entry for lavah (Strong's 03867); and G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren and Heinz-Josef Fabry, eds., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 483.
34Numbers 8:5-15; Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood."
14 Being thus identified as God's consecrated servants, the Levites carried the authority of having been set apart by God for His service (Num. 3:41). Because they were thus set apart, they were neither numbered with the other tribes, nor did they perform the same functions as the other tribes (Num. 1:47-54). Although they were both from the tribe of Levi, the Levites were seen as distinct from even the priests. Bible expositor, Stephen J. Bramer, contrasts these two groups of leaders when he writes: "the priests were made holy, the Levites were made clean; the priests were anointed and washed, the Levites were sprinkled; the priests were given new garments, the Levites washed theirs; blood was applied to the priests, but was waved over the Levites."35
Because of this consecration to Yahweh's service, the Levites were also to refrain from focussing on gaining wealth—including real estate (Num. 18:20; 26:62; Deut. 10:9;
18:1, 2; Josh. 18:7).36 Instead, the Levites were to be supported by the people even as the people supported the priests: through portions of their offerings and the tithes of their produce. Yahweh also provided the Levites with land in Canaan for crops and flocks
(Num. 35:2-5), as well as 48 cities in which to live, including "cities of refuge" to oversee. Once they began inhabiting these cities scattered throughout Canaan, the
Levites became an active reminder to the people to remain constant in their life before
God.37
Having been set apart, the Levites served God and the people in four divisions that corresponded first to Aaron and his descendents (Ex. 28:1; Num. 18:1-7), and then to
5Bramer.
36Ibid.; Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood."
37Easton, Entry for "Levite"; Bramer.
15 the descendants of the Levi's three sons: Kohath, Gershon, and Merari (Gen. 46:11).
Since these four consecrated divisions were the only ones allowed to go near the Tent of
Meeting, the division of Priests, of Kohathites, of Gershonites, and of Merarites, each guarded a different side of the Tabernacle, and were responsible for particular duties whenever it was moved (Num. 1:51; 3:23-38; 4; 18:22-24).38 Later, when the Temple was established, the Levites were given duties to assist the priests as interpreters (Neh.
8:7-8), teachers, and administrators of the Law (Deut. 33:10); as judges and officials (1
Sam. 1:1; 2-3; 7:15-17; 8:2; 1 Chr. 6:28, 33-38; 23:4-5; 2 Chr. 17:8-9; 35:3; Ezra 7:5-10;
Neh. 8:1-2, 9-11); and as gatekeepers and guards of the temple and the valuables housed there.39 Perhaps the most significant contribution the Levites made was to the peoples' worship: they both led worship and accompanied worship on musical instruments (Neh.
9:4-5; 12:8-9, 27-47).40
In conclusion to the discussion of the Levites' contributions to the practice of ministry today, three key characteristics emerge from the Old Testament account: the
Levites were identified by their tribe, their public consecration, and their lifestyle; their authority came from their being set apart by God; and their responsibilities included assisting the priests by doing various practical, educational, and administrative duties of the Tabernacle and later, the Temple.
Brief History of the Old Testament Prophet
A third category of spiritual leaders in Old Testament Israel that may shed light
Easton, Entry for "Levite"; Johnson, Entry for "The Priesthood."
39Bramer; Averbeck.
Averbeck.
16 on our present practice of Ordained Ministry is the prophet. Several individuals prophesied before the first consecrated prophet, including Enoch (see Judg. 14); Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob (Ps. 105:14-15); and other men (Deut. 18:15; 34:10; Hosea 12:13; Num.
11:16-29) and women (Ex. 15:20; Judg. 4:4). It would seem that anyone who spoke on
God's behalf to the people could be called a prophet.41 But despite there being occasional prophets in Israel, there was a time in her history when Israel's people turned from listening to the teachings of her own prophets and priesthood and, instead, turned to the direction of prophets from outside of Israel because even the priesthood itself had fallen away from their sacred calling.
Because of the peoples' need for direct exhortations to live a life worthy of their holy God, God promised to "raise up" a prophet from among the people of Israel, who would tell them all what "Yahweh shall command him" (Deut. 18:18).42 Thus, Yahweh called His first "official" prophet: a Levite boy named Samuel (1 Sam. 2). While training as a priest, Samuel responded to the call of God to bring the news of judgement upon Eli the priest, and Eli's family. From these beginnings, Yahweh used Samuel to bring reform, to advise kings, and to anoint David as King Saul's successor.
Others were also called to be prophets, including Elijah and his successor, Elisha
(1 Kings 19:15-16); as well as women, like Miriam (Judg. 5:7), Deborah (Judg. 4-5),
Huldah (2 Kings 22:14 || 2 Chron. 34:22), and Isaiah's wife (Isa. 8:3).43 Each prophet, like the family heads, had an individual calling to an individual task but the prophets
41Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Entry for "Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy," in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001); Easton, Entry for "Prophet".
42Ibid.
43 Loren Cunningham and David Joel Hamilton with Janice Rogers. Why Not Women? A Fresh Look at Scripture on Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership (Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub.), 2000.
17 were also called to be God's spokespersons. Sixteen of the prophets' written messages were canonized in the Old Testament, including that of Amos, who had been called from successful shepherding (Amos 1:1; 7:14); Hosea, whose call involved his living out the prophecy he was to give to Israel; Isaiah's call, which re-emphasized to him, not only
Who Yahweh was but also who Isaiah was in the presence of such a holy God; Jeremiah, whose call had come "before [he] came forth out of the womb" (Jer. 1:5) and had brought with it such an overwhelming constraint to respond that that response has become a determining sign of a true calling from Yahweh; and Ezekiel who also received a vision, not unlike Isaiah's, showing that the greatness of God's Presence would always be with him.44
The prophecies of the Old Testament did not officially come to an end but, during the 400-year intertestamental period, there was a prophetic silence significant enough to be mentioned three times in 1 Maccabees (4:46; 9:27; 14:41).45 Despite this silence, the
Biblical promise that the prophet Elijah would come before the Day of Yahweh (Mai. 4:5) ensured that the prophetic ministry did not end with the closing of the Old Testament writings.
Etymology, Practices, and Principles of the Old Testament Prophet
Having provided an overview of the Biblical roots of the prophet, the discussion will now turn to the etymology, practices, and principles of the prophet, as they might relate to the preparation of Christian leaders for ministry.
Easton, Entry for "Prophet"; Kaiser.
18 Although the English word prophet comes directly from the Greek, npoipffTrjc;, meaning "an interpreter," its Hebrew etymology is more troublesome because of the three different Hebrew words that have been translated "prophet" in the Old Testament: nabiy', ro 'eh, and hozeh.4 That being said, the meaning of the words translated "prophet" must be gathered from their Biblical contexts.47 The masculine noun, nabiy', is first translated
"prophet" in Genesis 20:7 and appears 316 times in the Old Testament in contexts that denote a "spokesperson" or "prophet."48 The six usages of the feminine form, nebiy'ah, all refer to women who had received and proclaimed messages from God (Ex. 15:20;
Judg. 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chr. 34:22; and Isa. 8:3).49 Naba' appears 102 times in the
Old Testament to mean "to bubble up" or "boil forth", as a prophet might do when God spoke through her or him. Although nabiy' and its derivatives refer to one who is
"called of God to announce the divine message" it has also been used to denote false or pagan prophets and prophetesses (for example, in Neh. 6:14).51
A second word translated prophet in the Old Testament is ro'eh, meaning "seer", which refers to one who has been given "divine insight into the past, present, and
Frederick W. Danker ed., Entry for prophetes (Strong's 4396) in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000); Strong, Entry for prophetes (Strong's 4396); Averbeck; Blenkinsopp; Brown et al., Entry for nabiy' (Strong's 05030); Brown et al., Entry for ro'eh (Strong's 07203); Brown et al., Entry for hozeh (Strong's 02374).
47Kaiser.
48Brown et al., Entry for nabiy' (Strong's 05030).
49Brown et al., Entry fro nebiy'ah (Strong's 05031).
50Brown et al, Entry for naba' (Strong's 05012); Averbeck.
51Brown et al, Entry for nabiy' (Strong's 05030); Kaiser.
19 future." Although an older word than nabiy' , it does not appear in the Old Testament until making reference to Samuel in 1 Samuel 9:9. In fact, seven (7) of its 13 usages refer to Samuel. Because ro'eh is used in a stylistic parallel with nabi in 2 Kings 17:13, some have considered ro'eh (seer) to be the equivalent of nabi (prophet).54
A third word that replaced ro 'eh in the Old Testament is hozeh, meaning "seer" or
"visionary."55 The context of its 16 uses, show that the hozeh received messages— mostly through visions (e.g., 2 Sam. 24:ll).56 Interestingly enough, all three of these
Hebrew words—nabiy', ro'eh, and hozeh—are used in 1 Chronicles 2:29 to refer to
en Nathan, Samuel, and Gad respectively.
Two other words are used in the context of the prophet and prophesying: nataph,
CO used 18 times to mean "to drop, drip, distil, prophesy, preach, discourse" ; and the
Aramaic, nebiy', a masculine noun only found in the Book of Ezra to mean "prophet".
Adding to this potentially confusing etymology are the figurative names given to several
Old Testament prophets, such as "man of God" used over 76 times, including 1 Kings 13;
"My servants" in Joshua 1:1 and throughout Kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah; the "Lord's
52Brown et al., Entry for ro'eh (Strong's 07203); Kaiser.
Brown et al., Entry for nabiy' (Strong's 05030).
54Kaiser.
55Brown et al., Entry for hozeh (Strong's 02374); Kaiser.
Kaiser; Easton, Entry for "Prophet."
57Brown et al., Entry for nabiy' (Strong's 05030)"; Brown et al., Entry for hozeh (Strong's 02374); Kaiser, Entry for "Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy."
58Brown et al., Entry for nataph (Strong's 05197).
59Brown et al., Entry for nebiy' (Aramaic) (Strong's 05029).
20 messenger" in Haggai 1:13; "a watchman" in Ezekiel 33; and "shepherd" in Ezekiel 34.
Additionally, there were other leaders, judges, and/or priests in Israel who prophesied but were not called prophets; for example, Gideon (Judg. 7:2-8); David (Acts 2:30); and
Moses (Ex. 3:10).60 Also, according to former Notre Dame Professor, Joseph
Blenkinsopp, the Deuteronomic school was "redefining" the prophetic office, with
"effects... last[ing] into the rabbinic period and beyond." l Thus a definitive etymology of the English word "priest" seems elusive.
Despite the unclear etymology of the words translated "prophet", Exodus 7 and
Numbers 12 do much to clarify the meaning of nabiy'. In Exodus 7:1-2, nabiy' refers directly to Aaron, and indirectly to Moses, as those who were given a message from God to pass along to others. In this context, both Moses and Aaron acted as prophets: Moses, having received the Word from God, communicated it to Aaron, who, in turn, communicated the Word he had received to the people of Israel. Additionally, Numbers
12:6-8 shows that God makes a distinction between speaking a clear message directly to someone, and speaking through visions to a prophet so that the message will be interpreted and passed along to the people.63
Israelite prophets were identified, first of all, by their Divine calling—some of these callings are detailed in the Old Testament, for example, Elisha, Isaiah, Amos,
Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Old Testament scholar, Walter C. Kaiser, identifies four elements that must be present in an authentic prophetic call: "a theophany, the
60Kaiser.
61Blenkinsopp, 2.
62Brown et al., Entry for nabiy' (Strong's 05030).
63Kaiser.
21 purification of the prophet's lips and heart, the commission to 'Go!' and the content of the message he was to proclaim."64 Another aspect of the call that Kaiser could add as a fifth element, is the prophet's response of humility and "unworthiness" to answer the call (Isa.
6:5; Jer. 1:6), which is accompanied by the overriding "divine compulsion" to accept that call (Jer. 15:20; Ezek. 1:3; 3:14; 8:1; 1 Sam. 3:20).65
Prophets were not only called, some were also trained, as is apparent from the development of the "prophetic order" from Samuel onward. The schools or colleges that
Samuel established in Ramah, Bethel, Gigal, Gibeah, and Jericho (1 Sam. 19:18-24; 2
Kings 2:3, 15; 4:38-41) were also schools of the prophets. There, young men were taught a secular education as well as the skills of the prophet for preaching morality, worshiping
God, and guiding the people under the leadership of the king. According to the William
Smith, these schools were quite successful, as he cites the plethora of available prophets from Samuel's time forward in the Old Testament history. The main focus of religious instruction was the Law, as well as its interpretation, since its teaching was somehow moved from a priestly function to a prophetic one. Prophets also learned sacred poetry and music. This formal education added to the authority of the prophet that had already been established by their calling, by the Spirit of God upon them, by miraculous signs, and, of course, by their prophecies coming true (Ex. 7:1).66
The duties of the prophet then included: revealing God's will as His spokesperson (Num. 12:6-8; Deut. 13:1-5; 18:15-22; Isa. 51:16; Jer. 1:9) by proclaiming,
'Smith, Entry for "Prophet", 534-538; Easton, Entry for "Prophet".
22 predicting, and/or interpreting unconditional (Gen. 8:21-22), conditional (Lev. 26; Deut.
28), and sequential (Eze. 26:7-14) prophecy (1 Sam. 16) consistent with God's previous revelations; and as moral teacher, historian, pastor, poet, and/or politician.
To conclude the discussion of the Israelite prophet as seen in the Old Testament account, three characteristics have emerged: that prophets were identified by the elements of their specific Divine calling and response, which was authenticated by signs and wonders; that their authority came from this calling, as well as the training that many of them received; and that their responsibilities included the duties associated with being
God's spokesperson—proclaiming, predicting, teaching, and recording the Word and the
Will of God.
Before moving to a brief history of Spiritual leadership in the New Testament, it is important to draw some theological conclusions concerning what has been discovered about ministry by the close of the Old Testament. With regards to the identity, authority, and responsibility of the Old Testament priest, Levite, and prophet, it is clear that there were at least three parties involved in the preparation and ministry of these spiritual leaders. First, it can be seen in all three ministries that God called, equipped, authenticated, and accompanied His ministerial leadership. Second, the called person responded by accepting the call, was taught and/or trained for the specific duties of the calling, and endeavoured to remain close to God in the leading of the people. Third, those who would be led by these spiritual leaders involved themselves in a consecration ceremony (except for some types of prophets), followed their leadership (although many turned away at various times), and supported their leaders in material, as well as
Kaiser; Easton; See much of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jonah, and Haggai.
23 behavioural, ways.
Now the attention of this chapter will move to the New Testament foundations for preparing leaders for Christian ministry.
Spiritual Leadership in the New Testament
As the focus of this study moves to the New Testament foundations for preparing leaders for Christian ministry, the remainder of this chapter will present a brief history of ministry in the New Testament era, beginning with the Gospel record of Jesus' and His disciples'/apostles' ministry, and followed by the ministry of the early church as recorded in Acts and the Epistles. The discussion will then explore the etymological roots of the words used in the context of this ministry, and will conclude with some theological reflections on the New Testament foundations for preparing leaders for Christian
Ordination and effective ministry. It will be seen that it is within the New Testament focus on the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ, that ministry truly became Christian in its focus, preparation, and practice.
Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Ministry in the Gospels
After 400 years of what seemed like literary and prophetic silence, New
Testament history begins with the prophet, John the Baptist, "preparing the way of the
Lord" (Mt. 3:1-4 || Mk. 1:1-8 || Lk. 3:1-6) and Anna prophesying of the influence of a
Young Child (Lk. 2:36). This Child, Jesus Christ was born into a Jewish family at a time in history when those in the Old Testament priesthood were still functioning as intercessors between God and the human race, and as care-takers of the Temple and
24 Synagogue.68 However—besides Luke 10:32 and Acts 4:36, where Levite is a descriptor of an individual; and Hebrews 7: 5 and 11 where the role of the Levite is discussed—the
New Testament makes little reference to the Levites. According to Old Testament scholar, Stephen J. Bramer, the Levites
were still a distinct class connected to the temple in Jerusalem along with the priests (John 1:19). As teachers of the law, the Levites, together with the priests, were probably sent with this role in mind, to question John the Baptist [at the gathering in the wilderness]. It is possible that many scribes were Levites. In the parable of the good Samaritan both a priest and Levite are mentioned, though not in a commendable manner (Luke 10:31-32).69
Besides the priests and the mention of the Levites, the sects of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes were also prominent leaders within the Jewish religious structure.
Thus, the Biblical foundation for preparing leaders for Christian ministry was not established in a vacuum. It grew somewhat out of the ministerial leadership of the Old
Testament times, yet with a distinctive difference. Whereas Old Testament ministry focussed on ministers, functions, and activities that made intercession between God and
His people, New Testament ministry focussed on the Person and Ministry of Jesus Christ.
At the outset of the discussion it is important to note with former McMaster
Professor of Philosophy, F. W. Waters, that there is no evidence in the Gospels "that
Jesus intended...a ministerial class or order distinct from the rest of his followers or possessing the right to transmit authority to successors." Instead, it is evident—as this
Robert Gray. "Perspectives on the Sacrament of Orders", [document online], [cited 7 August 2007]. Available from http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/theology/ejournal/Issue2/Robert_Gray.htm.
69Bramer.
70F. W. Waters, ed. Protestantism—A Baptist Interpretation (Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, and Baptist Foundation, 1958), 34.
25 chapter will show—that Jesus prepared His disciples to carry out His Ministry by following the pattern that had begun in His own Life: through preparation; identification; empowerment or the identification of power; challenge; commissioning or the identification of commission; the practice of ministry; and the development of disciples, who in turn, repeated these same seven dynamic elements in their leadership and ministry.
The discussion now turns to an overview of these seven aspects of ministry and its development in five distinct segments of Jesus' Life: (1) His early years; (2) His transition to public ministry; (3) His public ministry; (4) His transition to ultimate ministry; and (5) His ultimate ministry on the cross. This overview is important to the discussion because it has direct application to the preparation for ministry. To use an analogy, the Gospel accounts of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ give us the spiritual, practical, and personal characteristics of the frame or bones on which the flesh of the
New Testament Church's ministry has grown. The Epistles, then, return to the personal characteristics that round out full-bodied Christian ministry.
First, the Gospel accounts of Jesus' early years identify Him, in various natural
71 and spiritual ways, as the One prepared for, and preparing for, a life and death of ministry. After such identification and preparation, one cannot help but be prepared for the amazing Life and Ministry that followed. Second, during His transition to public ministry through His baptism, Jesus was identified as the Son of God. He then followed the ministry pattern that had begun in His Own Life when He prayerfully selected, identified, called, prepared, empowered, and sent particular followers to be leaders in ministry.
71For examples, see Luke 2-3.
26 Third, Jesus' actual public ministry is described in the Gospels through detailed stories as well as summary statements—many of which refer to the specific ministry tasks of preaching, teaching, and healing (Mt. 4:23-24 || Mk. 1:35-39 || Lk. 4:42-44; Mt.
9:35-36; 11:2-6; Lk. 7:18-23; 13:22; 19:47-48; 21:37). Jesus' public ministry also included that of High Priest which He continued after His Ascension and even intercedes as such today (Jn. 17; Heb. 2:9-18; 4:14-16; 7:14-18). Although the words "preaching" and "teaching" sometimes are used interchangeably to describe an aspect of Jesus' ministry (for example, Mt. 9:35-36, Mt. 11:5 || Lk. 7:22, Mk. 1:29, Lk. 13:22; 21:37), a closer look at the definition, context, and focus of these two words will show a difference in their usage in the Gospel accounts, and thus inform our understanding of what
Christian ministry includes.
First, representative of Jesus' preaching ministry were His proclamations to the multitudes in sermons and in some parables. In these instances, the English word
"preaching" is translated from the Greek, xripvooco {kerusso), meaning "to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)."72 This definition connotes a public proclamation of the Gospel to all. The context in which Jesus preached supports this connotation. The Gospels show that the context, or audience, of Jesus' preaching ministry was more likely to be a multitude or crowd that He would consider potential followers. The focus of Jesus' preaching is summarized as the good news of the gospel.
Thus, since preaching denotes proclaiming the Good News, the Gospel writers' examples
72Strong, Entry for kerysso (Strong's 2784); Entry for "Strong's #2784" in New American Standard New Testament Greek Lexicon [database online]. Available from http://bible.crosswalk.com/ Lexicons/NewTestamentGreek/.
73SeeMt. 11 || Lk. 7; Mt. 4:23; Mk. 1:14; 9:35; Lk. 8:1.
27 of Jesus' preaching connote His proclaiming to multitudes of potential followers, the
Good News of the Kingdom.
Representative of Jesus' teaching ministry were His instructing in the synagogues and temples,74 and aspects of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) and the Sermon on the
Plain (Lk. 6:20-49). A closer look at these examples of His teaching shows that Jesus taught about discipleship75. The English word "teaching" is translated from the Greek bibaoKCxAoc, (didaskalos) which is "a causal for the primary verb bao (to learn)", meaning, "to teach (in the same broad application" of bao), in terms of causing to learn.7
This definition of teaching connotes something of the context and focus of Jesus' teaching which was more often those chief priests, scribes, and people gathered in the temple and synagogue for religious ceremonies or actual followers of Jesus, and as such more open to the Kingdom teachings. These were not people that just happened to hear
Jesus proclaiming news in the marketplace; they had come, either to the Temple to worship and learn, or they had followed Jesus to a hilltop (Mt. 5:1), or a plain (Lk. 6:20), to hear the specifics of following Jesus into the Kingdom He proclaimed. Jesus preached the Gospel to the multitudes but He taught His followers (Mk. 9:31) how to follow Him into ministry for the Kingdom's sake.
One succinct outline of Jesus' teaching is found in the table of contents of J.D.
74See Mt. 4:23; 5-7; 9:35; 21:23; Lk. 4:31; 6:20-49; 19:47-48; 21:37; Mt. 26:55 || Mk. 14:49; Mk. 9:31.
75See Mt. 8:18-22 || Lk. 9:57-62 || Mk. 4:35 and Lk. 14:25-35; Mt. 9:35-11:1 || Mk. 6:6b-13 || Lk. 9:1-6.
76Strong, Entry for bibdaxaAoQ (Strong's 1320); Danker, Entry for bibaoKaXoc, (Strong's 1320); Strong, Entry for bibaOKO)(Strong's 1321); Entry for "Strong's #1321", in New American Standard New Testament Greek Lexicon [database online]. Available from http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/New TestamentGreek/.
28 Pentecost's, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, through which Jesus is seen to have taught about the character and influence of the subjects of the Kingdom of heaven (Mt.
5:1-16); about His Own Character in relation to the Law (Mt. 5:17-6:8); and about
Kingdom practices (Mt. 6:9-7:29; see also Lk. 6:20-49) regarding character, counterfeits, and conduct. Thus, since "teaching" denotes causing others to learn, the Gospel writers' examples of Jesus' teaching connote His ability to instruct His followers in how to follow
Him into the Kingdom.
Third, representative of Jesus' healing ministry are the summary statements as well as accounts of individual healings found in the Gospels.77 The English word
"healing" is translated from some form of two Greek words: depanela {Therapeia) or iao\iai Ciaomai).78 Therapeia, in the context of Jesus' ministry, refers to a "service rendered by one to another"; a "specific medical service: curing, healing."79 Matthew
4:23; 9:35; Mark 6:13; and Luke 4:40; 9:6 all use the verb form, Qepanevco {therapeuo), meaning, "to heal, cure, restore to health."80 ©epancov (Therapon) means "an attendant, servant: of God," and is used with reference to "Moses discharging the duties committed
77See Jn.2:23-25; Mt. 11:2-6 || Lk. 7:18-23; Mk. 1:32-34 ||Lk. 4:40-41; Mt. 15:29-31 || Mk. 7:31- 37; Mt. 9:35-36; 11:2-6 (which parallels Isaiah 61); Lk. 7:18-23; Mt. 12:15-21 || Mk. 3:7-12 || Lk. 6:17-19.
Strong, Entry for therapeia (Strong's 2322); Danker, Entry for therapeia (Strong's 2322); Strong, Entry for 'iaomai (Strong's 2390); Danker, Entry for 'iaomai (Strong's 2390).
79Entry for therapeia Strong's #2322, in New American Standard New Testament Greek Lexicon [database online]. Available from http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/NewTestamentGreek/.
Strong, Entry for therapeuo (Strong's 2323); Danker, Entry for therapeuo (Strong's 2323); Entry for "Strong's #2323", in New American Standard New Testament" [database online]. Available from http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/NewTestament Greek/.
29 to him by God." 'Iaomai, a verb of middle voice, means "to cure, heal", "to make whole" as in "to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one's) salvation."82 'Iaomai is translated "healing" in Luke 5:17; 6:19; and 9:2. From this and other references it can be seen that the context of Jesus' healing ministry was anyone with a need and the faith to act in response to Jesus. A notable aspect of Jesus' healing ministry is that it demonstrated His dominion over any combination of four realms: the physical, spiritual, religious, and/or natural, yet He repeatedly chose to use His dominion over all realms in the service of others, to the glory of God; that is to say, in ministry.
The preceding encapsulation of Jesus' three-fold ministry can be summarized as follows: His Preaching—proclaiming to the multitudes—was directed at potential followers and fulfilled Isaiah 61:lb,d, 2a, b; His Teaching—instructing His Disciples in
Kingdom leadership—was directed to His followers and fulfilled Isaiah 61:1c, e; and His
Healing—restoring health, curing others, and giving salvation to the needy who had responded in faith—was directed at potential followers and followers alike, and fulfilled
Isaiah 61:2c.
But Jesus' public ministry was not just what He did for the people on God's
Strong, Entry for therapon (Strong's 2324); Danker, Entry for therapon (Strong's 2324); Entry for "Strong's #2324", in New American Standard New Testament [database online]. Available from http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/NewTestamentGreek/.
82Entry for "Strong's #2390", in New American Standard New Testament [database online]. Available from http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/NewTestamentGreek/.
83In the physical realm, Jesus heals the withered (Mt. 12:1 Off || Mk. 3: Iff || Lk. 6:6ff), bent (Lk. 13:1 Iff), bleeding (Mt. 9:20ff || Mk. 5:25ff || Lk. 8:43ff), and palsied (Mt. 8:6ff; Mt. 9:2ff || Mk. 2:3ff || Lk. 5:18ff); the lepers (Mt. 8:2ff || Mk. l:40ff), blind (Mt. 9:27-34), mute (Mt. 15:30-31; Mk. 7:37), and dead (Jn.ll:l-54). In the natural realm, Jesus calms thirst (Jn.2:l-ll), hunger (Mt. 14:13-21 || Mk. 6:30-40 || Lk. 9:10-17 || Jn.6:l-13), storms (Mt. 14:24-33 || Mk. 6:47-52 || Jn.6:16-21), and mobs (Lk. 4:28-30). In the spiritual realm, Jesus restores those with demons (Mk. 1:23-28 || Lk. 4:31-37), seizures (Mt. 17:15ff || Mk. 9:22ff; Lk. 8:29), and un-forgiven sin (Mt. 9:1-8 || Mk. 2:13-17 || Lk. 5:27-32; Lk. 23:39-43). In the religious realm, Jesus rejects false power (Mt. 14:22-23 || Mk. 6:45-46 || Jn.6:14-15), false religion (Mt. 9:14-17 || Mk. 2:18-22 || Lk. 5:33-39), and false piety (Mt. 12:1-14 || Mk. 2:23-3:6 || Lk. 6:1-11; Jn.5:l-47).
30 behalf and for His glory; Jesus' ministry was also Who He was; what He stood for; and how He responded to people in need—even to those who rejected Him. Jesus was nurturing, humble, and accepting; while at the same time, showing His authority over nature, demons, sickness and disease, defilement, sin, tradition, the Sabbath, death, and conflict. He stood for faith, not fear—even teaching while He calmed the storm, as well as the disciples. He stood for freedom, restoration, and the redeeming of life. He treated others with compassion, mercy, and grace, giving an eternal focus to the temporal changes He offered, while presenting the truth as a challenge to disbelief, mistruth, and misguided tradition.
Jesus' practice of ministry showed the progressive nature of evangelism—that these acts of ministry led to and accompany the truth—beginning with preaching to all, then teaching the followers, and offering healing to those who responded in faith. In this regard, Jesus was developing followers, for some of His followers would become His twelve fiadrjidi (mathetai)—learners or pupils84—and would be sent out as His anoozoAoL (apostoloi)—"delegates, messengers, sent forth with orders"85—to preach to all, to teach the followers, and to heal those who responded in faith (Lk 6:13; Mk. 16:15-
20).
The fourth segment of Jesus' Life that sheds light on the Christian ministry was the transition to His ultimate ministry. Traditionally, this time of transition has been called "The Passion Week", during which time Jesus prepared for his ultimate ministry—
His Death and Resurrection. A careful reading of the Gospel accounts of this week of
84Danker, Entry for mathetes (Strong's 3101); Strong, Entry for mathetes (Strong's 3101).
85Danker, Entry for anoaioXoc, (Strong's 0652); Strong, Entry for andoToAoc, (Strong's 0652); Gray.
31 transition shows the previously-noted pattern of ministry development in the lives of
Jesus and His Disciples. By being true to Himself and His Commission, Jesus continued to prepare Himself and His followers for His ultimate Ministry of compassion, faithfulness, and sacrifice. In this segment of His Life, as in those preceding it, Jesus displayed the nature of a truly Godly Minister: while continuing to develop the ministers around Him, Jesus moved into His ministry before the Cross, during His Crucifixion, and after His Resurrection.
In the fifth segment of His Life, Jesus continued to minister. Through His evening prayer, betrayal, arrest, trial, and torture, Jesus continued to minister.86 During
His time on the Cross, Jesus was challenged by the thief on the cross who berated Him and by the people at the foot of the cross who scorned Him and challenged Him to abandon His ministry (Mt. 27:40 || Mk. 15:29-30 || Lk. 23:35). Yet, even in these dire hours of excruciating pain, Jesus stayed true to His commission of dying for the sins of the world (Jn.l:29). He even had the strength to commission two at the foot of His cross: to His mother He said, "Woman, behold your son" and to His disciple, John, He said,
"Behold! Your mother", committing them each to ministering to each other (Jn. 19:26-27).
Jesus also responded to one who, in his dying moments, turned to Him in faith. The thief who asked to be remembered was not only remembered but was also invited into paradise that very day (Lk. 23:42-43).
Miraculous signs accompanied Jesus' death (Mt. 27:51-56 || Mk. 15:38-41 || Lk.
23:45, 47-49), reminding some, and showing others for the first time, that "Truly, this was the Son of God" (Mk. 15:39). Yet His ministry did not stop there: three days later,
86Mt. 26:30-27:53 || Mk. 14:26-15:38 || Lk. 22:39-23:46; Jn. 18:1-19:30.
32 Jesus rose from the dead and His ministry continued as He appeared to individuals and groups after His Resurrection87 and prepared them with peace (Jn.20:19, 21; 20:26); taught them with evidence (Lk. 24:39-43; Jn.20:20, 27); commissioned them to go (Lk.
24:47, 50-51; Jn.20:21; Jn.21:15-17); identified to them the power that would accompany them (Mt. 28:18, 20; Lk. 24:49; Jn.20:22); and then, after nurturing them (Jn.21:12), assigned them tasks of ministry, such as forgiving (Jn.20:23); making disciples, baptizing, teaching (Mt. 28:19-20); preaching (Lk. 24:47); witnessing (Lk. 24:48); and developing disciples of Christ (Lk. 24:45). In a final Gospel account of Jesus' commissioning His
Disciples (Jn.20:21; Mt. 28:16-20 || Mk. 16:15-18; Lk. 24:44-49), Jesus ascended to the
Father (Mk. 16:19-20 || Lk. 24:50-53), leaving them with His continual Power and
Presence to minister to the world and lead people into the Kingdom.
This brief overview of five distinct segments of Jesus' Life and Ministry shows some important principles about the nature and practice of ministry that are vital for preparing leaders for Christian ministry. The Nature of Jesus' ministry was closely tied to Him as the Person Who walked among those in need-—the Person Who brought the light of truth and the power of God to them. His Character reflected His being appointed by God the Father and His being anointed by God the Holy Spirit. His Substance was seen in His acts of ministry, as Preacher, Teacher, Healer, and Friend. Jesus stood for the fulfillment of God's Word and His Mission of restoration, redemption, and reconciliation through the Gospel of truth, justice, and righteousness, as prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2.
Jesus treated others as potential followers, followers, and/or leaders; and showed
87SeeMt. 28:2-4; Mt. 28:l||Mk. 16:1; Mt. 28:lff || Mk. 16:lff || Lk. 24:lff || Jn.20:lff; Lk. 24:9-12 || Jn.20:2-10; Mk. 16:9-11 || Jn.20:l 1-18; Mk. 16:12-13 || Lk. 24:13-32; Lk. 24:33-35; Mk. 16:14 || Lk. 24:36-43 || Jn.20:19-25; Lk. 24:36-53 || Jn.20:26-31; 21:1-25.
33 compassion and dignity, even to those who chose to be His enemies. A paradoxical quality of the nature of Jesus' leadership is seen in the fact that during His earthly ministry, He was both prepared for, and preparing for, a life and death of ministry.
The Practice of Jesus' Ministry is clearly seen in the powerful repetition of several elements of ministry development: preparation—of Himself and others; identification—or self-awareness of His Mission, as well as making others aware of His
Mission; empowerment—or identification of the Power of the Holy Spirit for leadership and ministry; challenge—in various forms that must be overcome with the Word of Truth; commissioning—or the identification of commission to "take away the sin of the world"; practice of ministry—through tasks that reach the masses, the receptive, and the needy; and development of disciples who, in turn, repeat these same dynamic elements in their leadership and ministry—and thus bring about the Father's Will "on earth as it is in heaven".
The careful study of the Gospel narratives truly paints a panorama of Jesus' Life, which shows those preparing for leadership in Christian ministry that the nature of the ministry in which one engages is closely tied to who one is as a person—character, substance, convictions, and focus. The practice of the ministry in which one engages should be accompanied by preparation; identification; empowerment; challenge; commissioning; actual practice in ministry; and the development of disciples who, in turn, will do the same.
Having begun this section with the New Testament's record of the practice of ministry in the Gospels, the chapter now turns to the practice of ministry as seen in the
Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. After a brief history of the development of the ministries of deacon, evangelist, elder/bishop, and pastor/teacher, the discussion will look
34 at the etymology of these offices, before concluding with some theological reflections on the influence of pastor and deacon on the practice of Ordained Christian ministry at the close of the New Testament.
Brief History, Etymology, and Practices of the Ministry in the Acts and Epistles
After Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension, the Twelve Apostles continued to preach the Word of God and establish assemblies of believers that came to be known as the New Testament Church. Having been called and equipped by Christ to "go into the world and preach the Gospel" (Mk. 16:15) and being empowered by the Holy Spirit to go, the Apostles became travelling evangelists who were blessed with many converts. They established home assemblies or churches in whose midst the will of God was interpreted, the Gospel facts were repeated, and the converts were instructed regarding the faith. In these assemblies the believers used their Spiritual gifts to honour God and to encourage the saints.88
There is no question that as the Church grew in numbers, she also grew in organization, although not in any uniform way, for as the Church had a need, the fellowship felt led to call a minister—and create a ministry—to respond to that need.89
Acts 2:41-47 shows such a situation where the needs of the people were addressed within the context of the church's ministry. Acts 6 shows an example of a ministry being developed to respond to the physical needs of a portion of the assembly, as well as the needs of the preaching Apostles. The biaxovoi (diakonoi) or deacons were called to "the
'See Acts 13:2, 3; Waters, 34.
Waters.
35 ministry of the tables"90 so that the apostoloi could continue to focus on "the ministry of the Word."91 Later, in 1 Timothy 3:8-16, Paul outlined the character qualifications for the deacon.
Other ministries emerged as gifts of the Spirit became evident including elders/overseers, evangelists, miracle workers, pastors, prophets, and teachers (1 Cor.
12:28ff; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 1; 2 Tim.l; and others)—all of which were in the service of
Christ, ministering inside and outside of the Church of Christ in New Testament times.
Other believers who had not been with Jesus were called to the ministry of the Word.
Among them were evangelists who, like Philip in Acts 21:8 or the evangelists identified in Ephesians 4:11 and 2 Timothy 4:5, travelled "to bring good news" to those in need of salvation. As other needs were recognized, the Holy Spirit brought forth His gifted to respond. Local assemblies were still under the "rule of the Spirit and not of an official order of Christians."92 In fact, as the apostles' letters were circulated among the churches, the members came to realize that their assembly was a group of equals called to minister on Christ's behalf, for as Peter had written in words that echoed the Old Testament
Scriptures, they were called to be a "royal priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:9).
As M. R. Cherry has so aptly shown in his book, Toward a Theology of Ministry,
"there is no Greek word in the New Testament which means ordain in the technical ecclesiastical sense of the term".93 However, as the membership of the Church grew,
Danker, Entry for diakonos (Strong's 1249); Strong, Entry for diakonos (Strong's 1249).
9,Waters.
92Ibid., 35.
93 M. R. Cherry, Toward a Theology of Ministry (Toronto, ON: Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, 1965), 12.
36 various titled ministers with varying ministries became evident in various locations of the church. Among these titled ministers were elders/bishops, pastors, and deacons.94 A brief etymology of each of these terms for ministers will now be discussed in light of its relationship to Christian Ordained Ministry today.
In the context of New Testament ministry, the elder or npeoflviepoc;
(presbutoros) referred to the "rank or office" of "those who presided over the assemblies
(or churches)," or "the superintendent, elder, or overseer of a Christian church."95 There is evidence that the terms enioKonoc, (episkopos) or bishop, and presbuteros have been used in different places in the New Testament to refer to the same office.96 For example, although presbuteros has been used to mean one who rules over (see 1 Tim. 5:17), the verb iniOKOnsaj (episkoped) has also been used in the New Testament to refer to
"overseeing the flock" (see 1 Pet. 5:2).97
Soon, in every church, elders/bishops who exhibited the qualities of behaviour and character that Paul taught in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, were Ordained through prayer and fasting (Acts 14:23). The ordaining of elders in every city (1 Tim. 1:5) came next and because society's elders were revered because of their age and wisdom, the
y5See Acts 14:23, 1 Ti. 1:5:17-19, 1 Pet. 5:1-4, Ja. 5:14, and 2 and 3 Jn; Danker, Entry for presbyteros (Strong's 4245); Strong, Entry for presbyteros (Strong's 4245); Smith, Entry for "Presbuteros"; Thayer, Entry for "Presbuteros", in The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimer's Wilke's ClavisNovi Testamenti (Lafayetter, IN: Associated Publishers and Authors, 1979).
Thayer, Entry for "episkopos".
97Danker, Entry for episkoped (Strong's 1983); Strong, Entry for episkoped (Strong's 1983).
37 church and city elder were both highly respected. Some element of authority was soon attributed to the function of the elder, for as Paul exhorted in 1 Timothy 5:17-19, the people were called to respect the "elders that rule."
In time the elder/bishop became the one in the assembly who represented the
"sacred tradition" of the faith and interceded before God for the needs of his fellow believers." Peter, identifying himself as an elder in 1 Peter 1, exhorted the elder to "feed the flock" he oversaw and to be a good example to them (5:1-4). James encouraged the sick to summons the elders to be anointed and prayed over by them (Ja. 5:14). John also referred to himself as elder, although it is unclear in 2 John and 3 John whether he is referring to his age or his ministry.
Ecclesiologist David A. Steele likened the New Testament elder/bishop to "a
'playing coach'...an effective coach needed to actively examine the operation of the entire team and the condition of each member," as he was "responsible for the care of the church as a whole, as well as the supervision of the ministry of individual members."
He was also to "keep the church in order and give it guidance."101 Thus, the elder/bishop was involved in, as well as responsible for, the care, ministry, and guidance of the Church.
Besides the apostles, deacons, and elders/bishops, a fourth leader in the New
Testament Church was the pastor, designated by the Greek masculine noun, noi\if\v
David A. Steele, Images of Leadership and Authority for the Church: Biblical Principles and Secular Models, (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1986), 30.
38 (poimen), which meant a "herdsman," or "shepherd."102 In John 10, poimen is used metaphorically by Jesus to refer to Himself, while in Hebrew 13:20 and 1 Peter 2:25 and
5:4, poimen is used to refer to "the presiding officer, manager, [or] director of any assembly." In the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament one finds that in New
Testament times poimen was not yet considered a title by itself to mean the leader of the congregation, for "only in Ephesians 4:11 is poimen used without the corresponding
'.. .and teachers'" to refer to the pastoring and teaching ministries of the poimen) An important function of the pastor, then, was to "combat error" through the teaching of proper theology.105
Two other important functions of the pastor were "to seek the lost"—to which
Jesus had referred regarding Himself as being the Good Shepherd and in the parable of the good shepherd—and to care for the flock or congregation—to which Peter had exhorted in his First Epistle.10
The New Testament pastor's authority came from his being called to ministry by
God, as well as the relationship he had built with his "flock." Character qualities were also an important qualifier for the pastor as is seen in 1 Peter 5:2ff and previously in John
102Danker, Entry for poimen (Strong's 4166); Strong, Entry for poimen (Strong's 4166); Thayer, Entry for poimen.
103Thayer, 1979.
104Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in One Volume, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, trans, and abrid. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), 903.
I05lbid.
106Ibid.
39 21:15ff.107
Closely related to the pastor's ministry was the ministry of the didaskalos the masculine noun form of the verb, bibaoxco {didasko)—meaning "to teach" which refers to "one who teaches concerning the things of God and the duties of man."1
Didaskalos can also refer to "one who is fitted to teach, or thinks himself so" or to "those who by their great power as teachers draw crowds around them, that is, John the Baptist, and Jesus."110 The Apostles including Paul, as well as others empowered by the Holy
Spirit to teach in the gathered church, and even "false teachers" were called bibaoxaAoi
(didaskaloi).nx But the Church teachers "equip(ed) the saints for the work of ministry and building up the body of Christ" by instructing sound doctrine, witness, and conduct
(Eph. 4:11-14).112 David A. Steele pointed out that in order to succeed in these tasks, the teacher needed to "be open to God's direction in their own lives in order to accomplish these tasks." They would also need to be versatile enough to "work in large group, small group, and individual settings, depending on circumstances."
To review, ministry in the New Testament ranged from that of disciples/apostles, deacons, elders/bishops/overseers, evangelists, pastors, prophets, and teachers. As these
107lbid.
108Danker, Entry for didasko (Strong's 1321); Strong, Entry for didasko (Strong's 1321); Smith, Entry for "didasko"; Thayer, Entry for "didasko.
109Thayer.
110Ibid.
11'Ibid.
1I2Steele, 38.
U3Ibid.
40 ministries developed by the gifting of the Holy Spirit and by the evident needs of the people, there was a subtle but distinctive shift in how the people understood the authority of those in ministry. When the leadership of the Church moved from that of the apostles to that of the elders/bishops, the perceived source of authority also moved. Although the minister's authority always comes from God's calling and the Holy Spirit's gifting, the people began to see the authority as coming from the office itself. So, regardless of the person in the office of ministry, the office itself was seen to carry with it an authority that the people had to obey.114
Despite this development, the leadership remained plural, vis-a-vis. "the apostles",
"the elders"; yet, since the needs of the time required quicker decision-making, the leadership began to recognize one among them for special decision-making.115 Although plurality of leadership was taught, a "leader of leaders" was emerging,116 and with that emergence, the priesthood of all believers was beginning to hand their ministry responsibilities over to those leaders. In response, Paul reminded the Christians who would read his letters that the Spirit is the Giver of the gifts of and for ministry. He also reminded the congregations that it was their responsibility, with the Spirit's guidance, to
"test and recognize these gifts."117 As F.W. Waters aptly wrote, "The Spirit [still] ruled the brotherhood."118
The ministry seen in the New Testament was Christian in that it began with the
114lbid.,7.
115lbid.
116lbid.
117lbid.
118Waters, 35.
41 prophecies of the immanent Christ, was embodied in His example of Incarnational ministry, and continued in the lives and ministries of those whom He had prepared to continue in the character and practice of ministry. These practising Christian ministers were set apart for ministry, in similar ways as their Hebrew predecessors. Waters points out that this calling was "symbolized ... [by the] laying on of hands as God's blessing was invoked on those gifted brethren."119 The letters that were circulated throughout the gatherings of new Christians reinforced the practices of the Christian ministry, with special emphasis given to the character of the minister.
It is important to draw some theological conclusions concerning what has been discovered about ministry by the close of the New Testament. With regards to the identity, authority, and responsibility of the New Testament ministerial leadership, it is clear that the same three conclusions made concerning the preparation of Old Testament spiritual leadership can be applied to the preparation and ministry of New Testament spiritual leaders. First, it can be seen in the ministry of Jesus and the writings of the
Apostles, that God called, equipped, authenticated, and accompanied His ministerial leadership. Second, as can be seen in the response of the disciples to Jesus' call, the called persons responded by accepting the call, were taught and/or trained for the specific duties of the calling, and endeavoured to remain close to God in the leading of the people.
Third, it can be seen that those led by these spiritual leaders involved themselves in a ceremony consecrating the leaders to God's service, and followed their leadership.
Although some turned away, as Paul noted in his letters, those who did not turn away supported their leaders in material, as well as behavioural, ways.
42 This chapter opened with the question, "Why do Christians prepare for Ordained
Ministry and how do they prepare?" This overview of the Biblical, historical, and theological foundations of preparing leaders for Christian ministry has shown that preparation for Christian ministry is a clear and necessary practice with roots in the Old
Testament practices of the priest, Levite, and prophet; and fulfillment in the Life and
Ministry of Jesus Christ and those who were called to, and followed after, Him. The next chapter will show how the Christian Church has built upon these foundations from the close of the New Testament to Baptist Ministry today.
43 CHAPTER TWO
Why Baptists Prepare for Leadership in the Ministry: Ordination in Church History
A. The Ancient Church to the Protestant Reformation
1. The Patristic Period of the Church
2. The Church in the Middle Ages
3. The Church in the Renaissance
4. The Protestant Reformation
B. Ordination in Church History: The Emergence of the Baptists to Today
1. Baptist Ministry in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century America
2. Ordained Baptist Ministry in "Canada": Eighteenth- to Twentieth- Centuries
44 CHAPTER TWO
Why Baptists Prepare for Leadership in the Ministry: Ordination in Church History
The Ancient Church to the Protestant Reformation
This chapter will trace the place and growth of the Ordained Ministry from the close of the historic New Testament Church to Baptist Ministry today. This growth will be seen against the backdrop of the history of the Christian Church from the Patristic
Period, through the Middle Ages, and Renaissance and will arrive on the verge of the
Protestant Reformation before tracing the emergence of the Baptist Ministry from its
European and English influences through to present Ordained Baptist Ministry in Atlantic
Canada.
The Patristic Period of the Church
The New Testament closed with the ordaining to Christian ministry securely in the hands of all believers as led by the Holy Spirit who called individuals to serve God in a ministry set apart by the laying on of hands. As is seen in the closing letters of the
Apostle Paul, persecution had already begun against Christians, especially their leaders.
But as persecution grew, so did the Church as she developed her identity and patterned her organization into a functioning fellowship. Bishops began "governing a particular church" or churches to the extent that their churches could do "nothing without the bishop" as he "represent(ed) God the Father." 121
Kenneth Scott LaTourette. A History of Christianity. Vol. I: Beginnings to 1500 (San Francisco, CA: Harper Collin, 1975), 172.
45 The first reference to Ordination being something beyond "laying on of hands" is found in The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, where he suggested that because the
Lord's Supper was observed at the close of the Ordination rite, then Ordination itself, took on "sacramental significance", emphasizing the clergy's priestly function over other
1 99 roles. By A.D. 217, however, Hippolytus had separated himself from the Roman
Catholic Church for these and other reasons. Soon Donatists refused to recognize Roman
Catholics as the Church, claiming that when they had tolerated the sin of those who handed over the Scriptures while under the persecution of Emperor Diocletian, Roman
Catholics ceased to be the Church. Thus, "baptisms or ordinations performed by
Catholics" were also considered invalid, based on the logic that since they tolerated sinners, whom the Spirit does not tolerate, their baptized would need re-baptism and their clergy, re-ordination. In this way, the Donatist awakened the idea that the validity of the administrator of the Ordination was what made the Ordination valid.123
In response, Augustine emphasized the difference between the "validity" and the
"efficacy" of the Ordination rite. He insisted that since the Ordination was validated by
Christ, it could not be rescinded, nor did it need to be repeated in any way, regardless of the state of the ordaining body. Thus the belief that once the Church Ordained someone, that person would remain Ordained—emphasizing the power of the Church in the individual Christian's life, ministry, and salvation as became more apparent in the Middle
22Glenn E. Hinson, "Ordination in Christian History," Review & Expositor 78 (Fall 1981): 487-8.
23Ibid.
46 The East took a more charismatic approach to Ordination to the Christian
Ministry. Believing that the sacrificing of the physical for the sake of the spiritual was of a higher order than any rite of Ordination, through "fasting, prayer, and self-abnegation", monks who had been highly disciplined were also highly regarded by the people.
Because of this high discipline and high regard, many monks served as clergy. Soon most Eastern clergy came from these motivations for discipline and regard. In addition, some monks were forced into Ordained Ministry, giving rise to an artificial elevated view of Ordination, so as to disqualify some monks from entering a priesthood that they did not want to enter. It was during this time that the self-denying brought an even higher view to Ordination. Former Professor of Church History, Glenn E. Hinson, writes that
Chrysostom "attributed to Ordination the power to create an essential difference between heaven and earth, above human beings and only a little lower than angels. It is 'indeed discharged on earth, but it ranks among heavenly Ordinances.'"125
Throughout the first and second century of the now-growing Church, new members were required to take three years of instruction before they could be baptized.
This instruction included apologetics to arm them against the attacks they would face as newly-baptized Christians. Soon after Constantine's vision and subsequent edict of freedom of religion in 313 A.D., the Church's new growth and need for instruction created the need for an organized clergy that could determine what was and was not
'^Ibid., 489.
J. Edward Hakes, An Introduction to Evangelical Christian Education (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1979), 27.
127J. M. Price et al. "Part I: Philosophy of Religious Education," in A Survey of Religious Education (New York, NY: Ronald, 1959), 55.
47 "orthodox and acceptable" in Church practice. At the same time, the Empire was being bombarded by Barbarian invasions throughout the second to fifth centuries which brought "chaos to the Roman World." Some sought to escape this chaos by withdrawing to form monasteries where they preserved the Christian documents and lifestyle, and started monastic schools to train the future religious clergy, as well as the children of society's elite.
Simultaneously, the clergy was growing into a distinct class that was answerable to no one but themselves. Contributing to this distinction was the Church's need for strong leadership to combat persecution and invasion from without, and division and heresy from within. So as leadership was sought amongst those who were gifted with strong personalities and leadership skills, the Biblical concept of the priesthood of all believers, was being replaced by a hierarchy of leaders and followers. Bishops and elders emerged, who discussed Church matters only amongst themselves and formed councils with chairmen to guide their writings, discussions, and revised doctrines. Soon this influential fellowship of elders and bishops also took on tasks of Church administration and the ministry of the Word.130
As city bishops became more prestigious than rural bishops, who had become "a kind of intermediate order between bishops and presbyters", a hierarchy within the hierarchy of religious leaders emerged. The city bishops became the sole administrators
Hakes, 27; Michael J. Anthony, Exploring the History and Philosophy of Christian Education (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2003), 136.
129Ibid., 27-28.
130Waters, 35-36; Anthony, 137.
48 of the rite of Ordination as seen in the laying on of hands.1 ' By the fourth century the bishops and elders had taken over the responsibility of choosing who would serve in which ministries. A somewhat circular pattern emerged as bishops selected and ordained the clergy, and the clergy elected the bishops.132 Metropolitans or bishops from each provincial capital, had "authority over all the clergy in their region", and when gathered in Council as such, they were considered the "organ of the Holy Spirit."133 By 325 A.D., the Nicaean Council had met and, among other things, had established the stipulation in
Canon 5 that Metropolitans must meet twice annually to judge matters of doctrine and discipline, although they were not subject to judgement themselves.134
In these early years though, developments within the Christian Church were making a significant impact. By 367 A.D., Athanasius had formulated the canon of
Scriptures that would be ratified at the Great Church Council of 397 A.D.135 In 381 A.D.,
Theodosius I had made Christianity the state religion, thereby removing the educational requirement for church membership because, if one was a member of the Imperial State, one was a member of the Imperial Church, whether educated by the Church or not.
The bishops of each of the five dioceses of the Eastern and Western church
131H. Richard Niebuhr and Daniel D. Williams, eds., The Ministry in Historical Perspectives (New York, NY: Harper and Brothers, 1965), 59.
132Waters, 36.
133Niebuhr and Williams, 59; Anthony, 137.
134Niebuhr and Williams, 59.
135Hakes, 27.
136William C. Kashatus, III, "What Love Can Do: A Brief History of Quaker Education in Philadelphia," Private School Monitor, vl5 n3 1994: 27; Homepage, [cited 27 August 2007]. Available at www.byzantinos.com.
49 became known as Patriarchs, who "'designate(d) those bishops who ruled over the oldest and largest of Christian communities—such as Rome, Constantinople, Antioch,
Alexandria, and Jerusalem.137 Although the Emperor of Rome had been designating himself pontifex maximus since as early as Julius Caesar, by 382 A.D., Emperor Gratian relinquished this title to the Bishop of Rome—St. Siricius, who, as pontifex maximus, was considered "supreme, ruling over subordinate sees [sic] and so over the whole
Church." He was called "Pope" and was considered to be in a direct line of succession to
Peter, as per the Church's interpretation of the Lord's direction in Matthew 16:18.138
Then came a period of cultural instability beginning with the 397 A.D. split in the
Roman Empire that divided the Eastern (Greek, Orthodox) Church from the Western
(Latin, Catholic) Church. By 500 A.D., the Classical Civilizations had also fallen.139 By
529 A.D. the pagan schools were so deteriorated that they were closed, and with these closures came a marked decline in the literacy of the populace. Although the use of the
Monastic schools increased somewhat, because of the declining level of literacy, the clergy began to teach using story and drama, while the builders began to use architecture to explain the Christian life.
So the view of Ordained Ministry moving into the Middle Ages was one that had moved from the priesthood of all believers, relying on the moving of the Holy Spirit to
137 Anthony, 137.
138M. C. Howatson and Ian Chilvers, Entry for "Julius Caesar", in The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Oxford, EN: Oxford University Press, 1993); Howatson and Chilvers, Entry for "Pontifex-maximus", in The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Oxford, EN: Oxford University Press, 1993); Howatson and Chilvers, Entry for "Roman Emperor", in The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Oxford, EN: Oxford University Press, 1993); Waters, 35.
139World History Time Line [workbook online], [cited 27 August 2007]. Available from http://studentsfriend.com/sfcimage/eras.gif.
50 show those gifted and called to ministry, to a religious hierarchy that left out the uneducated masses; a hierarchy that had as its foundation priests, at the local level, bishops overseeing them, metropolitans overseeing provinces, patriarchs overseeing the five dioceses and the Pope—the Bishop of Rome and chief overseer of the Church in its
140 entirety.
The Church in the Middle Ages
This chapter now turns to the place and growth of the Ordained Ministry in the
Middle Ages which is traditionally seen as the time of the Fall of Rome (c. 476 A.D.) to the dawn of the Renaissance (c. 1453 A.D.). During this time, there had developed a three-class system of society. The landowners were wealthy and had vassals who held their land by contract to the serfs who worked the land. Apart from these three classes were the secular clergy who worked in the churches and the religious clergy who were monks and nuns. The lower classes had little opportunity to move up in class, unless they had become war heroes or Ordained clergy. Many serfs became influential in society because of their Ordination141 but they were uneducated and untrained for the Ministry.
In fact, Emperor Charlemagne, himself the "sworn protector of the Church" was illiterate. Because of his illiteracy, Charlemagne brought a young scholar, Alcuim, from England to be his teacher and to educate his court. By emphasizing to the Emperor that "an ignorant leadership seriously threatened the integrity of the faith", Alcuim did
140Edward McNall Burns, Western Civilizations (NY: Norton, 1949), 203, footnote in Anthony, Exploring the History and Philosophy of Christian Education, 137.
141Hinson, 489.
M. C. Howatson and Ian Chilvers, Entry for "Charlamagne", in The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Oxford, EN: Oxford University Press, 1993).
51 much to change the state of the clergy in his time. Charlemagne not only required abbots and bishops to be educated, he also established cathedral and monastery schools for the training of secular clergy and the general population, respectively.144 These schools produced an atmosphere of free discussion and along with great thinkers, like
Abelard and others, helped to set the stage for the Renaissance.
While the increasing rift between the Western Latin Catholic Church in Rome and the Eastern Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople led to the c.1054 A.D. excommunication of each other, "guilds of scholars" began to meet in the developing towns of the splintered Empire.145 From 1095 to 1204, the Crusades brought turmoil to the area, including the Fourth Crusade which pitted the Western against the Eastern
Empire, only to have the Eastern Roman Empire fall, and with its fall, the conversion of much of the "origin(al) Christian lands ... [to] Islam."14 During this time, Western clergy were being distinguished by the privileges of being the only ones to drink the
Lord's Cup, with unique vestments, and with sole authority as Church disciplinarians.147
Between 1100 and 1300 the secondary and tertiary levels of education were emerging. Universities fuelled by Scholasticism and the re-discovery of classic
Marvin J. Taylor, ed.( An Introduction to Christian Education. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1966), 23.
144Hakes, 28; Howatson and Chilvers, Entry for "Charlamagne".
145Taylor, 23; Hakes, 28.
,46M. C. Howatson and Ian Chilvers, Entry for "High Middle Ages," in The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Oxford, EN: Oxford University Press, 1993).
147Hinson, 490.
l48Taylor, 24.
52 literature brought the return to Aristotle's deductive reasoning. Students were encouraged to ask questions and to speak freely on various topics, producing independent and progressive thinkers such as Dante, Luther, and Calvin.150 From the fourteenth century onwards, acquiring knowledge was a very high priority. Culture was reborn as
"advanced scholarship" ushered in the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation.151
Enlightenment, as exemplified in new theologies such as the Deist watch-maker view of
God, and Humanism, which emphasizes the significance of the individual within society,152 also served to open minds and hearts to a new way of looking at, and experiencing, Christianity.
The Church in the Renaissance
When in 1453, Constantinople fell and with it the Eastern Roman Empire, the
Western Roman Catholic Church became incredibly powerful. The increased communications and travel brought about by the industrial revolution was accompanied by the intellectual revolution of ideas, theologies, and the inductive method. Instead of having a deadening on the Church, the Church began to grow. Taking the Gospel "into all the world" seemed not only possible, but highly probable as the Church grew in numbers and expanded in territory.153 However, the various levels of hierarchy within
149Entry for "Middle Ages", in Britannica Concise Encyclopedia (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006).
150Priceefa/.,59.
l5lTaylor, 24.
Entry for "Renaissance", in Britannica Concise Encyclopedia (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006).
153 Anthony, 137.
53 the Renaissance Church could not hide the fact that many clergy were personally quite
"distance(d) from God."154 Untrained clergy were being appointed because of family and/or financial ties, while "called" clergy remained illiterate—not meeting the growing literacy of their congregants, let alone surpassing it, as an effective spiritual leader would do. Money was being raised in Biblically-questionable ways, such as the sale of indulgences or grace, simony, and dispensations.
As literacy grew, more people came to realize that something was desperately wrong with the state of the Roman Catholic clergy. Cynicism and suspicion grew to contempt, for some saw a lack of concern amongst the clergy for peoples' spiritual state—seeming as some clergy were, more concerned about their appointment than their spiritual leadership. Many were under-educated, if educated at all in the very few seminaries for training in the skills of ministry; they had been Ordained upon request or by payment; and many were of fallen character, showing instead an "ignorance, barbarism, rudeness, drunkenness, and lack of spiritual understanding."156 Even the
Papacy had been corrupted by accepting payment for clergy appointments, nepotism, and sexual sin.157
"Corruption, ineptness, and insensitivity" were descriptors of the clergy that were now seen as being quite separate from the laity who had once been part of the priesthood.
The once-respected Church clergy, and/or monks were revered no more.158 Some clergy
'Ibid., 190-191.
Ibid,
'ibid.
!Hinson, 490.
54 responded to the disillusionment with the hierarchical ministry by "distanc(ing) themselves from many of the excessive practices." For example, the Waldenses believed that a Christian leader's lifestyle, character, and apostolic doctrine, not their Ordination, qualified that leader to administer the rites of the Church, including the sacraments and disciplines. The Waldenses claimed that, "Evil life, they insisted, invalidates the functions of the clergy."159
Because of all these discrepancies within the priesthood, many people began to view the act of Ordination with scepticism. The Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and some
Anglican churches continued to consider Ordination to be a "sacrament which delineated an essential difference between clergy and laity", while the Protestants believed that
Ordained "ministers differed [from laity] only in function."160 Although some radical
Christians "rejected the rite" of Ordination altogether, most reformers insisted that the laying on of hands only shows a difference in a person's function in ministry."161
As F. W. Waters has observed, in 1,200 years the clergy had moved from the New
Testament "ministry of the Word into a [corrupted] priesthood that ruled the Church, dispensed the sacraments and ministered before God on behalf of the people."162
Christian Ministry had moved from an elder "declar(ing) the Gospel on behalf of Christ" to an often insensitive "ruler of the congregation, assuming the authority of an agent of
God."163 As the Church became too big for the overseeing bishop to dispense
159Ibid., 490-491.
160Ibid.
161Ibid.,491.
162Waters, 36
163Ibid.
55 sacraments—and thereby grace—he "delegated [the responsibility] to local clergy [who] thus became priests" who could decide who could and who could not partake, and thus who could and could not go to heaven or hell.164 By the end of the Renaissance, "the evolution of the" clerical hierarchy of control had begun to "reverse", as the newly- educated masses became less superstitious of the clergy's power and thus less under the
"bondage of the clerical system."165 A ministerial change was needed and a ministerial change came with the Protestant Reformation of the early fourteenth century.
The Protestant Reformation
The Reformation has been called "one of the strongest apologetics for the value of religious education as a means of social progress", and rightly so, for religious education through the availability of the Bible and theological literature in the vernacular responded to the prepared minds and leaders of the Renaissance, the spiritually charged peoples of the revivals sweeping across Europe, and the urbanization of the people moving to the industrialized cities.1 Leaders emerged from the universities and educated clergy: from
Germany (Luther and Melanchthon), Switzerland (Zwingli, the Anabaptists, and Calvin in Geneva), and Scotland (Knox).
The Reformation highlighted the believer's soul liberty and soul competency before God, which led to patterns of intentional faith development and knowledge.168
""Waters. 37.
166Price et al., 60-61; Hakes, 28.
I67lbid.; Entry for "John Knox", in Britannica Concise Encyclopedia (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006).
168Taylor, 24.
56 The principle of the Protestant Reformation held "that every person be able to read the
Scripture in his own language, for his salvation, and personal growth."1 9 Thus, the
Reformers taught literacy and once again the preached sermon became the center of worship. As literacy increased, this led to the need for schools. As the minister became more educated, he also "became the chief teacher and school supervisor."170 The importance of correct doctrine lifted the teaching of that correct doctrine among the reformed minister's priorities.
With regards to "clergy" and "laity", the terms remained but they no longer referred to differences in authority or privilege before God or within the Church. Instead, these terms showed a difference only in function, as clergy returned to being leader- priests within the "priesthood of all believers."171 As is pointed out in Protestantism—A
Baptist Interpretation, "The Protestant ideal of the Church was that of the New
Testament, a worshipping fellowship of believers obligated to minister to one another [as well as] "reach(ing) out in ministry to all men with the witness of the Gospel. The unity of the Spirit became more important than unity of organization and control."172 Also emerging within this unity of the Spirit, were three important "marks of the Protestant view of the ministry": the status of the minister, the function of the ministry, and authority in ministry.173
First, the minister's status was returned to the New Testament place of the "sinner
169Hakes, 128.
170Neibuhr and Williams.
"'Waters, 36.
172Ibid.
173Ibid., 37.
57 saved by grace."174 The minister no longer stood above the layperson in access to God, calling from God, or gifting by the Spirit. Instead, the Ordination of the minister was a recognition—by the Body of Christ-—that the individual had the recognizable gifts and training for a particular area of the ministry of the Church. Because the Church reformed from an emphasis on the organization and returned to the New Testament unity of the
Spirit, it was recognized that God's Spirit had stirred individuals to offer their gifts and training in the context of the Church, in order to serve others inside and outside of the faith; and that that same Spirit of God led the church to recognize the calling and ability of these individuals and to set them apart as God's called spokesperson and minister to them.175
Second, the ministry's identity also returned to that seen in the New Testament.
The Protestant view held that the minister conveyed grace through the proclamation of the Word of God and the exhortation to the individual to change. Hence, there is no conveyance of God's grace because of the office, the Ordination, or the incantations of the minister; it is only through the Presence of the Holy Spirit working through the minister and in the hearts of those who would listen and respond in faith, that God's grace is freely given.17
Third, as a result of the Protestant Reformation, the ministry's authority was recognized, once again as being the domain of God through the "presence and power of the Holy Spirit working in the fellowship of men and women who acknowledge Jesus
174Ibid.
175Ibid.
176Ibid.
58 Christ as Lord." With this recognition of the true Authority of ministry, those in the
Ordained Protestant ministry only bore authority as it related to their surrendering to the guidance and authority of the Word of God, and their proclamation of that authoritative
Word.177
The Protestant Reformation then attempted to restore New Testament, apostolic ministry to the priesthood of all believers and not just to the Ordained. As mentioned, the terms "clergy" and "laity" were still used to show a difference, not of status, authority, nor privilege, but of function based on the grace of God extended to all who believe in, and are called to serve, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ordination in Church History: The Emergence of the Baptists to Today
This part of this chapter will trace the Baptist development of Ordained Ministry from the post-Reformation era to present day. The leading influencers and theological developments pertaining to the historically emerging Baptist pastoral ministry will be identified, as well as the Ordination practices of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist
Churches today.
In the later 1500s and 1600s, several things contributed to the emergence of a new expression of New Testament faith—the Baptists. In Europe, Separatist Anabaptists were persecuted for upholding religious freedom and the baptizing of converts. In
England, Henry VIII's 1534 break from the Church of Rome soon failed to bring the necessary reform, as he kept much of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, including making
l77Ibid., 37-38.
59 himself head of the re-established Anglican Church. Thus, Puritans from within and
Separatists from without attempted to reform the Anglican Church.
Meanwhile an Ordained Anglican named John Smyth left the Anglican Church for several reasons including the fact that he was disallowed from preaching in his home church when his local minister was absent. Smyth also believed that the Anglicans' use of the Calvinist tri-form ministry of pastors, teachers, and rulers was "too papist", preferring instead to have a uni-form ministry, that recognized all ministers as performing the same function.181
Around 1606 when he was pastoring a Separatist church in Gainsborough,
England, Smyth and layman, Thomas Helwys, led part of this group to Holland in order to escape the religious persecution of James I.182 Influenced by their own reading of the
Scriptures as well as the theology of the Dutch Anabaptists, the Smyth group disbanded as Separatists a few years later. Smyth baptized himself and then all believers in the group, thus forming what has been called the "first identifiable Baptist Church" in Europe, based on one God, the authority of the Scripture, religious liberty, believers' baptism, church autonomy, and the separation of church and state. Although Smyth later recanted his self-baptism, Thomas Helwys did not and around 1611, Helwys took a
Baptist group back to England and formed what has been called the first "Baptist
180Entry for "Baptist", in Britannica Concise Encyclopedia (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006); Hakes, 29; Price et al., 60.
1 H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness. (Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 35; George E. Levy, The United Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces, Davis C. Woolley, ed. (Baptist Advance. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1964), 10, quoted in McBeth.
McBeth, 33-34; Entry for "Baptist" in Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia.
l83McBeth, 21,35.
60 Congregation on English soil" in London. Since their theology of atonement was
1 84
Arminian, they became known as the "General Baptists."
By 1624 there were five General Baptist Churches in England who agreed on believer's baptism, the congregation's right and ability to elect her own officers: elders who preached, and both male and female deacons, church autonomy within some limitations, and cooperative ministry through formal associations with other Baptist churches.185
By the late 1630s a Calvinist Puritan group had left the Church of England to form a completely autonomous Baptist Church. To reflect their theology of limited atonement, they became known as the "Particular Baptists."186 Although both groups thrived in England, by 1650 the General Baptists had more influence than the Particular
Baptists.187
The Baptists that then came to America in the 1600s and 1700s were a faith-group that had clearly formulated beliefs and church order. They only baptized believers— some even by immersion; they upheld the New Testament principle of the priesthood of all believers; they practiced congregational polity with some associations and a general assembly; and they enjoyed the separation of church and state under the 1689 Act of
Toleration.188
184Entry for "Baptist" in Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia; McBeth, 38.
185McBeth, 39, 32.
186Ibid., 22.
l87Robert Wilson, Baptist History and Polity Class Notes, (Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville, NS, Canada, July 1995).
l88McBeth, 98.
61 The Baptist Ministry that came to America was two-fold: pastor/teachers or elders and deacons.189 In 1611, the pastor's focus was on the ministry of the Word, while the deacon's focus was on ministry to the physical needs of the congregation.190 The first minister—the pastor—experienced a divine call that led him to minister through feeding the souls of the "flock" (see Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2-3), leading in worship, administering the Ordinances, disciplining the church, and witnessing.191 His authority came from God who had called him but he was ordained by his congregation for life-time service to that congregation. Should he feel called to pastor in another congregation, he would need permission from both congregations before he moved. He was not necessarily educated, for although the early American Baptist pastor/teachers had been educated as
Anglicans, formal education was not a requirement for Ordination or for the practice of ministry.193 Most ministers were given little or no support from their congregations and so supported themselves and their families by working in trades or farming, just as their
T i 194 congregants did.
According to Acts 6:1-4, the second minister—the deacon—focussed on the physical needs of the congregation. Most Baptist churches in the 1600s had one male and
189ibid.,76.
190Ibid.,77.
191 William L. Lumpkin, ed. Baptist Confessions of Faith (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1959), 121- 122 quoted in McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, 76; McBeth, 76-77.
192Lumpkin, Ibid., McBeth, 77-78.
193McBeth, 76.
194Ibid.
62 one female deacon, while larger congregations having more than these two.195 The female deacons served by visiting the sick, the needy, and the widows, in the same ways as the males, although the female deacons would assist female candidates for baptism.196
Deacons were not required to have any special training but were ordained by the local congregation for the time they served. Should they move to another congregation, they
1Q7 would need to be re-ordained.
In the 1650s the General Baptists added a third office: the Messenger. Although discontinued in the late 1700s, it reappeared in the twentieth century as Superintendent, and or Area/Regional Minister. The Messenger was a "minister at large" for churches that were geographically close, for coordinating combined ministry through evangelism, church planting, and strengthening. The Messenger, who was also bi-vocational, also served to "bring churches and available pastors together" and in extremely remote churches might even ordain ministering elders.
By and large, the Baptist Ordination practices that came to America differed from other Reformation churches, in that those ordained had been individually called and gifted by God and then ordained by the church laity, and not by other clergy.199 They did not believe that there was any need to have Ordinations approved by any other group, for since there was no higher authoritative group than the local congregation under Christ, the local congregation under Christ used Biblical criteria to examine the called to 195 Ibid.
196Ibid., 77.
197Ibid., 78.
198Ibid., 76, 79.
'"Waters, 38.
63 ministry.200 The Ordained Baptist minister's subsequent authority in ministry did not come from his or her Ordination but directly from the Word of God as recognized by the
201 local congregation.
Baptist Ministry in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century America
Although the General Baptists had had more influence in England, the Particular
202
Baptists had more influence in the Colonies. Two different Particular Baptist men have been credited with founding the first Baptist Church in America: John Clark in
Newport, Rhode Island between 1638 and 1648, and Rogers Williams, in Providence,
Rhode Island, in 1639.203 Both memberships of these congregations were based on the
"individual's profession of faith", believer's baptism, democracy, religious liberty, and the separation of church and state.204 The General Baptists of this time upheld the same beliefs, except on the theology of atonement, and their practice of the laying on of hands to welcome in new members.205 As persecution for these beliefs increased in New
England, many General Baptists moved to the South.
The 1700s was a century of growth for the Baptists in North America. By 1707 the five Particular Baptist congregations of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania came together in ministerial and financial support and formed the Philadelphia Baptist 200Ibid., 39.
201Ibid.
202Ibid.
203Entry for "Baptist", in Britannica Concise Encyclopedia; William H. Brackney Baptists in North America: An Historical Perspective. (Wiley-Blackwood: Oxford, 2006), 23.
204Entry for "Baptist", in Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia; McBeth, 130.
205McBeth, 149.
64 Association. Beginning in 1738, the revivals brought to Baptist congregations
Congregationalists who were seeking a church that would uphold adult conversions, the supremacy of the Word of God, lay preaching, and congregational government.
Baptist churches involved their members more as the laity initiated in prayer, Bible
907 reading, and "exhortations to godliness." Church ministry turned outward as travelling evangelists took the Gospel to the marginalized, "down-trodden," and slaves.
More men were going into the Baptist Ministry, and although there were remnants of suspicion towards the educated state clergy, the need for Baptist training institutes brought about the establishment of Rhode Island College in 1764.209 Although the
Middle Colonies sent their young men to be trained for ministry there, the South still delivered their theological education and ministerial training through one-to-one mentoring between a young man or pastor and a supervising minister.210
The Baptists in America had continued to strive for the separation of church and state and by the end of the eighteenth century they had it.211 They numbered 67,490 members in 979 congregations that served together in 42 Associations.212 These Baptists had a Confession of Faith from 1742, a Bible College from 1764, and a moderate
"Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1969), 105.
208Ibid., 105, 112.
209Levy, 9.
210McBeth, 237.
211Richard B. Morris and Jeffrey B. Morris, eds., Entry for "Baptist Churches", in Encyclopedia of American History, 7th ed. (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1996).
212McBeth, 200.
65 Calvinistic evangelical theology.
The Ordained Baptist Ministry that came to British North America—what would be called "Canada"—was a called ministry. Some distinguished the "Providential Call" of God from the "outward call" of the church but neither call was as subjective as it
seems to be today. The congregation had an active role in discerning and/or affirming the individual's call, and some congregations even approached individuals with the call to ministry. Regardless of the nature or vehicle of the call, the church took responsibility to evaluate and encourage an individual's calling and gifts for ministry, by beginning the
Ordination process with local opportunities to minister. If this local ministry proved unfruitful, the individual was encouraged to discontinue the process, but if this local ministry proved fruitful—or at least potentially fruitful—the individual would often be encouraged to preach outside of the local congregation. Should that ministry show
fruitfulness, the individual might be formally Ordained to either a particular specific pastorate where ideally he would stay for his lifetime or to itinerate ministry with more
general. If he left his specific pastorate or itinerate ministry, the pastor would need to be re-Ordained to minister at the new location.214
The duties of these ministers entering British North America included conducting
worship in either the Regular/"Charleston Tradition" of intentional order or the Separate
Baptist/'Sandy Creek Tradition" of charismatic ardour.215 Although congregations were
more active in prayer and Bible reading, their pastors still had substantial spiritual
2I3Ibid.,251.
214Ibid., 247.
15Torbet, 121, 234; Entry for "Baptist", Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia
66 authority, so the laity relied on their Ordained pastorate to "discover", "articulate", and lead the congregation in the will of God.216
Although some of the pastors had been trained in England before coming to the colonies, the Separate Baptists were still concerned that education could affect their ministers' spirituality in a negative way, as they had seen in some clergy in England.217
Because of this concern, the Separatists discouraged their ministers from pursuing formal education—some stating that "if God wanted educated preachers...he would call educated preachers."218 The Regular Baptists, on the other hand, had a trained clergy— although training them tended to be difficult with only three options: to return to
England, which was more difficult after the Revolutionary War; to travel to Harvard or
Yale where they would most probably be persecuted and required to sign into the state religion before graduating; or to study on their own.219
The pastors' financial support came from their being bi-vocational, as a mark of faith, since many believed that the salaried state clergy were suspect, corrupt and/or invalid. Unfortunately, some salaried pastors and congregations gave credence to these allegations when, if dissatisfied with the preaching, some churches withheld their financial support, while some pastors even took their congregations to court to receive their wages. However, Joseph Hencks, a Baptist from this era, stated that as much as
216McBeth, 248.
217Ibid., 150.
218Ibid., 234.
219Ibid., 235.
220Ibid., 150, 235.
221Ibid., 248.
67 they were able, it was the "duty of the church" to support their pastor financially.
Despite these difficulties in the support of the ministry, when the Baptist Ministry came to British North America, it had undergone an internal renewal, and had emerged a
"confident, aggressive, evangelistic people." As H. Leon McBeth has written in The
Baptist Heritage, "They had discovered purpose in evangelism, missions, and education and had organized to pursue those objectives."223
Ordained Baptist Ministry in "Canada": Eighteenth- to Twentieth-Centuries
The eighteenth century brought the influence of the Baptists in America across the territory of British North America, in a wave from the eastern Maritimes in the 1770s, to the central region, Prairies, and eventually to Victoria, British Columbia by 1871.224 The earliest Baptist churches were in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, where American colonists, farmers, fishermen, United Empire Loyalists, and Congregationalist "New
Light" converts from the Great Awakenings had settled.225 One such New Light was
Henry Alline, from Rhode Island, who evangelized across the Maritimes from April 1776 to September 1783 and planted many New Light congregations—many of which became
Baptist congregations.226 In 1763, the British preacher, Ebenezer Moulton, came from
Brimfield, Massachusetts to Nova Scotia and planted a Baptist Church in Horton—now
Isaac Backus. A History of New England with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptists. Vol. 2 (Newton: MA, 1871), 22.
223McBeth, 251.
224Ibid., 285.
McBeth, 285; Jarold K. Zeman, ed., Baptists in Canada: Search for Identity Amidst Diversity (Burlington, ON: G. R. Welch, 1980), 31-32.
226McBeth, 335-336; Zeman, 32.
68 Wolfville, Nova Scotia. After its reconstitution in 1778, it is considered to be Canada's oldest Baptist Church, from which over 20 other Baptist Churches have grown.227
However, by 1798, there was sufficient faulty doctrine, "perverted Biblical teaching," and moral decline amongst these new churches, that the first Association
Meeting was called between the Baptists and the Congregational New Lights to bring unity to their endeavours to reform these problems. Since the Baptists were the larger number, the second Association Meeting of 1799 only included the 12 Nova Scotia
Baptist Churches and 6 New Brunswick Baptist Churches. By 1800 they had adopted autonomy of the local church and were discussing Ordination practices. Between 1800 and 1828, a letter written by Rev. Joseph Dimock was circulated with the Association
Meeting minutes that made reference to taking "Care in ordaining ministers." In this letter, Dimock declared that examining candidates based solely on "natural ability, scholastic acquirements and doctrinal knowledge" could lead to "wolves in sheep's clothing, rending the flock of God, feeding on the fat and clothing themselves with the wool and starving the flock." Rev. Dimock's letter also pointed out that these credentials are "no proof...that a man is called of God to preach the gospel." Instead, it was important to determine whether or not "he is zealous in the cause of God and interested in the salvation of sinners, or useful in times of reformation. His knowledge, stability, consistency, sentiments, life and conversation must be examined.'" He concluded that since the ordaining congregation could be deceived, it was important that they use "every
998 means possible" to determine the will of God and thus, "prevent such mischief."
227McBeth, 336.
228Edward Manning Saunders, History of the Baptists of the Maritime Provinces (Halifax, NS: Press of John Burgoyne, 1902), 167.
69 On another occasion, the Association was asked whether or not it would bring
God glory if a church "Ordain(ed) a minister without calling a council of sister churches." The Association's answer recognized the autonomy of the local church to make its own choice of officers, but also agreed that it would be "highly improper for any church, travelling in an associated capacity with others, to proceed to the Ordination of a minister without the advice and assistance of sister churches." In this way, even in the early years, the principles of local autonomy in association were upheld simultaneously.229
In the early 1800s, the basis for a truly "Maritime" Convention of Atlantic Baptist
Churches was forming as John Scott and Alexander Crawford formed Baptist Churches in Prince Edward Island.230 During this time, there were at least two schools of thought on the training of ministers. While the Free "Canadian" Baptists relied upon "the experience test for ministry", by 1824, the need for an educated Baptist Ministry was formalized by a letter from Archibald McQueen to Rev. Charles Tupper suggesting the establishment of a Seminary in Atlantic Canada.231 On June 23, 1828, the first meeting regarding an educational institution in Horton, Nova Scotia was held. The first
Prospectus issued for the new Horton Academy stated that its primary objective was "the providing of suitable instruction within the reach of young men who feel themselves called to the ministry of the Gospel."232 On May 1, 1829 fifty (50) students met for the
229lbid., 210-211.
230McBeth, 336.
23'Harold Mitton and Philip Griffin-Allwood, "Theological Education Among Canadian Baptists", Section IV in Canadian Baptist History and Polity, Murray J. S. Ford, ed. (Hamilton, ON: McMaster, c. 1982), 56.
232Mitton and Allwood, 57.
70 first class of Horton Academy in what is now Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Although a High
School and Seminary were also established in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1836 , the Academy in Nova Scotia endured to become the educational institution that it is today—Acadia University and with it her Department of Theology known as Acadia
Divinity College.
In 1846, the Baptists within the three Maritime Provinces included 88 ministers serving 14,152 members in 173 congregations.234 In 1854, twelve (12) black churches in
Nova Scotia formed the African Baptist Association, and by 1879, when these two (2)
Baptist groups combined, the name was officially changed to the Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces. This new body upheld the principle of association by establishing regional unions for their initiatives in missions.235
By the dawn of the twentieth century, Maritime Baptists had emerged from
Protestant roots with a reformed worship that was focussed on the Word of God.236 Their polity was congregational with local church autonomy based on Matthew 18:15-17 and 1
Corinthians 6:1-3. Their membership was a covenanted community of believers who had been baptized by immersion and who cooperated together in associations and regional unions. For the purpose of missions, publications, and education, these congregations pooled what the Lord had provided them and met in Convention Assemblies to discuss, and to do, the work they believed God had called them to do.
The ministry of these Baptist congregations was defined by the Biblical principle
233McBeth, 337.
234 Levy, 141, quoted in McBeth, 336.
235McBeth, 285.
Entry for "Baptist" in Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia.
71 of the priesthood of all believers, based on 1 Peter 2:9 and 1 Timothy 5, as well as the practice of Jesus and His Disciples/Apostles. Within the priesthood of all believers and based on the principles found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1-2, these Baptists recognized the offices of pastor/teacher or elder, and deacon. Some of the duties of these two offices overlapped but the pastors were called to be responsible for the ministry within the church including evangelizing the lost with preaching and Bible study, and teaching the converted, planting churches, leading in public worship, caring for the sick
and grieving, and generally providing spiritual leadership to the congregation and community. Although some pastors performed these duties without training, others were
able to receive formal education in theology and practical ministry. Pastors were now set
aside by Ordination not only because of their calling and Bible-based, Christian character but also because of their training.
The 1900s brought an historic union of the Maritime Freewill Baptists and the
Regular Baptists that endures to this day. The formalization of the union began on
October 10, 1905 in Waterloo Street Free Baptist Church and Main Street Church of the
Regular Baptists. On September 3, 1906, the Nova Scotia Free Baptists met with the
Union Baptists in Yarmouth Nova Scotia and the United Baptist Convention of the
Maritime Provinces was formed, uniting 64,189 members in 569 congregations.238 The
document that solidified this union was called the "Basis of Union" which outlined the combined members' doctrinal statement with 14 paragraphs and four (4) articles on
McBeth, 241.
'ibid., 242.
72 polity.239 The articles that referred to Ordination established licensing by local churches as the first step in the Ordination practice. In 1921 the Convention formed a committee to spend a year studying Ordination practices and, for the sake of "consistency and equality", the Assembly formed an examining council in 1922 with members from the local associations.240 At the Assembly in 1950 the "set of standards and regulations for ministerial Ordinations and credentials" was approved.241
Although the Academy in Horton, Nova Scotia had grown into the theological department of Acadia University, many within Baptist circles were concerned about the number of ministerial students that were still going to the United States for training.
94.9
Some were not returning and others were returning disillusioned. In 1946, a paper was presented to the Baptist Minister's Institute of the Convention in which Rev. Alex Crowe of Marysville, New Brunswick voiced these concerns. After subsequent reports, the recommendation was made that a Bible School that included High School for training lay ministers be built in either Saint John or Moncton, New Brunswick, for the training of lay ministers. In April 1949 the United Baptist Bible Training School was opened in
Moncton, New Brunswick.243
In 1960 the Convention of Maritime Baptist Churches opened their headquarters
239Linda Merlene Eaton, "The Issue of Female Ordination in the Maritime Baptist Convention. 1929-1954" (B.A. thesis, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, 1989), 16; McBeth, 240.
240Harry A. Renfree, Heritage and Horizon: The Baptist Story in Canada, (Mississauga, ON: Canadian Baptist Federation, 1988), 209.
241Ibid„ 101.
242History of Atlantic Baptist University, [cited 20 October 2007]. Available from www.abu.nb.ca /about/ab_his.html.
"Christus Preaeeminens: A Brief History of Atlantic Baptist University", pamphlet produced by Atlantic Baptist University in 2007.
73 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Two years later, the Convention recorded 68,832 members in 611 congregations.244 In 1962 the Newfoundland Baptist Churches joined the Convention and the name was changed to the United Baptist Convention of the
Atlantic Provinces.245
In 1968 the theological department of Acadia University became Acadia Divinity
College and a new building was opened in 1970. The institution granted Master's
Degrees in Divinity and Religious Education, as well as Bachelor degrees.24 In the same
year, the emphasis of the United Baptist Bible Training School turned to post-secondary
education and to reflect that change, two years later the name of the school was changed
to Atlantic Baptist College. By an act of the New Brunswick Legislation, the school
became Atlantic Baptist University in 1996 and currently offers degrees in many
disciplines as well as some preparation for youth ministry.247
Although it is not completely linear, today's Ordination process can be outlined as
follows: as an individual senses a calling from God to Ordained Baptist Ministry, this
calling is tested and confirmed or disconfirmed by the local congregation in which the
individual serves. If the individual is deemed to have an authentic calling and the gifts
for ministry are apparent, that individual is granted a Local Church License to Minister.
If the individual has not yet pursued theological education, he/she is encouraged to do so,
beginning with a Bachelor's Degree in any discipline. After a year with the Local
Church License to Minister, the individual can approach her/his congregation's
244Levy, 159, quoted in McBeth, 555.
245Eaton, 11.
246Mitton and Allwood, 62.
1"Christus Preaeeminens".
74 Association Licensing Commission or Board to be considered for an Association License.
After the individual has completed a Bachelor's Degree, they must apply and be accepted to a Master's Degree program.
The Board of Ministerial Standards and Education also meets with the individual, usually at the onset of their Master's Program and at the end. This Board evaluates the individual's calling, gifting, character, and educational preparation for Ordained Ministry.
After the individual has successfully met with this Board, the Board recommends that he/she complete a year of supervised internship in a local church after the completion of his/her Master's Program. After this internship is completed, the church in which the individual has been serving requests an interview for the candidate with the Examining
Council for Ordination, which is made up of delegates from all Associations within the
Convention. This Council requires a written statement of the individual's statement of faith, including the story of her/his conversion experience and call to, as well as theology of, ministry. Once the candidate is interviewed by this Council, a vote of two-thirds is necessary for the candidate to be recommended for Ordination by her/his local congregation. To uphold the Baptist distinctive of autonomy of the local church, and the
Biblical mandate of the priesthood of all believers, the Ordination itself, including the service itself, is administered by the candidate's own local congregation.
Throughout the history of the Christian Church, attempts have been made to maintain the Biblical foundations for the practice of ordaining individuals who have been called by God into Ordained Ministry. Some attempts have been utter failures but the
Spirit of God has led many to follow in the steps of the Saviour into a life of ministry that honours His Example.
The next chapter will provide the theoretical bases for a new way to facilitate this
75 process in preparing individuals for Ordained Ministry within the Convention of Atlantic
Baptist Churches.
76 CHAPTER THREE
A Way to Facilitate Preparation for Ordained Ministry: The Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development (PSPD)
A. Origins of Individuation
1. Learning Theory
2. General Psychology
3. Developmental Psychology
4. Vocational Guidance Movement
B. Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
1. Definition of IEP
2. Application of the IEP to the Preparation of Candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry
77 CHAPTER THREE
A Way to Facilitate Preparation for Ordained Ministry: The Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
The purpose of this chapter is to present the theoretical bases for using a personalized syllabus for pre-ministry development for the preparation of Baptist candidates for effective Ordained Ministry in the Convention of Atlantic Baptist
Churches. To support an individualized approach to pre-ministry development, the discussion will begin with a brief overview of several of the sources from which individualized service-delivery has emerged: Learning Theory, General Psychology,
Developmental Psychology, the Psychology of Personality, the Guidance Movement,
Developmental Guidance, and individualized program delivery in Education.
From this background, the discussion will turn to the use of the Individualized
Educational Plan (IEP) as an example of how a personalized syllabus for pre-ministry development could be used to facilitate the preparation of ministerial candidates for effective Ordained Ministry. The discussion will include the definition of the IEP, who uses it, why it is used, when it is used, and how it is used. The chapter will conclude with a suggested application of the IEP to the designing of a personalized syllabus for pre- ministry development for candidates entering the Ordained Baptist Ministry.
Origins of Individualization
Often "new" ideas actually are "old" ideas dressed up in new words and applications.248 Individualization of services is like that—from very early times, the
248Herbert J. Walberg, "Chapter 1: Psychological Theories of Educational Individualization" in Systems of Individualized Education, Harriet Talmage, ed. (Berkeley, CA: McCutchan, 1975), 5-26.
78 study of individual differences in psychology has led to the offering of individualized services in Counseling, Guidance Counseling, Education, Mentoring, Athletic Coaching, and Life Coaching. Likewise, individuals have sought, or have been encouraged to seek, and have found, individualized care for a variety of reasons, in a variety of settings and contexts.
Learning Theory
From as early as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, there have been discussions and theories about how people learn. In his chapter on "Psychological Theories of
Educational Individualization", psychologist Herbert J. Walberg outlines four (4) psychological traditions from which the various theories of learning, psychology, and development have later emerged. Walberg suggests that the Continental Tradition is the tradition of Socrates and Plato, who were strong proponents of the mind-matter dualism.
The educational theory from this tradition suggests that the teacher is the midwife who brings forth the eternal ideas already latent in the unique child's mind. Education, then, is child-centered or child-directed and progress is determined by standards of the child's demography, such as age, gender, and/or social status. The research method of the
Continental Tradition is the "intensive, longitudinal case study."249
The second psychological tradition that Walberg suggests is the English or
English-Educated Tradition. This tradition reflects more of the societal stratification of
9 SO
England and sees mental development as being hereditary. Thus, those born to a certain class would function at that class's level and would not move above or below the
79 mental development of that class because of heredity. In some ways, this tradition sheds light on the historic ill-treatment of the lower classes in early England.
A third tradition is the Anglo-American Tradition. To the Elementalist ideas of
Aristotle, who saw learning as "the association of mental elements", this tradition adds
Behaviourism, the school of psychology that focuses on the observance and measurement of human behaviour as a determinant of psyche. Research is done by the statistical analysis of controlled experiments that yield what is considered to be "discrete elements of behavior [on] objective tests."251 Since the Anglo-American Tradition sees mental growth and the "continuous amassing of elements of response potential, often on a single strand of intelligence", the child's mental development is considered to be a natural progression from their home and school life. No extraordinary intervention is deemed necessary but if any intervention is suggested, the Anglo-American view is that the "child himself can help shape his environment" into what he/she needs to develop further.252
Walberg points out that too often American universities have applied the Anglo-
American Tradition erroneously to Continental Structural Theorists such as Spranger,
Freud, and Piaget.253
The fourth psychological tradition that Walberg mentions is the Synthetic
Movements. Within this tradition are those who have taken portions of other traditions and worked them together as their own. Walberg is quick to point out that most
Synthetic Traditionalists have not developed a "grand theory or overarching synthesis" of
251Ibid., 10.
252Ibid., 10-11.
253Ibid., 11.
80 theories but have instead taken parts of each tradition and brought them into a new
synthesis that they apply to their own study and practice. One such theorist was German
scientific psychologist, Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841), who applied metaphysics
in an attempt to write mathematical equations for the functioning of the mind.254
These four psychological traditions were fore-runners and parallel runners to the
emerging study of psychology, to which the discussion now turns.
General Psychology
The formal study of individual differences began in nineteenth century Europe
when men such as physicist, Gustav Theodore Fechner (1801-1887); physiologist, E.H.
Weber (1795-1878); sensorimotor physiologist Johannes Muller (1801-1858); and natural
scientist, Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) began to research "the relationship between physical and mental states."255 In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) built the
first laboratory for experimental psychology in Leipzig, Germany. Although he did not
coin the term "Psychology", because of Wundt's massive work in the field, many
attribute the founding of Psychology to him. By developing techniques of subject
introspection, subject self-reflection, and subject verbalization, Wundt applied scientific
method to the findings of physiologists and meticulously studied the structures of the
mind.256 Unfortunately, his methods were subject to criticism, for they could not be replicated and as such could neither be deemed statistically valid nor reliable. However,
254Thomas H. Leahey, The History of Psychology (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1980), 172-173.
Gary S. Belkin, Practical Counseling in the Schools, 2d ed. (Dubuque, 10: Wm. C. Brown, 1981), vii; Leahey, 166, 169, 174.
256Leahey, 188.
81 Wundt was one of the first to bring the scientific method to the study of the entities of the mind or consciousness.257
While Wundt, in Germany, was using introspection to explore the structures of the mind, in the United States William James (1842-1910) was researching "why the mind functions as it does" in what was to become known as "Functional Psychology."
Because of these two (2) sides in the study of the mind, debate ensued between the
Introspectionists, who agreed with Wundt, and the Functionalists, who agreed with James.
By 1913, Classical Behaviourism joined the debate, when John Broadus Watson (1878-
1958) published "Psychology as the Behaviourist Views It" in which he claimed that because the mind, like the soul, is intangible and thus immeasurable, psychological research must study a more measurable entity: behaviour.259 This addition to the debate created a "rift" in psychological study that is still apparent today: are psychologists to focus on the functions of "feelings, perceptions, associations, and other manifestations of consciousness" or are they to focus on the behaviours of "symptoms, actions, learning, and other observable and quantifiable forms"?260 This rift was similar to what some might consider a rift between science and theology in the area of what might be called
"applied pneumenology" today. Do those examining candidates for Ordained Ministry focus solely on what the Holy Spirit is doing in the person's life or on the skills and abilities of the candidate that are more measurable; and are these two (2) areas of
257Belkin, 5-6.
258Leahey, 261;Belkin, 6.
259Leahey, 280-281; J. B. Watson. "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It", Psychological Review 20 (1913): 159-170.
260Belkin, 6.
82 examination, and thus, preparation mutually exclusive? In ministry preparation, as well examination, both areas need to be explored, for, as has been seen in the Biblical foundations presented here, ministry involves both character and function. However, in the psychological debate there were, and still are, those who saw the approaches of the
Behaviorists and the Introspective/Functionalists as mutually exclusive.
So from Laboratory to Introspective to Functionalist to Behaviorist, Psychology had come a long way in a short time. These developing approaches to the study of the individual also brought about changes in how those with emotional illness were treated.
Prior to the mid-1800s, those with emotional problems were considered prisoners and
"avatars of the devil." Since many were considered "chronically and hopelessly incurable", they were often relegated to being exhibits in carnival side-shows. Those afflicted were "treated" with unscientific and often bizarre methods by what have been called "magical healers, priests, and medicine men."261 Mercifully, by the mid-1800s the
Mental Hygiene Movement was emerging through various attempts across Europe to treat those with emotional illness in what came to be seen as more "humane, constructive, and scientifically valid" ways.262 In 1793, Philippe Pinet reformed the Bicetre asylum in
France with a revolutionary approach to the treatment of the mentally and/or emotionally ill—"restoration".2 3 Neurologist Jean Martin Charcot followed, by using hypnosis to diagnose disorders. 4 A colleague of Charcot's, Pierre Janet, used hypnosis to lead his patients to a cathartic release of their emotional disorders. A student of Janet's, Sigmund
26lBelkin, 7.
83 Freud, and colleague, Josef Brewer, used this cathartic-hypnotic approach to treat their patients. This was the beginning of the Psychoanalytic Movement.2 5
However, late nineteenth century America still treated her emotionally and/or mentally ill citizens as "emotional leper(s)—who had to be separated from society" for the "good" of all involved.266 However, in the early 1900s Clifford Beers wrote a book about his experiences as a financial clerk in New York City while being treated for schizophrenia. His book, A Mind that Found Itself, told of his life in and out of institutions and was a catalyst for his becoming a mental health activist who helped to found the Society for Mental Hygiene in the United States. This society was instrumental in changing society's views of mental illness.267 By the 1920s the methods of Freud and his colleagues had come to America, and along with the therapy of psychologists such as
Alfred Adler, the movement for individual counseling strengthened.268
Meanwhile, in the late 1800s the Guidance Movement had begun to take root in
America, while in England, Sir Francis Galton had begun to measure intelligence, and in
France, Alfred Binet (1857-1911) was refining his Intelligent Quotient (IQ) testing.269 In the United States, Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949) used animal learning studies to pursue educational psychology and psychometrics.270 Along with these new "sciences",
265Ibid.
266IbicL ,8-9.
267IbicL ,9.
268Ibid.
269Belkin; Leahey, 260.
270IbicL , 293-295.
84 971
"counselors and counselor educators began to recognize the value of testing." The
Testing Movement emerged and as it began to thrive, new areas of study claimed a connection to science by using psychometry—perhaps as a way to legitimize their area of study.272 In Practical Counseling in the Schools, Gary S. Belkin writes that from these beginnings, "the profession of counseling became intricately entwined with and influenced by the testing and measurement movement. Quantitative tools were developed to help assess the client's needs, to measure his or her abilities, aptitudes, and problems, and to evaluate the outcomes of the counseling encounter more accurately."273
By the 1920s another form of counseling—vocational guidance—had mushroomed to help individuals with job decisions during the Depression and the War years that followed. Workers were plentiful but the work was limited, so as employers looked for "best man for the job," vocational guidance used testing to help with those decisions. By the 1950s the testing movement had greatly influenced all areas of counseling.274
Despite this influence, there were those who were against the use of testing in the counseling setting and in response to what was thought to be a dehumanizing psychology,
Humanist Psychology emerged. One of the strongest reactions to the testing movement came from Carl R. Rogers who, by contrast, treated each patient with unconditional positive regard because he considered each one to be "a total, distinct, and important
271Belkin, 10.
272Ibid., 9.
273Belkin, 10.
Belkin, 9-10; Myrick, Robert D. Myrick, Developmental Guidance and Counseling: A Practical Approach (Minneapolis, MN: Educational Media, 1987), 8.
85 individual." An Ordained minister, Rogers recognized the dignity and "ultimate worth
of the client", and encouraged self-fulfillment through the counseling process that he
offered. His work represented a major shift in the field of Psychology, for up until this point, Psychology had been measuring individuals in order to theorize about the masses;
now, Psychology had a new focus—therapy for the healing of the individual.
Rogers introduced a nondirective psychotherapy that would have so much impact
on North America that it became known as Rogerian Therapy. Many influential
therapists and guidance professionals agreed with Rogers' approach, and as the ideas of
"Psychology" and "Counseling" began to merge, the two (2) terms were often used
interchangeably. It has been said that "Rogers's ideas have had a more significant impact
upon the development of counseling than has any other system of psychotherapy." With
the coming together of some aspects of Psychology and Counseling, the new philosophy
of Existentialism emerged in the 1950s and 1960s to reinforce Rogers' idea of individual
worth and fulfillment in its basic tenant that "people are free agents, seeking meaning in their lives through their voluntary actions."
Developmental Psychology
Beginning in the 1960s, psychological research turned to the nature of human
development. Developmental Psychologists like Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Robert
Havighurst, Lawrence Kohlberg, and James Fowler began studying how heredity (nature)
and environment (nurture) affected childhood development. From their studies, these psychologists and others developed general theories of human development that included
86 stages as well as tasks to be accomplished at each stage of normal development. If a task was not completed during its particular stage, theorists speculated that the individual would find later developmental tasks difficult on the one hand, or psychologically damaging on the other.
Jean Piaget was one such Developmental Psychologist who suggested four stages of cognitive development including Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs.), Preoccupational (2-7 yrs.),
777
Concrete Operations (7-12 yrs.), and Formal Operations (12 yrs. and older). Erik
Erikson included eight stages of development in which the individual must successfully adjust to a corresponding developmental crisis or conflict, in order to have good psychological health. His Psycho-Social stages included successfully adjusting to Trust vs. Mistrust (0-2 yrs.), Autonomy vs. Doubt and Shame (2-4 yrs.), Initiative vs. Guilt (4-6 yrs.), Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 yrs.), Identity vs. Confusion (12-18 yrs.), Intimacy vs.
Isolation (18-25 yrs.), Generativity vs. Stagnation (25-50 yrs.), and Integrity of Being vs.
Despair (50 and over). Erikson believed that success at each stage was achieved because of a number of things including "personal history, achievement in preceding stages, 978 anticipation of the future, and the interpersonal skills that have been learned."
Robert Havighurst suggested six life-stages that included between 5 and 11 developmental tasks to be completed at each stage. His stages included Infancy and
Early Childhood (0-5 yrs.), Middle Childhood (6-11 yrs.), Adolescents (12-18), and Early
Adulthood (19-30), Middle Age, and Later Maturity.279 For example, Havighurst
277Myrick, 33.
278Ibid., 36-37.
279Ibid., 34-35.
87 suggested that Adolescents (12-18 yrs.) developed new and maturing friendships; learned gender roles and emotional independence; developed civic responsibility and systems of values and ethics to guide their behaviour and set goals for their future work and financial independence. The tasks of Havighurst's Early Adulthood (19-30 yrs.) included
"developing intimate relationships"; and raising a family, "managing a home" and
"getting started in an occupation."280
Lawrence Kohlberg took a different approach by suggesting six stages within three levels of human moral development. He suggests that at the Preconventional Level, the individual's thinking process is focussed on the meeting of her/his personal needs, while at the Conventional Level orientation is towards meeting the norms of the group and at the Postconventional Level, the focus is based on moral principles that the individual has accepted as her/his own. Kohlberg pointed out that a conflict occurs when an individual does not know how the other in the dyad reasons. In Kohlberg's hierarchy,
"moral development...was dependent upon intellectual or cognitive development."2 !
James Fowler, on the other hand, theorized about the Stages of Faith in an individual's life. At each stage there were characteristic modes of mental functioning and perception, as well as an emerging strength and an accompanying danger. There were also transitional factors that brought a person to the next stage of Faith Development.
Fowler's Stages of Faith were as follows: Stage 0: Primal or Undifferentiated Faith
(birth - 2 yrs.); Stage I: Intuitive-Projective Faith (3-7 yrs.); Stage 2: Mythic-Literal
Faith (school age); Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional Faith (arising in adolescence); Stage
88 4: Individuative-Reflective Faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties); Stage 5:
Conjunctive Faith (mid-life crisis); and Stage 6: Universalizing Faith or
"Enlightenment."282
From the Psychology of Cognitive, Moral, and Faith Development, the discussion turns to the Personality and the Concept of Self. The study of Personality is the branch of
Psychology that most addresses the individual, as well as attempting to "explain both the
OCT similarities and differences among individuals." In their introductory psychology textbook, Psychology and Life, Floyd L. Ruch and Philip G. Zimbardo wrote that
"Personality can be defined as 'the sum total of the ways in which an individual characteristically reacts to and interacts with others.'" They also point out that, "as the self-concept develops, various attitudes and personal styles take shape, which in turn become part of the [individual's] learning process."
Several of the psychologists mentioned previously also have theories of personality. For instance, although Freud's theory of personality was based on the mentally unwell, he did postulate three parts to the personality—the id, superego, and ego—and provided the first structured approach to explain processes and sexuality, as well as the affect of childhood experiences on the development of personality.285 Neo-
Freudians like Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Erik Erikson, and Harry Stack Sullivan built on
282James Fowler, "Stages of Faith (1981)", A Reader in Christian Education: Foundations and Basic Perspectives, Eugene S. Gibbs, ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 414-167; Joann Wolski Conn, ed., Women's Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development (New York, NY: Paulist, 1986), 226-232.
283Floyd L. Ruch and Philip G. Zimbardo, "Personality: The Psychology of the Individual," Chapter 11 in Psychology and Life (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1971), 457-458.
284Ibid„ 458.
89 Freud's framework of the psyche but placed more emphasis on the effects of developmental and social influence and drives other than that of sexuality.28
Learning Theorists such as J. Dollard and N.E. Miller used Freudian concepts but re-constructed them for experimental study.287 Social Learning Theorists, Albert
Bandura and Richard Walters, recognized the influence of modeling on the development of personality—that the behaviours one sees modeled in others are most likely to be
OJ2J2 repeated in one's own personality development.
Organismic Field Theorists approached personality from various vantage points of environmental effects. Kurt Goldstein, for example, believed that since personality was being "shaped by the balance and interactions of many forces", "an appropriate environment is essential [so] the unfolding of the inherited potentialities of the organism as a whole" can "unfold" to self-actualization.289 Carl Rogers, another Field Theorist, believed that self-concept developed from the individual's inward and outward experiences, and that mental illness occurred when, for the sake of gaining positive regard from others, one is denied one's inward and/or outward experience.290 Another well-known self-actualization Field Theorist was Abraham Maslow, who, thinking there was too much negative psychology, studied those who were "emotionally healthy" and was one of the first to suggest the psychology behind the popular phrase, "no pain, no gain." Maslow suggested that in order for the individual to be successful he/she must be 286-Ibid., 426.
287Ibid., 429.
sIbid., 458.
289Ibid., 431.
290Ibid.
90 challenged—internally and externally—to go further, even through uncertainty and increased tension, in order to arrive at greater fulfillment. Although criticized for being too vague and not being scientifically sound, Organismic Field Theorists in general brought a more human approach to Psychology and are credited with placing an
"emphasis on the importance of how a person perceives his world and on processes of health and growth."291
Factor Theorists looked for consistent traits clusters within the individual personality. J.P. Guilford brought factor analysis to the study of personality and defined
Hormetic factors as those that related to a person's motivation, while Temperament
Factors were "the manner in which an individual characteristically operate [d] in certain types of situations."292 Guilford suggested three areas of behaviour seen in personality
"traits": general, emotional, and social. Trait theorists were also divided into two camps: the nomothetic, who believed that individuals all had the same traits but in varying degrees along a continuum; and the idiographic, who believed that individuals were completely unique in the combinations of traits they possessed. Although criticized for being theoretically, methodologically, and empirically "fractioned and artificial", these concepts have proven invaluable to the study of personality.293
Similar to the Field Theorists, Social Behaviourists rejected the idea of individuals having enduring trait clusters and claimed that environmental factors maintained and reinforced personality. Walter Mischel and others suggested that a
291Ibid., 433.
292Ibid., 435.
293Ibid., 435, 437.
91 person's behaviour remains "stable" if their environment remained "stable." Mischel's theory stressed the individual's ability to adapt within her/his environment.294
Thus, this overview of major Psychological Theories of Personality shows the influence of the structure and motivational theories of Freud, the social influence of the
Neo-Freudians, the testing practices and modeling theories of the Learning Theorists, the environmentalist theories of the Field Theorists, the Trait Clusters of the Factor Theorists, and finally the return to the environmental emphases of the Social-Behaviourists. These developments, coupled with the findings of General and Developmental Psychology, influenced the Vocational Guidance Movement that had already had its beginnings in the late 1890s.295
Vocational Guidance Movement
Through the various societal influences in America in the late nineteenth century—including technological and industrial advances, urbanization, massive immigration with its resulting mixture and melting of cultures, and the changing roles of segments of society-—individuals were faced with societal and ethical paradoxes that led to the need for services to help individuals coPet. The celebration of the first electric train in the nation in 1885 was squelched in 1890, when these same technological advances brought about the first execution by electricity. The open arms of American immigration policies were met with unrest between the classes as seen in labour disputes, strikes, and massive unemployment.296 Twenty-five (25) years later the "Roaring
^Belkin, 11.
P. Barry and B. Wolf, Modern Issues in Guidance Personnel Work (New York: Bureau of Publications, 1963); Myrick, 7.
92 Twenties" were followed by the economic and societal devastation of the Great
Depression. In times such as these, people were in need of guidance for life, and especially, for work.
At the turn of the century, educators and philosophers were beginning to see the value of the student as an individual within the educational process, while, as mentioned, psychology was taking a more humanistic approach to the development and education of individuals. Frank Parsons was one such educator who had taken a personal interest in the youth of Boston and had begun educating young people to "find themselves through their work."297 In the article, "The Progressive Heritage of the Guidance Movement",
L. A. Cremin describes the thinking behind Parsons' approach as "helping the individual fulfill his or her capacities [in] 'the useful and happy life'" which, in turn, would "creat(e) a more efficient and human industrial system [as well as] social reform." Parsons was known for encouraging his proteges to choose a vocation instead of just "getting a job."299 In San Francisco, California, one such protege, George Merrill, set up the first comprehensive vocational guidance program around 1895; and in 1908, Meyer
Bloomfield started the "Vocational Bureau of Boston." 30° In Grand Rapids, Michigan,
Jesse B. Davis developed the first school-wide guidance program, while in Cincinnati,
Frank P. Goodwin became the first school guidance counselor.301 In 1909, Parsons
297Belkin.
298L.A. Cremin, "The Progressive Heritage of the Guidance Movement," quoted in Guidance in American Education, Vol. 1, E. Landry and P. A. Perry, eds. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1964), 13.
299E.L. Tolbert, An Introduction to Guidance (Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co., 1978), 60.
300Belkin, 12.
301Belkin; Myrick, 8.
93 published the first textbook in guidance, entitled Choosing a Vocation. The next year, the first national guidance conference was held in Boston; and by 1913, the National
Vocational Guidance Association had been established. In 1914, Columbia University accepted the first doctoral dissertation on the topic of guidance. In Brooklyn, New York,
Eli Weaver began advising the students of Boys' High School in their career choices, further education, and summer job opportunities.302 In Middleton, Connecticut, William
Wheatley added a course in vocations to the school curriculum and added vocations as a unit in social studies.303 With the emergence of the aforementioned Psychological
Testing Movement of the 1920s, vocational counseling began using these tests in the school system, as well.
By the 1950s, post-war American society was going through massive changes again. As the population increased, so did crime, the breakdown of the family, and the challenge upon traditional values. 304 The present-day American Association for
Counseling and Development was formed under the name of American Personnel and
Guidance Association, as the need for professional counseling services increased. By
1957, America was shocked into the advances of the twentieth century, when the U.S.S.R. literally rocketed technology into space. In response, the National Defense Education
Act of 1958 was enacted which "recognized the value of guidance and counseling",
"produced funds for the preparation of school counselors", and "gave credibility to the idea that a specialist in guidance and counseling was needed in the school."305 Soon
302Belkin; Myrick.
303Belkin.
304Myrick, 8-9.
305Ibid., 9.
94 universities began to train counselors at the Masters level, although most programs were open only to teachers and did not provide supervised field placements. As more and more educated personnel were becoming available, a vision emerged of "what school counseling could be for students at all grade levels."
In 1962, C. Gilbert Wrenn was appointed by the American Personnel and
Guidance Association to chair a commission on Guidance in the American Schools to articulate the professional goals of school counseling. The commission recommended that since they were "well-informed about student developmental needs", they should provide students with both individual as well as group counseling. The commission also recommended that counselors also be consulted on curriculum development as well as educational and vocational planning, and most importantly, that the counselor "provide services to maximize student potential by emphasizing personal growth, self- determination, and self-responsibility." By the end of the 1960s, the American government had legislated funds and programs to continue the development and use of similar guidance systems within the nation's schools.
In summary, the eras of the guidance movement in the United States can be seen as follows: in the 1900-1920s it focussed on choosing and pursuing a vocation, in the
1930s-1960s it focussed more on helping students adjust to schooling, and since the
1960s, the guidance movement has focussed more on personal development.309
306ibid.
307Ibid., 10.
308Ibid.
Mitchell and Gysbers in Robert D. Myrick, Developmental Guidance and Counseling: A Practical Approach (Minneapolis, MN: Educational Media, 1987), 11.
95 As with other emerging movements, Guidance adopted its own nomenclature, definitions, and practices. While "Counseling" was seen as "both a job function and a helping process [that] identifies the work or service of the counselor and the way in which the counselor helped the students", "Guidance" was seen as "a general educational philosophy or an educator's state of mind in which individual uniqueness is valued."310
While school guidance programs—including objectives, services, and curricula—were focussed on helping individuals to choose and successfully pursue an occupation, they also focussed on assisting individuals within the school system to pursue their personal goals, including "general developmental needs, interests, concerns, and behaviours of
Oil students who are within the normal range of functioning." Thus, Guidance could be seen as an overall school program, a helping process, an instructional process, or a learning activity.312
As with psychology, various theories of Guidance have also emerged—most of which fall into one of the following four categories: crisis, remedial, preventative, or developmental. Crisis Theories of Guidance suggest that guidance is only given when decisive and immediate action must be made to remove a threat to an individual or individuals. In these situations, the Guidance Counselor usually acts as a mediator to facilitate resolution of the threat or dispute. Because it is reactive, this type of intervention is not always conducive to working out solutions for the long-term, and has
31uMyrick, 3.
311Ibid., 3, 6.
312Ibid., 3-4.
313Ibid. 11-30.
96 been criticized as being "expensive, ineffective, and time consuming".314 A second category of Guidance Theory is Remedial. In this approach, the Counselor looks for social, educational, and/or skills deficits within the individual, as well as remedies for helping the individual to "make normal progress and avoid a crisis situation."315 This approach requires assessment, intervention, training or re-training, and re-assessment.
The third category of Guidance Theory is Preventative. As the name implies, this approach "tries to anticipate problems and then stop them from happening."
Unfortunately, this approach can be more negative than the others, as its practitioners attempt to anticipate and teach responses to all that could go wrong, regardless of whether or not those things are true possibilities in the student's life. This process has also been criticized for seeming to focus more on the student's compliance to authority than on the student's independent competence.317 The fourth category of Guidance
Theories is Developmental. Developmental Guidance attempts to identify the necessary
"skills and experiences" for academic and life success. In this form of Guidance, the student and counselor decide on what behaviours and tasks are needed for success in life and a curriculum is set up which coincides with the academic curriculum and increases the likelihood of student success in both areas. Students given Developmental Guidance are usually less defensive than those given other approaches because they are more involved in choosing the behaviours to be learned and the skills to be acquired from their current stage of development, as well as the outcome that the student is pursuing. The
314Ibid., 11-14.
315Ibid., 14.
315Ibid.
3,7Ibid., 15.
97 Developmental Guidance approach is more eclectic than the other theoretical approaches
in that it "draws upon whatever is appropriate to meet [the] student['s] needs"—including
all available personnel in the student's environment.318 Because of its versatility,
Developmental Guidance has become America's most popular approach to guidance
counseling.319
In Guidance Services, T. Antoinette Ray places career development into a
"conceptual framework" by defining "career" as "a meaningful progression in a person's
life, determined by long-term and short-term goals and the consequences of the
individual's efforts and experiences to implement these goals in occupational roles."
Ray defines "development" as "a process of unfolding through a related sequence of
modifications over a period of time into a fuller, higher, more mature condition."321
"Career Development" then, is "the process of a person's gradual unfolding and growth
toward vocational maturity through a sequence of goal-directed experiences implemented
in occupational roles."322 In Career Development, programs based on developmental,
personality, and guidance theories are developed into an individualized curriculum that
integrates behaviour, self-concept, societal and community responsibilities, as well as
cognitive, affective, physical, appraisal, potential, motivation, and achievement
"sIbid., 15-16.
319Ibid., 30.
T. Antoinette Ryan, Guidance Services: A Systems Approach to Organization and Administration (Danville, IL: The Interstate Printers and Publishers, 1978), 433.
321Ibid.
322Ibid.
98 guidelines for the individual student. ' In Guidance Services, T. Antoinette Ryan states that:
A truly healthy and effective career development is one in which there is continuing growth of values and attitudes to motivate the individual to make decisions leading to improvement of work skills, increase work- related knowledge, and implementation of capabilities in occupational roles contributing to achievement of self-realization, social relationships, and civic responsibility.
The process of Career Development is built upon basic assumptions about the nature of the individual, the nature of career development, and of the resources needed to maintain the natural development of career readiness and satisfaction.325 Career
Development Theory postulates that most individuals will move "sequentially and positively toward self-enhancement"32 —as seen by the various developmental theories outlined in this chapter. Likewise, Career Development is seen as a process of the unfolding of various skills, attitudes, and motivations across the lifetime of the individual moving towards self-fulfillment through the chosen vocation. The kinds of resources and interventions needed are determined by how the individual naturally develops through life, as well as the tasks that would transition them from one level to the next.
The program of delivering these interventions also takes into consideration the nature of the individual, the nature of the guidance, and the nature of intervention. The nature of the individual is determined by evaluating and explaining the current status of
323Myrick, 42.
324Ryan, 434.
325Ibid.
326Myrick, 31; Ryan, 434.
327Ryan, 435.
99 the student on various relevant developmental learning tasks and life skills. From that evaluation, a Guidance Curriculum is developed that works in tandem with the academic curriculum so that the individual's learning behaviours, developmental tasks, life skills, and academics are all addressed in one succinct document for service delivery. Ruch and
Zimbardo explain the development of such a program:
The potential for career development is realized by providing experiences to assist the individual to become a fully functioning person. This is accomplished by arranging and delivering a sequence of tasks and concepts to facilitate individual progress from one developmental level to another. Areas of growth must be developed for the individual to achieve healthy career development. The sequence of experiences must be implemented by the individual in the course of career development. The components of the environment in which decisions and experiences are implemented must be organized to provide a totally integrated and articulated system.328
The discussion has shown that the origins of individualized assessment, and resource- and service delivery, have strong theoretical backgrounds in Learning Theory,
General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, the Psychology of Personality, the
Guidance Movement, and Developmental Guidance. As each of the theories presented supports, to some degree, the individualized approach assessment, it is quite possible and plausible that the application of such an individualized approach—one that offers a
"totally integrated and articulated system" of development—could be applied in various contexts, including the pre-ministry development of those men and women preparing for
Ordained Baptist Ministry in the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches.
Before moving to a discussion of such an application for pre-ministry development, it is important to see how such an application has already been used successfully to provide individualized education for students within the public school
328Ibid., 436-435.
100 systems of North America. An example of a "totally integrated and articulated system" for individualizing education is the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).
Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
From the backdrop of General, Developmental, and Personality theories of
Psychology, coupled with the Guidance Movement and the subsequent Developmental
Guidance System, the educational systems of the United States and Canada have embraced the implementation of Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) as a way to offer education to all children, regardless of ability or accessibility to the public education system. In the spirit of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, the 94th sitting of the American Congress passed Public Law 94-142 which required an individualized program for each student with a disability. In 1997, another legislation was passed, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA '97), by which all students with any kind educational limitation were guaranteed a public education that would address their individual differences and needs through the writing and implementing of an IEP.329
Despite there being little empirical data to support its claimed effectiveness, IEPs, in one form or another, have been used successfully as part of the "best practices" initiative of the American school system, the Ontario Board of Education, and Sylvan
Learning Centers330, to name a few. Under the names of Personalized Development Plan,
Case Plan, or Personalized Training Plan, the IEP is currently used by Social Workers,
329Williams Syndrome Homepage [accessed 28 October 2007 at 20h40 AST]. Available from www.williams-syndrome.org/forparents/ creagin_ieps. html
330Co-owner of Sylvan Learning Center, Moncton, Ms. Corinne, interview by author, 8 February 2008.
101 Mental Health Practitioners, Youth Correctional Workers, Adult Probation Officers,
Psychologists, School Counselors, personal athletic trainers, and life-coaches.331 With such widespread use of this type of resource for individualized program delivery, it is important to know more about this tool.
The discussion of the Individualized Educational Plan will begin with a general definition of the individualized plan, followed by some conclusions about why such a plan is used, when it is used, and how it is used to bring success to individuals in various contexts.
Definition of IEP
If one were to type "What is an IEP?" into the Google search engine of the
Internet, one would discover 1,640,000 English sites that respond to that question.332
Under "definitions", there are 22 sites that answer the question in varying degrees. On the strictly academic side of the question, there is a myriad of academic articles and books published on the subject of the individualized plan. A random sampling of these definitions is represented by the definition put forward by the Wisconsin Assistive
Teaching Initiative (WATI). In the context of the IDEA '97 legislation, WATI defines the Individualized Educational Plan as "an educational program tailored to the individual taking into account his/her capabilities and limitations and setting specific goals for the
331Besides the references given in this section to support the use of IEP's, this author/researcher has personally used these standardized practices while working in these fields in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
332Google [Internet Search Engine], [accessed 28 October 2007 at 20h30 AST]. Available from www.Google.com.
102 child's learning and personal growth." In explaining the tool to students, the
"Learning Disabilities Online" website defines the IEP as "a written document that describes the educational plan for a student with a disability. Your IEP talks about your disability, what skills you need to learn, what you'll do in school this year, what services your school will provide, and where your learning will take place."334 A Williams
Syndrome website gives the succinct definition of "a unique plan, developed specifically for the educational goals of your child for the current school year."335
In the spirit of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, the 94th sitting of the American Congress passed Public Law 94-142, which defines the
Individualized Education Program—another name for the IEP—as follows:
(19) The term 'individualized education program' means a written statement for each handicapped child developed in any meeting by a representative of the local educational agency or an intermediate educational unit who shall be qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of handicapped children... ,336
Central to each of these definitions of the IEP is the requirement that the tool be tailored to the unique needs of the individual for which it has been written, so that that individual will find success in life, whether in the context of the classroom, correctional rehabilitation, or life-goals. The purpose of the IEP is to provide a guide for the successful delivery of appropriate education to each student, according to the individual's
333Homepage [accessed 28 October 2007 at 20h40 AST]. Available from www.wati.org/ curriculum/definition.htlm.
Learning Disabilities Online Homepage [accessed 28 October 2007 at 20h50 AST]. Available from www.ldonline.org/article/ 5944.
Williams Syndrome Homepage.
Edward D. Fiscus Colleen J. Mandell, Developing Individualized Educational Programs (St. Paul, MI: West, 1983), 264.
103 needs and differences.
One source called the IEP "your child's roadmap through the public education system", for it is intended to show individuals their unique starting places, where they are going, and how they will get there.338 The IEP is developed during a meeting that involves the student and others such as parents, teachers, counselors, psychologists, doctors, and/or social workers, each of which brings information about the student's current status; progress from the last meeting, if there has been any; and ideas for goals and interventions to meet those goals. Often participants, including the student, will bring preliminary IEPs to the meetings so that they may be included in the final product for the next leg of the educational and developmental journey.
American Public Law 94-142 outlines the key areas that should be included in the
IEP:
(A) a statement of the present levels of educational performance of such child, (B) a statement of annual goals, including short-term instructional objectives, (C) a statement of the specific education services to be provided to such child, and the extent to which such child will be able to participate in regular educational programs, (D) the projected date for initiation and anticipated duration of such services, and (E) appropriate objective criteria and evaluation procedures and schedules for determining, on at least an annual basis, whether instructional objectives are being achieved.339
First, the IEP should include a measure of the individual's current performance in various key areas of development. This information can be gathered subjectively from
33/"LDonline" [ERIC 6276]. [accessed 28 October 2007 at 20h50 AST]. Available from www.ldonline.org/ article/5944.
338Williams Syndrome Homepage [accessed 28 October 2007 2040 AST].
339Fiscus and Mandell, 264.
104 interviews with the student as well as oral reports of those at the IEP meeting. Current performance can also be gathered objectively by the use of various psychological tests to determine the individual's cognitive, moral, and faith development, as well as their personality traits, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or 16PF (16 Personality
Factors). Such tests can predict the individual's success in a particular goal, job, and/or life, can be used to determine what intervention may be appropriate for the individual's success, and can help those on the team—including the individual—to understand more about their own behaviour.340
These tests should be reliable in that they can be replicated with statistically significant results; valid, in that as far as their respective theoretical bases are concerned, they measure what they claim to measure; objective, in that they are administered in a blind or double-blind experimental context; and standardized, in that they have been used on a representative group with similar results, prior to experimental testing.
Second, the IEP should include long-term and short-term goals, including the individual steps needed to reach each goal. These goals should come from the stated academic curriculum, as well as any other deficits in behaviour, self-concept, societal and community responsibilities, cognition, affect, physical ability, appraisal, potential, motivation, or achievement.341 As with the effective career development mentioned earlier in this chapter, the effective IEP would include steps that delineate goals for natural development and/or improvement in all areas of the individual's life. The agreed- upon steps should be strategic, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic/results-based,
340Ruch and Zimbardo, 459.
341Myrick, 42.
105 and time-bound.
Third, the IEP should outline any services that the student may require, when they will be made available, and for how long. These services could include specialized teaching and/or technological devices relative to the individual's learning needs, style, and development. Fourth, the IEP should include the anticipated start and finish dates for each of the steps of the short-term and long-term goals, as well as the dates that intervention services, if needed, would be made available. Fifth, and finally, the IEP should include objective criteria by which the individual's progress will be evaluated.
These criteria may be in the form of written or oral testing, and/or another objective evaluation of goal-attainment. This evaluation should take place at least every year— although goals and objectives may be monitored each week, each month, or each semester.
Although Public Law 94-142 guaranteed that all American students would receive an education that has been tailored to their individual abilities and needs through an IEP, other agencies and school boards have adopted the use of the IEP, even without legislation. The successful use of the IEP makes logical sense, although, as stated earlier, little empirical research has been done in the area of its effectiveness. The Ontario
Ministry of Education, for instance, requires that every public school teacher write an IEP for each student, whether disabled or not.343 This practice has been more difficult for some teachers to complete than others, due to time constraints, as well as some students'
Ryan, 434; Jan O'Neill and Anne Conzemius, The Power of SMART Goals: Using Goals to Improve Student Learning (Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2006).
Telephone message from a female representative from the Ontario Ministry of Education, March 2007.
106 and/or their parents' lack of interest in meeting to discuss their IEPs. The IEP is a time-consuming process that involves several people in the successful completing of the education that the IEP represents. However, "best practices" has determined that it is time well-spent.
Application of the IEP to the Preparation of Candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry
In an attempt to present the theoretical bases for using a personalized syllabus for pre-ministry development for the preparation of Baptist candidates for effective Ordained
Ministry in the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches, this chapter began with an overview of several of the sources from which individualized service-delivery has emerged: Learning Theory, General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, the
Psychology of Personality, and the Guidance Movement. Following that overview, the chapter outlined a working definition of the Individualized Educational Plan, as well as its necessary components. Now the chapter will conclude with a suggested application of the IEP to the designing of a personalized syllabus for pre-ministry development for candidates entering the Ordained Baptist Ministry.
As has been shown from the Biblical foundations for Ordained Ministry, the candidate for Ordained Ministry must be prepared by God's calling and anointing. The candidate must also be prepared by skills training and experience in using spiritual giftedness in ministry. The ministry of the New Testament Church, as well as the letters of various ministers from Bible times, shows that Christian ministry does not just involve the skills and functions of ministry, but it also involves the character of the minister.
344Email interview with Secondary School Teacher, Duane MacDougall, Pembroke, Ontario. April 2007; Email interview with Elementary School Teacher, Beth Vreugdenhil, Trenton, Ontario. April 2007.
107 Church History has shown that if either function or character is neglected, then the ministry—and thus, the cause of Christ as well as those who would receive the benefit of that ministry—will suffer. The study of Baptist ordaining practices has shown that there are several Biblical and traditional steps and requirements laid out for current candidates for Ordained Ministry to complete before being recommended to their local congregations for Ordination.
This study strongly suggests that the preparation of a candidate for Ordained
Ministry must be a purposeful venture that is given the utmost quality of care and respect.
Since "best practice" has shown that using an individualized approach to the training of students can lead to success in education and in life, then, it would follow, that such an important venture as the preparation of candidates for Ordained Ministry would only be improved by using an individualized approach. The individualized approach suggested in this study is that of a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development (PSPD). A qualified "ministry coach" would use this template to design such a syllabus with the potential candidate at the initial stage of her/his process, that is, when he/she first senses a call to Christian ministry. It is important that the ministry coach be qualified by training and experience in ministry, counseling, and education, as well as having personally gone through the Ordination process. The template would include all identified stages, steps, and indicators of readiness for ministry that the potential candidate would need to complete successfully. The ministry coach would hold a meeting with the candidate as well as others in the candidate's sphere of influence, and much like the IEP meeting, a
Personalized Syllabus would be developed based on their discussions of stages, steps, and indicators already evident and/or completed. Goals would be set for the next evaluation period, including any follow-up that the individual might need in the meantime, such as
108 tutoring, counseling, and/or specific ministry experience.
Completing the PSPD would not guarantee that candidates would be successful at each evaluative stage but it would prepare them as effectively as possible, for genuine success. For example, Board of Ministerial Standards and Education would still be responsible—Biblically and denominationally—to "test the spirits" and evaluate the candidates' potential for effective ministry. But candidates would be more aware of their strengths and would have already considered and/or remedied growth areas before, or between, meetings with the Board. In other words, there are still elements of preparation for ministry that cannot be measured in any standardized way and there are still elements of Church polity that must be respected for maintaining the highest standard of quality in our candidates preparing for ministry. The evaluative bodies representing the local congregations would still evaluate but the candidate would be more intentionally prepared for each evaluative step in the process toward Ordination.
It is suggested, then, that a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
(PSPD) would, indeed, be a useful road-map for navigating the complex road to serving
God in the Ordained Ministry in the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches.
109 CHAPTER FOUR
Phase One of the Project: Determining the Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement in the Preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry
A. Identifying Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement
B. Report of Data Analysis for Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement
1. Local Church
2. Association Licensing
3. Atlantic Baptist University (ABU) as Representative of an Undergraduate Program
4. Board of Ministerial Standards and Education (BMSE)
5. Acadia Divinity College (ADC) Admission as Representative of a Seminary Program
6. Supervised Field Education (SFE)
7. Acadia University Graduation as Representative of Seminary Graduation
8. Acadia Divinity College (ADC) "Readiness for Ministry" Certification
9. Internship
10. Local Churches Requesting an Interview with Examining Council for Ordination (ECO)
11. Examining Council for Ordination (ECO)
12. Ordination
13. Cumulative Results
110 CHAPTER FOUR
Phase One Of The Project: Determining the Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement in the Preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry
Having laid the theoretical foundation for a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-
Ministry Development (PSPD) from the authority of Scripture; Church History; Baptist
History, Polity, and Practice; and Individualized Psychology; and having considered the structure of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), the thesis moved to the project phase. This chapter will describe the implementation of the project, including the development of a questionnaire to identify the Qualifying Factors for pre-ministry development, the potential Areas for Improvement in this preparation, and the collection and analysis of the data from this questionnaire, and the formulation and evaluation of a template for the PSPD.
Identifying Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement
Because the Personalized Syllabus would be used in an intentional way to assist the pre-ministry development of candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry, a three-item questionnaire was developed to identify what characteristics or factors for ministry were considered to be "qualifiers" by those who examine potential candidates for ministry.
These examining bodies were Local Baptist Churches; Associations; Atlantic Baptist
University Admissions; the Board of Ministerial Standards and Education; Acadia
Divinity College, including Admissions, the Director of Supervised Field Education,
Graduation, and "Readiness for Ministry" Certification; the Internship Director; Local
Churches requesting an interview with the Examining Council; and the Examining
111 Council for Ordination.
The three (3) items on the questionnaire came from consideration of the literature on ministry development, as well as the business writings of Riaz Khadem and Robert
Lorber. In One Page Management, Khadem and Lorber encourage the use of a one-page reporting system of "good information" - that which is timely and relevant to the success of the organization - where the question, "How do you define success?" is answered by identifying the organization's Critical Success Factors (CSF). The important "Feedback
Report" is then generated by regularly identifying the status of each CSF.345
For the present study, it was also important to identify these CSFs or "Qualifying
Factors", and so two items on the questionnaire were devised to identify those Factors directly: (1) "What are the qualifying factors you (personally and/or collectively) use to determine a candidate's potential effectiveness in ministry? Please identify the source or authority behind each factor, and attach any worksheets or guidelines you have been given"; and (2) "How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?" A third question, "Could candidates be better prepared for your committee or 'stage in the process'? Please explain" was designed to identify the
Qualifying Factors indirectly from the perspective of ways in which candidates could improve their readiness for ministry. A copy of this questionnaire and the cover letter explaining the project, and confidentiality is included as Appendix A.
The validity of this three-item questionnaire was tested by means of a pilot study in which questionnaires were sent by email, post, or by hand in 2007 to the members of the 2006 Examining Council for Ordination, and the Board of Ministerial Standards and
345Riaz Khaden and Robert Lorber, One Page Management: How to Use Information to Achieve Your Goals (New York, NY: Morrow, William, and Company, 1989).
112 Education from 2006. After these results were returned by email or facsimile, the questionnaire was administered by telephone and/or email to representative-members of eight (8) evaluative groups in November and December of 2007. The final evaluative group was contacted by email in December 2007 with the questionnaire being administered by telephone in January 2008.
Details of the project, confidentiality, coding, and collation practices were explained to respondents who completed the questionnaire by telephone. All three questions were then read to respondents, and re-read one at a time, giving the respondent opportunity to answer each question as the researcher recorded their response on paper.
In some situations, respondents asked to have their answers read back to them, which was done.
The returned questionnaires as well as those completed by telephone were each assigned a number from one (1) to 193 according to each respondent. If a response was returned by email, both the cover email and completed questionnaire were given the respondent's assigned number. Cover emails were then filed in electronic folders separate from the completed questionnaires. Further specific details of how the data was collected, collated, and analyzed for each of the 11 evaluative groups appear later in this chapter, according to each evaluative group, as well as cumulatively.
The collation of responses took place between November 24, 2007 and January
31, 2008. All answers to the three questions were compiled into a long list. Because this was a list of total responses and not answers per respondent by Board, Committee,
Council, or individual, clusters of answers were combined to form of list of categories.
Even when clustered the list yielded 851 identified categories and an additional 77 uncategorized items—uncategorized because on first reading they appeared to be unique.
113 Since some categories were duplicated from one Board, Committee, Council, or individual, the duplicated categories were removed, and similar categories were combined to form a fifteen-category list for answers to Question One, an additional six (6) sub-categories for answers to Question Two, and an additional seven (7) sub-categories for answers to Question Three. Each previously unidentified item was then put into the most appropriate of these 15 categories and 13 sub-categories. Thus, the categories came directly from the answers given to each of the questions.
The fifteen-category list that represented answers to Question One were:
"Affirmation/Confirmation", "Baptist Distinctives", "Calling", "Character", "Competent
Practical Ministry Experience", "Disqualifying Factors", "Life Background", "Practical
Ministry Skills Training", "Spiritual Readiness", "Suitability", "Support", "Theological
Education and Reflection", "Evidence to Assist Discernment", and
"Evaluator's/Evaluators' Preparation at Each Level". Within each of these categories were several factors. The category of "Affirmation/Confirmation" included approval from Local Church, Board of Ministerial Standards and Education (BMSE), and/or
Internship Supervisor; confirmation of calling; conviction; examination; license(s); and/or previous steps completed as a tool for discernment. The category of "Baptist
Distinctives" included Bible knowledge and/or usage, Convention, distinctives, history, polity, and/or practice. The category of "Calling" stood on its own.
The category of "Character" included accountability; attitude towards the
Convention, towards the Process, before the Board, and/or with the Mentor; aspirations; being; common sense; community-mindedness; consistency; emotional maturity; initiative in the process; personal contact and/or visibility with evaluators and in places of ministry; and/or response to work or work habits. The category of "Competent Practical
114 Ministry Experience" included denominational: through the Local Church, Association, and/or Convention; excellence; fruit of ministry; in the Local Church; pastoral identity and/or role; realistic expectations; Spiritual Giftedness; and/or vision.
The category of "Disqualifying Factors" included carrying "baggage that might hinder ministry", discipline issues, and/or anything from the past or present that might stand in the way of one's effectiveness in ministry, such as the particular circumstances of divorce, and/or the lack of confession and/or remorse for sin. The category of "Life
Background" included the effects of past life on ministry, whether positive and negative; life developments; and/or the "pathway travelled up to that point". The category of
"Practical Ministry Skills Training" included training at seminary or in the church in areas of communication skills; conflict management; crisis management; evangelism; leadership skills; people skills and/or emotional intelligence; preaching; teaching; and/or working in a team.
The category of "Spiritual Readiness" included development and/or maturity; spiritual disciplines; fellowship; giftedness; "life/walk" in terms of dedication to God and
"coping with day-to-day experience"; stewardship of financial situation and plans; and/or witness. The category of "Suitability" included "deserving of holding a license"; emotional stamina; enthusiasm; fitness for ministry; a "heart for ministry"; intelligence; motives and/or purpose; personal presence as seen in "body language", "general appearance", and "how they present themselves"; personality in terms of being a "people- person", having a good sense of relationship, and/or a love of people as seen in reactions to Christians, and/or the pastor; physical stamina; "potential" in terms of development and/or progress; a respect for and realization of the "importance of ordaining process" as it relates to the affirmations, priority of process, and quality of licensing; self-awareness
115 with regards to the positive as well as the negative aspects of self and/or capabilities; and/or timing, with regards to whether or not they are "hurrying" their calling and/or preparation.
The category of "Support" included academic for those with learning disabilities, study-skill or writing-skill needs; Association and/or Church involvement throughout the process; family; informational and directional regarding the process; intentional developmental support through a "progress plan"; the direct and personal support of the
Lay Internship Committee; a mentor for guidance and/or remediation throughout the process with regards to the Convention, theology, and/or training; and psychological through assessments and/or professional counseling, if needed. Particular interest was given to responses that called for mentoring, coaching, or one-to-one support. The category of "Theological Education and Reflection" included evidence of developing theology including theology of Bible, Church, growth and development, and/or ministry.
The category of "Evidence to Assist Discernment" included sub-categories used to identify answers to Question Two. The sub-category of "Denominational Resources" referred to checklists and guides, Church Constitutions, the writings of Charles H.
Spurgeon, Convention Guidelines and Regulations, the examiner's experience, the
Internship Manual, Regional Ministers, and/or the Statement of the Basis of the Union.
"Documentation from Candidate for Discernment" referred to applications, diplomas, documents, Internship Covenant, "Readiness for Ministry" Certificate, resume, statement of faith, and/or transcripts. "Recommendations and Input from Others for Discernment" included the Executive Minister who was also the Director of Internship, the Internship
Supervisor/Mentor, the Regional Ministers, and/or representatives from each Church who knew the candidate. "Spiritual Resources for Discernment" included the Bible, the
116 Guidance of the Holy Spirit, and/or prayer; while "Subjective Resources for
Discernment" included the Committee and/or Board interviews and discussions with candidates, evaluation, listening, monitoring or observing, and/or reflection. "Previous
Steps Completed" stood on its own to refer to the known completion of previous steps in the Ordination process.
Although not pertinent to the present study of candidate preparedness, responses referring to evaluators' preparedness at each level were recorded as well as other answers such as improvements in attitudes of respect from candidates or evaluators towards the process out of reverence for calling; better information regarding the process; evaluation of the process in terms of clarity and effectiveness, evaluation of steps and/or requirements at each stage, higher standards at each stage in the process; follow-up and support; meetings being regular, with scheduled appointments, structure, preparation for interviews, a better knowledge of "voting options", more reflection and/or deliberation time, pre-screening, screening; relationship and communication between evaluators at each step; and/or who initiates the process, whether candidate, Church, Board, or Pastor.
Next, a grid sheet was made for each group of responders: Local Church
Licensing Committees, Association Licensing Committees, Atlantic Baptist University
(hereafter, ABU) Admissions, Board of Ministerial Standards and Education (hereafter
BMSE), Acadia Divinity College (hereafter, ADC) Admissions, ADC Supervised Field
Education (hereafter, SFE), ADC "Readiness for Ministry" Certification, ADC
Graduation Committee, Internship, Local Church Request for Examining for Ordination, and Examining Council for Ordination (hereafter, ECO). Each response to each question was tallied separately on this grid sheet. Respondents' answer sheets were then reviewed a second time, question by question. For each question, a category was given one check
117 mark if a respondent's answer corresponded to that response category. Even if the respondent mentioned items in that category several times, that category was only to be checked off once. In this way, check marks were given to particular categories based on the number of respondents whose answers were in that category, and not by the number of times an individual made a similar response. For example, if one respondent answered in three different ways that "ministry experience" is a qualifying factor for effective ministry, those three responses only show once for that respondent under the category
"Competent Practical Ministry Experience."
The categorized data were then analyzed using simple statistics to show the frequency of responses as well as the percentage of responses for each evaluating body to each question, and then cumulatively, by each question. The results follow in table and narrative form.
Report of Data Analysis for Qualifying Factors and Areas for Improvement
Local Church
The first evaluative step in the potential candidate's process toward Ordination within the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches (hereafter, CABC) is the successful receiving of a Church License to Minister. The Yearbook of the CABC for 2006 reports that 72 individuals held Local Church Licenses to minister in 113 of the CABC's 519 local congregations. If the clerks could not be contacted, the pastors of each of these
113 churches were contacted by telephone (111), email (1), or in person (1) to determine which of these church licenses had been issued in 2006, and of those, which had been
346Directory of CABC for 2006 [database online], [cited 9 May 2007 at 17hl5 AST]. Available from http://www.baptist-atlantic.ca/directory.
118 issued to individuals preparing for Ordination. As the data was collected, the time-span was extended to include 2007 as well. These results can be seen in Table 1.
Table 1 Local Church Respondents to Questionnaire
Church Categories (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Churches Reported to Have Licensed Members 113 Total Churches Contacted 113 100.0 Churches that Responded 112 99.1 Churches that Issued Licenses (Ordination Track) 27 24.1 Church Representatives that Completed Questionnaire 23 85.2 Ratio of Completed Questionnaires to Total Issuing Churches 23/27 85.2
Of the 113 churches contacted, 112 or 99.1% responded; including 27 or 24.1% of respondents who licensed individuals for ministry in 2006-2007. The remaining 85 of the
112 responding churches either did not issue licenses in 2006-2007, or issued licenses for individuals on the lay-ministry track. The chairs of the deacons, elders, or lead team, or a pastor of each of the 26 churches who did issue licenses towards Ordination in 2006-2007 were asked to complete the three-item questionnaire. Of these 27 church-respondents, two (2) pastors declined to complete the questionnaire due to time constraints in ministry, and two (2) others did not respond, leaving 23 or 85.2% of representatives from churches who had issued Church Licenses to Minister (Ordination Track) in 2006-2007 who completed the questionnaire.
119 Table 2 Local Church Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? (N = 23)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Competent Practical Ministry Experience 15 65.2 Spiritual Readiness 14 60.9 Calling 11 47.8 Baptist Distinctives 9 39.1 Conversion 8 34.8 Practical Ministry-Skills Training 7 30.4 Suitability 7 30.4 Affirmation/Confirmation 6 26.1 Theological Education and Reflection 6 26.1 Character 3 13.0 Documentation from Candidate 3 13.0 Life Background 2 8.7 Absence of Disqualifying Factors 1 4.3 Support 1 4.3
Twenty-three (23) local church representatives responded to this question.
Answers fell into 14 different categories. Table 2 shows these results. Fifteen (15) or
65.2% of responders identified qualifying factors of competent practical ministry
experience, while 14 or 60.9% identified the candidate's spiritual readiness. Eleven (11)
or 47.8% identified the candidate's calling as a qualifying factor. Nine (9) or 39.1%
identified Baptist distinctives, including three (3) who identified church membership and
one (1) who identified the candidate's baptism as a qualifying factor for a potential
ministry candidate. Eight (8) or 34.8% identified the candidate's conversion as a
qualifying factor, while seven (7) or 30.4% identified each of the two categories of
120 candidate's practical ministry-skills training and suitability, respectively.
Affirmation/Confirmation was identified by six (6) or 26.1% of respondents. Theological education and reflection was also identified by six (6) respondents, with two (2) of these six (6) identifying education and one (1) identifying Bible education in particular. Three
(3) or 13.0% identified the candidate's character as being a qualifying factor for effective ministry. Three (3) or 13.0% of respondents identified that documentation from the candidate was a determinant of ministry potential. Among those documents considered are the candidate's resume, credentials, and references. Two (2) identified the candidate's life background as a qualifying factor for potential effectiveness in ministry, while one (1) identified the absence of disqualifying factors, and another one (1) identified the candidate's support network as being indicators.
The second question asked of these Local Church representatives was "How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?"
When this question was answered by the other evaluative groups, a pattern emerged.
Although many of the answers from the pilot study referred to how they discerned the presence of the qualifying factors within a potential candidate, as the question intended, some answers referred to the process through which potential candidates were examined.
Thus, a set of tables are included at each stage represented in this chapter to show whether respondents referred to discernment, to a process, or both in answer to, "How do you identify...?"
Table 3 shows the numbers and percentages of church representatives whose churches identified candidates' potential for Ordained Ministry through a process, discernment, or both.
121 Table 3 Local Church Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? (N = 23)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Process 5 21.7 Discernment 8 34.8 Both 10 43.5
If further study was done on the identification of qualifying factors in candidates for ministry, Question Two could be revised to focus more on how examiners identify the presence, or lack, of qualifying factors in a potential candidate.
Ten (10) or 43.5% of respondents identified that their churches used both a process and discernment for considering an individual for local licensing in 2006-2007.
Eight (8) or 34.8% of respondents identified elements of discernment alone, while five (5) or 21.7% of respondents identified a process alone for determining whether or not an individual should be considered by the Local Church for a License to Minister.
A further point of interest relates to the process that these evaluators used to issue
Local Church Licenses. Of the 15 respondents who specified that they used a process or
"both" discernment and a process, nine (9) or 39.1% of respondents identified that candidates were issued a Local License to Minister based on a vote alone, that is to say, without an interview. Six (6) respondents reported that an interview and a vote determined whether or not a candidate received a Local Church License, while the remaining eight (8) respondents did not specify whether or not candidates were interviewed or whether or not a vote was taken. Table 4 shows these results.
122 Table 4 Local Church Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 23)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
By Vote/No interview 9 39.1 By Interview & Vote 6 26.1 Not specified 8 34.8
Table 5 shows the categories into which the responses of the 23 local church representatives fell. Seventy-two (72) answers were grouped into the following five (5) categories of resources reported to have been used by local church deacons, elders, or leadership committees: denominational resources, documents from the candidate, recommendations from others, Spiritual resources, and subjective resources. Seventeen
(17) or 73.9% of respondents reported having used subjective resources, such as the committee or board interview and discussion with the candidate, evaluation, listening, monitoring/observing, and/or reflection; while seven (7) or 30.4% of respondents reported having depended upon recommendations or input from others. Two (2) or 8.7% of respondents reported having used denominational resources such as checklists and guides, Church's Constitution, Convention Guidelines and Regulations, the examiner's experience, some writings on ministry by Charles H. Spurgeon, and/or the Statement of the Basis of the Union. Two (2) or 8.7% of respondents indicated that documents from candidates such as application, diplomas, documents, resume, the candidate's oral statement of faith, and/or transcripts; and two (2) respondents or 8.7% indicated that
Spiritual resources such as the Bible, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and/or prayer were also used to help local congregations identify candidates' potential for effective ministry.
123 Table 5 Local Church Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 23)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Subjective Resources 17 73.9 Recommendations from Others 7 30.4 Denominational Resources 2 8.7 Documents from the Candidate 2 8.7 Spiritual Resources 2 8.7
The third question asked of these 23 Local Church Licensing representatives was
"Could candidates be better prepared for your committee or 'stage in the process'?"
Respondents were also asked to explain their answer. As can be seen in Table 6, seven (7) respondents or 30.4% reported that candidates could be better prepared, while five (5) or
21.7% indicated that some candidates could be better prepared for this stage in the process. Eight (8) or 34.8% of respondents indicated that candidates need not be better prepared for local church licensing, and one (1) respondent reported that the local church needs to be better prepared. Although more respondents reported that candidates did not need to be better prepared for church licensing than those who reported that candidates needed to be better prepared, when the two categories of "Yes" and "Some" were combined, a slight majority of 12 or 52.1% indicated that further preparation for Local
Church Licensing is needed by at least some candidates. Finally, two (2) or 8.7% of respondents did not specify whether or not candidates could be better prepared for this stage in the process towards Ordination.
Some of the respondents who reported that candidates need not be better prepared
124 for this stage in the Ordination process, explained that since the Local Church License is the first official evaluative stage in the process toward Ordination—occurring usually before theological education and/or examination of ministerial standards—their congregations were not sensing the need for more preparation on the part of candidates.
One representative reported that her/his local church needed to be more prepared for candidates who came to them requesting a Local Church License to Minister.
Table 6 Local Church Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? (N = 23)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Yes 7 30.4 Some 5 21.7 No 8 34.8 Church Needs Further Preparation 1 4.3 Unspecified 2 8.7
As respondents were also asked to explain their answers to whether or not candidates could be better prepared for this stage in the process, their explanations have been collated into representative categories and are recorded in Table 7.
125 Table 7 Local Church Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain. (N = 21)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Evaluators' Information re. Process 6 28.6 Evaluator & Candidate Follow-up and Support 3 14.3 Evaluators' Respect for Process 3 14.3 Candidates' Competent Practical Ministry Experience 3 14.3 Candidates' Spiritual Readiness 3 14.3 Candidates' Practical Ministry-Skills Training 2 9.5 Candidates' Preparation for Interviews 2 9.5 Candidate's Sense of Calling 2 9.5 Candidates' Theological Education & Reflection 2 9.5 Evaluators' Evaluation of the Process 2 9.5 Candidates' Knowledge of Baptist Distinctives 4.8 Candidates' Respect for Process 4.8 Candidates' Suitability 4.8 Church Initiating the Process 4.8 Evaluators' Theological Education and Reflection 4.8 Recommendations/Input from Others re. Candidate 4.8
As can be seen above, the 21 of 23 Local Church representatives who answered this part of the question gave varied answers relating to the candidates' preparation, the evaluators' preparation, or both. For instance, six (6) or 28.6% reported that evaluators could have more information regarding the licensing process, including one (1) who suggested that both the candidates and evaluators at this stage could have a "better understanding of what ministry is all about", and another who suggested that evaluators be more aware of their voting options, identifying that some evaluators might not be
126 aware that they can vote "wait" for some candidates.
The following responses were each reported by 14.3% of respondents: the need for evaluator and candidate follow-up and support, including three (3) who identified the need for a mentor, and one (1) who identified the need for a "developmental plan with objectives and milestones"; and the need for some evaluators to have more respect for the process by moving away from what two (2) called a "casual attitude", and what another called "rubber stamping" requests for licenses. One respondent reported concern that without proper understanding and respect for the process, evaluators might be "open(ing) doors that possibly shouldn't be opened". Three (3) respondents also identified the need for candidates to have more practical ministry experience, and for candidates to be more spiritually ready for ministry, respectively.
Two (2) or 9.5% of respondents identified the need for more practical ministry- skills training, including one (1) who suggested management skills, two (2) who mentioned people skills, and one (1) who mentioned the need for skills training in technology and specifically computer and internet skills; better preparation for the interview with the local church; candidates to have a clearer sense of calling; further theological education and reflection. Two (2) also identified the evaluators' need to evaluate the process, including the requirements at each stage (1), and the "local church stage" in particular (1).
One (1) or 4.8% of respondents identified the candidates' need for more knowledge regarding Baptist distinctives; for candidates to have more respect for the process, including one who identified that some candidates showed the attitude that they considered their local licensing to be a "slam dunk" decision; for an increase in candidate suitability; that the Church or Board might take more initiative in approaching those they
127 saw as potential candidates for Ordained Ministry; for the evaluators to have more theological education and reflection relative to their part in the process; and/or for better follow-up with recommendations and input from others. Despite the variety of these several answers, it is important to note that suggestions for better preparedness were given for both candidates and evaluators at this stage in the process of candidates' pre- ministry development.
Association Licensing
Within the CABC are 21 Associations that uphold the Baptist tradition of encouraging Baptist congregations in geographical proximity to combine resources for evangelism and ministry. These Associations range from six (6) churches in the Cape
Breton Association to 49 in the Annapolis-Digby Association. One of the roles of the
Associations is to issue Association Licenses to potential candidates for Ordained
Ministry.
The typical second step in the process towards Ordination is the candidate's successful receipt of an Association License to Minister. As the CABC Yearbook for
2006 reports that 75 individuals held Association Licenses to Minister in 18 or 85.7% of
'I AH the Convention's 21 Associations, the clerks of those 18 Associations were contacted by telephone to determine that 16 or 88.9% of the Convention's Associations had actually issued Licenses to Minister in 2006 or 2007. The chairpersons, or designates, of all 16 of these Association's licensing committees, commissions, and leadership-development teams (hereafter Association Licensing Committees) confirmed by telephone that they had issued Association Licenses to Minister in 2006 or 2007 for individuals on the 347Ibid.
128 Ordination track, and completed the three-item questionnaire on behalf of their respective examining bodies. Table 8 shows these details.
Table 8 Association Respondents to Questionnaire
Association Categories (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Associations Reported to Have Issued Licenses 18 Total Associations Contacted 18 100.0 Associations that Responded 18 100.0 Associations that Issued Licenses (Ordination Track) 16 88.9 Association Representatives that Completed Questionnaire 16 100.0 Ratio of Completed Questionnaires to Issuing Associations 16/18 88.9
The first question asked of these 16 Association Licensing representatives was,
"What are the qualifying factors you (personally and/or collectively) use to determine a candidate's potential effectiveness in ministry?" They were also asked to "Please identify the source or authority behind each factor, and attach any worksheets or guidelines you have been given." As seen in Table 9, 16 or 93.8% identified calling, while 13 or 81.3% identified conversion as a qualifying factor when considering someone for an Association License. Twelve (12) or 75% considered affirmation and/or confirmation of calling or gifting for ministry, including one (1) who used the local church license as a measure of confirmation by the candidate's local church. Eleven (11) or 68.8% considered the candidate's Spiritual readiness as an indicator that someone had the potential for effective Ordained Ministry; while 10 or 62.5% of respondents looked for candidates' competent practical ministry experience or evidence of theological
129 education and reflection, respectively, with three (3) of these latter respondents looking for evidence of theological reflection in a written statement of faith from the candidate.
Nine (9) or 56.3% of respondents reported looking for evidence of an understanding of the Baptist distinctives, including one whose Association Licensing Application Form asked specifically about the candidate's support of the "aims and activities of the
Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches". Seven or 43.8% of respondents looked for the candidate's practical ministry-skills training. Five (5) or 31.1% looked at the candidate's suitability, while five (5) also reported looking for indicators of the candidate having support in the ministry, from their spouse (2), their church (1), their family (1), and/or a mentor (1). Four (4) respondents looked at the candidate's character as a predictor of effectiveness in Ordained Ministry, while three (3) or 18.8% looked at the candidate's life background. Two (2) respondents referred to using various resources for discernment, including the candidate's "interview, application, and recommendations", and the
Ordination Council regulations, respectively. Although respondents were asked to attach the source or authority, worksheets or guidelines used in their stage of the process, only three (3) or 18.8% of respondents sent copies of those resources—an Association
Application Form, a set of Interview Questions for Association Licensing, and a
Scholarship Application Form—all of which appear in Appendix B but are also represented in the responses included in Tables 9 to 13.
130 Table 9 Association Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? (N = 16)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Calling 16 93.8 Conversion 13 81.3 Affirmation/Confirmation 12 75.0 Spiritual Readiness 11 68.8 Competent Practical Ministry Experience 10 62.5 Theological Education and Reflection 10 62.5 Baptist Distinctives 9 56.3 Practical Ministry-Skills Training 7 43.8 Suitability 5 31.3 Support 5 31.3 Character 4 25.0 Life Background 3 18.8 Resources for Discernment 2 1.3
The second question asked of these Association Licensing Committee representatives was, "How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?" Two (2) or 12.5% of respondents referred to a process alone for identification, nine (9) or 56.3% of respondents referred to discernment alone, and five (5) or 31.3% of respondents referred to using both a process and discernment to identify candidates with qualifying factors for effectiveness in Ordained Baptist Ministry.
Table 10 shows these results.
131 Table 10 Association Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? (N = 16)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Process 2 12.5 Discernment 9 56.3 Both 5 31.3
As seen in Table 11, the details of how licensing committees identified potential candidates for Association Licenses towards Ordination fell into five (5) categories.
Subjective resources for discernment such as committee/board interview and discussion with candidate, evaluation, listening, monitoring/observing, and/or reflection were identified by 12 or 75% of respondents. Recommendations and input from others including Regional Minister and/or Representatives from each Church that knows the candidate were reported by nine (9) or 56.3% of respondents as helping them to discern the readiness of a candidate for an Association License. Documentation from the candidate including applications, diplomas, documents, resume, statement of faith, and/or transcripts was reported by six (6) or 37.5% of respondents. Spiritual resources such as the Bible, the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, and/or prayer were reported by two (2) or
12.5% of respondents, while denomination resources such as the Association Constitution, checklists and guides, Convention Guidelines and Regulations, examiner's experience, regional ministers, and/or the Statement of the Basis of the Union were reported by one
(1) or 6.3% of respondents as being used to help with discernment.
132 Table 11 Association Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 16)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Subjective Resources 12 75.0 Recommendations from Others 9 56.3 Documents from the Candidate 6 37.5 Spiritual Resources 2 12.5 Denominational Resources 1 6.3
The third question asked of these Association Licensing Committee representatives was, "Could candidates be better prepared for your committee or 'stage in the process'? Please explain." As can be seen in Table 12, all 16 respondents answered this question, although two (2) of the respondents who indicated how candidates might be better prepared, did not indicate whether or not they believed that candidates needed to be better prepared for this stage in the process. Eight (8) or 50% of respondents indicated that candidates could be better prepared, while five (5) or 31.3% indicated that only some candidates needed to be better prepared. One (1) respondent indicated that candidates did not need better preparation for this stage in the process. Again, if the "Yes" and "Some" categories were combined, 13 or 81.3% of respondents reported that at least some candidates could be better prepared at this stage.
133 Table 12 Association Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? (N = 16)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Yes 8 50.0 Some 5 31.3 No 1 6.3 Unspecified 2 12.5
Thirteen (13) or 81.3% of respondents indicated how candidates might better
prepare for the Association Licensing stage in the process towards Baptist Ordination.
These results can be seen in Table 13. Eight (8) or 61.5% of responses related to giving
support to candidates throughout the process, including five (5) direct references to
providing a mentor for candidates and one (1) suggestion that there be more "support at
the beginning" of the candidate's process.
Seven (7) or 53.8% of respondents suggested the need for both candidates and
evaluators to have more information about the licensing process, including one (1)
respondent who stated that the present process "seems nebulous". Four (4) or 30.8% of
respondents encouraged better preparation for interviews on the part of candidates as well
as evaluators. Three (3) suggested that candidates' attitudes towards the process of
Licensing could improve—again referring to those who seemed to not take the process
very seriously. Two (2) respondents suggested that the relationship and communication
across the various steps and evaluators in the process could improve, while four (4) respondents reported that the meetings for candidate interviews could be improved,
including regularly-called meetings, an organized committee chairperson, scheduled
134 candidate interviews, and/or candidates making application for interviews. Improvement in candidates' character; their competent practical ministry experience, including "gospel and social justice"; their spiritual readiness, including Bible knowledge; and their theological education and reflection, including "clear doctrine" were each represented by one (1) respondent as suggestions for better preparedness at the Association Licensing stage of the candidate's pre-ministry development.
Table 13 Association Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain. (N = 13)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Support to Candidates throughout Process 8 61.5 Information re. Process for Candidates and Evaluators 7 53.8 Candidate's and Evaluator's Preparation for Interviews 4 30.8 Meetings 4 30.8 Candidates Attitudes toward Process 3 23.1 Relationship and Communication across Steps/Evaluators 2 15.4 Candidates' Character 1 7.7 Competent Practical Ministry Experience 1 7.7 Spiritual Readiness 1 7.7 Theological Education and Reflection 1 7.7
Atlantic Baptist University (ABU) as Representative of an Undergraduate Program
Although this step may have already been completed, the customary third step in a candidate's preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry in the CABC is the completion of
135 an undergraduate degree in any discipline. Thus, ABU Manager for Advancement
Programs, Gilda Ryder, was contacted by telephone to determine what requirements potential candidates for Ordained Ministry would need to meet or exceed for entrance into this Convention-approved undergraduate Liberal Arts University. Ms. Ryder stated that entrance into an academic program at ABU is dependent upon a successful application to the program, which is academic-based, meaning that it depends on successful completion of Secondary School Education as seen in a diploma and/or transcripts, as well as personal and/or professional references to the academic standing of the applicant. Since there was no other requirement—or pre-requisite—for preparedness, no questionnaire was administered to representatives at this stage in the process of preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry. Ms. Ryder did say that representatives from
ADC, the Convention's approved seminary, came to ABU each year and held presentations and open forums to offer ministerial direction to interested ABU students.
Board of Ministerial Standards and Education (BMSE)
Since the next step in the potential candidate's journey towards Ordination is an interview with the BMSE, the names of this Board's members for 2006 were taken from the CABC Yearbook for 2006. Those names were then confirmed in an email returned on December 20, 2006 by Fran Johnston, Secretary to the Executive Minister of the
CABC. On January 9, 2007, those members with email addresses were sent a cover letter with the questionnaire attached. On January 15, 2007 Mrs. Johnston forwarded a few more names that were also emailed cover letters and questionnaires. By February 21,
2007, all members who had not yet responded were emailed a second time. On May 9,
2007 any members of the BMSE who did not have an email address were sent a cover
136 letter and questionnaire by post. They were asked to complete and return the questionnaire in an enclosed return-addressed, stamped enveloPet. In October 2007, members who had not responded to the post, were contacted a second time by post.
Although most ministry candidates meet with the BMSE at least twice during their pre-ministry preparation, members of this board were asked to fill out the questionnaire only once as representative of the total number of times a candidate might appear before them. Of the 24 members contacted, 16 or 66.7% responded by completing the questionnaire, while one (1) responded by stating that she did not feel qualified to complete the questionnaire. Of the 16 who completed the questionnaire, 14 did so by email, one (1) by post, and one (1) by telephone. Table 14 shows these details.
Table 14 BMSE Respondents to Questionnaire
Board Categories (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Total Members on Board 24 Total Members Contacted 24 100.0 Members who Responded 17 70.8 Members who Completed Questionnaire 16 94.1 Ratio of Completed Questionnaires to Total Members 16/24 66.7
The top five responses to Question 1 from BMSE members were calling at 14 or
87.5%; Spiritual readiness at 12 or 75.0%; conversion at 11 or 68.8%; theological education and reflection at 11 or 68.8%, including reference to "education" by two (2) and "doctrine" by one (1); and suitability at nine (9) or 56.3%. Practical ministry-skills training was identified by eight (8) or 50% of respondents and various resources for
137 discernment, including "applications" (2), "Readiness for Ministry" Certification (2), statement of faith (2), evaluator's experience (1), meeting the regulations (1) were identified by seven (7) or 43.8%. Competent practical ministry experience was identified as a qualifying factor by six (6) or 37.5% of respondents, while affirmation and/or confirmation was identified by five (5) or 31.3%. "Baptist Distinctives" was identified by three (3) or 18.8%, while "Absence of Disqualifying Factors" and "Life Background" were each identified by one (1) respondent, respectively. Table 15 shows the qualifying factors that responding BMSE members reported having looked for in determining a candidate's potential for Ordained Baptist Ministry.
Table 15 BMSE Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? (N = 16)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Calling 14 87.5 Spiritual Readiness 12 75.0 Conversion 11 68.8 Theological Education and Reflection 11 68.8 Suitability 9 56.3 Practical Ministry-Skills Training 8 50.0 Resources for Discernment 7 43.8 Competent Practical Ministry Experience 6 37.5 Affirmation/Confirmation 5 31.3 Character 5 31.3 Baptist Distinctives 3 18.8 Disqualifying Factors 1 6.3 Life Background 1 6.3
138 The second question asked of the 16 BMSE respondents was, "How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?"
Table 16 shows that of the 16 respondents, three (3) or 18.8% of their answers referred to the use of a process alone, while five (5) or 31.2% of answers referred to their use of discernment alone, and eight (8) or 50% referred to their use of both a process and discernment to determine those candidates with potential for effective Ordained Ministry.
Table 16 BMSE Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? (N = 16)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Process 3 18.8 Discernment 5 31.2 Both 8 50.0
Fourteen (14) or 87.5% of the 16 respondents reported having used subjective resources such as the Board interview and discussion with the candidate, evaluation, listening, monitoring/observing, and/or reflection, to determine a candidate's potential for
Ordained Ministry, while 10 or 62.5% reported having used recommendations or input from others such as the Executive Minister, who is an ex-officio member of the BMSE as well as the Director of the candidate's Internship; the Internship supervisor/mentor; and/or the Regional Minister. Seven (7) or 43.8% of respondents reported having used
Spiritual resources such as the Bible, the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, and/or prayer, while six (6) or 37.5% reported having used documents from the candidate such as their application, diplomas, documents, Internship Covenant, "Readiness for Ministry"
139 Certificate, resume, Statement of Faith, and/or transcripts. Three (3) or 18.8% reported having used denominational resources such as checklists and guides, Convention guidelines and regulations, the examiner's experience, Regional Ministers, and/or the
Statement of the Basis of the Union. Table 17 shows these frequencies and categories of respondents' answers.
Table 17 BMSE Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 16)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Subjective Resources 14 87.5 Recommendations from Others 10 62.5 Spiritual Resources 7 43.8 Documents from the Candidate 6 37.5 Denominational Resources 3 18.8
Respondents were next asked whether or not they thought that candidates for
Ordained Ministry could be better prepared for their interview with the BMSE.
Table 18 BMSE Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? (N = 16)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Yes 10 62.5 Some 5 31.3 No 1 6.2
140 As can be seen in Table 18, 10 or 62.5% of respondents indicated that candidates could be better prepared for their interview, while five (5) or 31.3% indicated that some candidates could be better prepared, and one (1) or 6.2% indicated that candidates need not be better prepared for the BMSE interviews.
By combining the "yes" and "some" responses, it can be seen that 15 of the 16 respondents or 93.8% not only indicated that candidates could be better prepared, these
15 all reported ways in which they thought candidates could be better prepared for their meetings with the BMSE. Table 19 shows these results.
Table 19 BMSE Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain. (N = 15)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Follow-up and Support 6 40.0 Attitude of Respect toward Process 5 33.3 Evaluation of the Process 5 33.3 Preparation for Interviews 5 33.3 Relationship and Communication between Steps/Evaluators 5 33.3 Practical Ministry-Skills Training 4 26.7 Information re. Process 4 26.7 Suitability 2 13.3 Affirmation/Confirmation 6.7 Baptist Distinctives 6.7 Calling 6.7 Evaluators Identifying Potential Candidates 6.7 Spiritual Readiness 6.7
141 Six (6) or 40% of respondents suggested that candidates could be better prepared for this stage in the process if they had follow-up and support. Within this category five
(5) respondents specified "mentoring" as an appropriate means for follow-up and support of candidates. Five (5) of the 15 respondents suggested that participants' attitudes toward the examining process towards Ordination could be more respectful, including three (3) respondents who suggested that evaluators' attitudes could also improve, and one (1) who suggested that candidates' attitudes could improve. Two (2) of these five (5) respondents stated that improved attitudes at previous stages might decrease the number of inappropriate candidates being "passed along" to the BMSE.
Five (5) or 33.3% of respondents suggested that candidates would be better prepared for the BMSE if the complete process was regularly evaluated, including two (2) who suggested that a particular step in the process needed evaluation, such as the role of the Local Church in the process, and one (1) who suggested that the requirements at each stage of the process be evaluated. Five (5) respondents also suggested that candidates and/or evaluators could be better prepared for the Board interviews: four (4) of which suggested that candidates could be better prepared and one (1) suggested that evaluators could be better prepared for the interviews. Five (5) respondents suggested that improving the relationship and communication between evaluators at each step could help candidates' preparation for their BMSE interviews, including two (2) respondents who suggested that evaluators be more intentional about discerning whether or not previous steps in the process have been successfully completed.
Four (4) or 26.7% suggested that candidates could have more practical ministry- skills training and four (4) respondents suggested that candidates could have more information about the process towards Ordination to help prepare them for their BMSE
142 interview, as well as their practice of ministry. The two (2) responses dealing with encouraging candidates to be "realistic about the financial aspects" of ministry and being
"realistic about the Pastor's Role" were placed in the suitability category for this question.
The remaining five (5) responses—candidates' having a clearer affirmation and/or confirmation of their calling and/or gifting for ministry, having a clearer understanding of
Baptist distinctives, having a clearer understanding of their calling, being more spiritually ready for ministry, and evaluators taking some initiative in identifying potential candidates for ministry—were each made by one (1) or 6.7% of respondents from the
BMSE.
Acadia Divinity College (ADC) Admission as Representative of a Seminary Program
The Chairperson of the Admissions Committee of ADC was contacted by telephone and completed the three-item questionnaire as a representative of her committee's role in the process of preparing candidates. Concerning the qualifying factors, the one (1) respondent reported that entrance into a Bachelor of Theology Degree program in preparation for Ordained Ministry is reserved for candidates 35 years of age or older who have sensed a call to ministry that has been affirmed and/or confirmed by others—normally through the granting of a Local Church License to Minister—as well as a successful application to the ADC program, including a transcript and references. The respondent also stated that those applying to the Bachelor of Theology Program are strongly encouraged to appear before the BMSE to determine their likelihood of being successful on the Ordination track before they continue with the educational application process. She also stated that, although rare, even if an individual was not approved by the BMSE, to continue on the Ordination track ADC would still offer an education to any
143 applicant who meets the entrance requirements because it is part of a publicly-funded
University.
Those applying to the Master of Divinity program are also accepted on the basis of their application forms, transcripts, and references. A pre-acceptance interview with the BMSE is not suggested at this point in the process, as an interview with the Board normally takes place during the candidate's first year of study at ADC or another approved seminary. However, should there be "any hint of doubt" about an applicant's potential candidacy for Ordained Ministry, the respondent reported that ADC would interview that candidate. It was also reported that after admittance into a program at
ADC, the progress of each ministerial candidate is reviewed annually by the College faculty. Thus, in reference to the second item on the questionnaire as to how candidates with qualifying factors are identified, the respondent from ADC stated that potential candidates are identified through the application process.
As for Question Three concerning candidates' preparedness for this stage in the process, the representative of the Admissions Committee stated that candidates tend to come prepared for their theological education with an attitude of servanthood and a sense of community support for each other. The respondent made this distinction as evidence of recent applicants' suitability for ministry based on the fact that although many successful applicants have come from diverse educational backgrounds rather than
Biblical Studies undergraduate degrees, they still have these suitable attitudes in common.
Supervised Field Education (SFE)
The supervisor of the Supervised Field Education Program at ADC was asked the same three-item questionnaire in a telephone interview. When asked, "What are the
144 qualifying factors used to determine a candidate's potential for effective ministry?" the respondent stated that their potential for ministry was usually already determined before they came to the SFE program, which extends over their three-year Masters program.
However, the respondent added that candidates with a mentor, practical ministry-skills training, suitability, and effective theological education and reflection are more likely to be effective ministers during their SFE program.
With regards to the second question of how candidates with these qualifying
factors are identified, the respondent's answers reflected a process as well as discernment
and were grouped into the categories of denominational resources such as the SFE
Handbook; recommendations from others including from supervisors, lay-internship committee members, and congregation members; and the evaluator's subjective
discernment of the candidates' enthusiasm for, and response to, the ministerial work, their hands-on ministry, reactions to course readings, and their understanding of what the church is all about, as well as how that understanding develops. These resources were used in the SFE director's process of discerning whether or not candidates have potential
for effective Ordained Ministry.
When asked whether or not candidates could be better prepared for their SFE, the respondent answered "yes" and offered five (5) ways in which candidates could be better prepared: continued competent practical ministry experience where there is the "rigorous
application of faith to daily living", better documentation from candidates, continued evaluation of the requirements at the SFE stage of the process towards Ordination including continued curriculum review, increased Spiritual readiness for ministry, and continued theological education and reflection with a focus on balancing personal
spiritual reflection with practical training.
145 Acadia University Graduation as Representative of Seminary Graduation
The individual responding by telephone on behalf of the Graduation Committee of ADC stated that candidates' successful graduations are based solely on whether or not their have met the academic requirements of their respective programs. She mentioned that there has been some discussion as to whether or not an individual should pass their required Supervised Field Education if they do not qualify for a Readiness for Ministry
Certificate but also stated that those discussions had not yet reached a conclusion. So, currently the indicator to identify those successful at this stage in the Ordination process is the passing of courses in the Bachelor of Theology or Master of Divinity degree programs.
The respondent did, however, suggest a few ways in which candidates are being helped to be successful at this stage, including the use of the University Writing Center for those needing support with study- or writing-skills, as well as technological support and individualized evaluation methods for those with learning differences.
Acadia Divinity College (ADC) "Readiness for Ministry" Certification
Since Baptist ministry students at ADC are considered for "Readiness for
Ministry" Certification during their time at the College, their certification co-ordinator was telephoned and completed the three-item questionnaire. In answer to Question One, the respondent reported that the qualifying factors sought in candidates are their successful completion of the "Profiles in Ministry" questionnaires and interviews; the completion of practical ministry-skills training; their Spiritual readiness; their having had support in the preparation process, as well as in ministry, including mentoring; and their theological education.
146 The respondent's answers showed that the decision regarding a candidate's potential effectiveness for ministry is determined both through a process and through the evaluators' discernment. It was reported that the candidate's qualifying factors are determined through the candidates' documentation already mentioned; through the
Spiritual resources of the Guidance of the Holy Spirit and/or prayer; and through subjective resources of interview and discussion with candidate, evaluation, listening, monitoring/observing, and/or reflection.
With regards to the third question, the respondent reported that she did think that candidates could have more spiritual readiness for effective Ordained Ministry.
Internship
The Executive Minister of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches is also the
Director of the Internship Program for ministry candidates who have successfully completed their theological training, who hold an Association License to minister, and who are currently pastoring a Convention Church. The Executive Minister from 2007 completed the three-item questionnaire by telephone on behalf of the Internship Program.
The respondent stated that the qualifying factors used to determine candidates' potential for effective ministry are affirmation and/or confirmation of their call to and/or gifting for ministry; their calling itself; the support they might have, including a mentor; and their theological education and reflection. Candidates with these qualifying factors are determined through a process as well as discernment using the following resources: denominational including the Internship Manual348, the Executive Minister as Internship
348Malcolm W. Beckett. "Internship Manual: Guidelines for the Internship Program" (Saint John, NB: Convention of Atlantic Baptists Churches, 2007).
147 Director, and the Regional Ministers; documentation, including the Internship Covenant, interim and final reports from the intern, the supervisor/mentor, and the Church/Ministry
Internship Committee; recommendations from others such as the Regional Minister; and subjective resources such as committee or board interview and discussions with the candidates, evaluations, listening, monitoring or observing, and/or reflection by the evaluators.
When asked whether or not candidates could be better prepared for their internship, the respondent reported that they could be better prepared in the areas of practical ministry-skills training, theological education and reflection in terms of
"practical theology", and suitability in terms of people skills such as emotional intelligence which helps an individual to determine what is relationally appropriate in ministry.
Local Churches Requesting an Interview with Examining Council for Ordination (ECO)
In August 2007, the ECO recommended 21 of the 22 candidates examined for
Ordination to the Baptist Ministry. On December 13, 2007, a cover letter and questionnaire was sent by email to the 20 successful candidates whose email addresses were published in the online Directory of the CABC349, and attempts were made to contact by telephone the one candidate who did not have email. The cover letter asked candidates to forward the questionnaire to those persons in their local congregations who had been instrumental in requesting their interview with the ECO, and asking them to return the completed questionnaire to the researcher as soon as possible.
349Directory of CABC for 2006 [database online], [cited 13 December 2007]. Available from http://www.baptist-atlantic.ca/directory.
148 When no responses had been received by January 25, 2008, the researcher contacted each of these 21 churches by telephone on January 25, 26, and 29, 2008. Table
20 shows the 100% response rate to these telephone contacts, based on the 21 candidates recommended to their respective Local Churches for Ordination.
Table 20 Respondents from Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO
Responses Categories (2007) Number Percentage (%)
Local Churches Reported to have Requested Interview 22
Total Candidates before the Examining Council 22 100.0 Candidates Recommended for Ordination 21 95.5 Total Local Churches Contacted and Interviewed 21 100.0 Ratio of Interviews to Total Churches Requesting Interview 21/22 95.5
Table 21 shows that of those who responded by telephone, 10 or 47.6% were
Church Clerks, eight (8) or 38.1% were the candidates themselves, two (2) or 9.5% were the candidates' Senior Pastors, and one (1) or 4.8% was the candidate's spouse.
Table 21 Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO (N = 21)
Responses Categories (2007) Number Percentage (%)
Church Clerks 10 47.6 Candidates Now Ordained 8 38.1 Senior Pastors 2 9.5 Candidate's Spouse 1 4.8
149 In order to have a church representative who had been active in the candidate's process at this point, the 21 who were reached by telephone were asked who had initiated the process at this stage in the candidate's preparation for Ordained Ministry. Table 22 shows that eight (8) or 38.1% of respondents identified the candidate as the one who had asked the local church to send a letter to the Examining Council for Ordination requesting an interview. Six (6) or 28.6% reported that a letter had come from the Convention
Office stating that a letter of request could now be sent. Four (4) or 19% of respondents reported that their church's Advisory, Elders', or Deacons' Board had brought the request to the congregation, while three (3) or 14.3% reported that the Church "knew" to send the letter when they did. Two (2) or 9.5% of respondents reported that the Internship
Supervisor had informed the church of the need for the letter to be sent, while two (2) others reported that the candidate's Regional Minister had informed the church.
Table 22 Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO: Who initiated the request for an Interview? (N = 21)
Responses (2007) Number Percentage (%)
Candidate 8 38.1 Convention Letter 6 28.6 Advisory/Elders/Deacons 4 19.0 Congregation 3 14.3 Internship Supervisor 2 9.5 Regional Minister 2 9.5
Part of the process that was identified by four (4) or 19% of these respondents
150 was a congregational vote to send the letter of request for examination, with the remaining 81% of respondents not specifying whether the local congregation had voted before the letter was sent. Interesting to note is that at this stage in the process, all 21 or
100% of respondents' answers reflected only the process of determining the candidate's readiness, leaving no responses regarding evaluation or discernment at this stage. Since these results did not show the use of evaluation or discernment, it became evident that the three-item questionnaire used to determine Qualifying Factors and their identification at each of the other stages in the process towards Ordination could not be used with these respondents. Thus, respondents were asked, "What was the process by which the letter of request for an interview with the Examining Council was sent?" The answers to this question were then sorted using the same categories for other stage-respondents' answers to Question Two, "How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?" Table 23 shows the respondents' answers sorted into categories.
Table 23 Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 21)
Responses (2007) Number Percentage (%)
Recommendations from Others 18 85.7 Denominational Resources 8 38.1 Previous Steps Completed 6 28.6
Eighteen (18) or 85.7% of respondents identified that recommendations from others such as the candidates themselves (8), a letter from Convention (6), the Internship
151 Supervisor (2), and/or the Regional Minister (2) were used to identify candidates who were ready to go before the Examining Council. Eight (8) or 38.1% of respondents identified denominational resources such as the Local Church (6); Boards of Elders,
Deacons, and/or Advisors (4); and six (6) or 28.6% identified the completion of previous
steps as the indicator that a letter requesting an interview with the Examining Council be
sent.
Four (4) or 19% of respondents identified ways in which candidates might be better prepared at this stage in the process. Their answers are shown in Table 24.
Table 24 Local Churches Requesting Interviews with ECO Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain. (N = 4)
Responses (2007) Number Percentage (%)
Practical Ministry-Skills Training 2 50.0 Candidate's Preparation for Interview 1 25.0 Local Church's Knowledge of the Process 1 25.0 Theological Education and Reflection 1 25.0
Two (2) or 50% of these four (4) respondents suggested that increased practical
ministry-skills training for candidates, especially in the area of "people skills" would better prepare candidates for this stage in the process. One (1) of these respondents
commented that although candidates are "book-smart and Bible-smart at this stage, they
are not always "people-smart". The second respondent suggested that greater "pastoral
care skills" are needed for candidates to be effective in ministry. One (1) respondent
suggested that candidates could be better prepared for their interviews, while one (1)
suggested that local churches be more knowledgeable about the process of Ordination
152 within the Convention, as well as the role that the local church plays in that process.
Another respondent suggested that further application of theological education would
also better prepare candidates for effective ministry.
Examining Council for Ordination (ECO)
The next stage in preparation for Baptist Ordination within the CABC is a
successful appearance before the Examining Council for Ordination (ECO). In the
Yearbook of CABC for 2006, the Executive Minister, Dr. Harry Gardner, reported that
11 of the candidates who had appeared before the ECO in 2006 were recommended back
to their Local Churches for Ordination.350 The names of the 43 members of the 2006
Examining Council were confirmed by an email from Mrs. Dale Taber, Ministry
Secretary to the CABC on February 22, 2007. Thirty-three (33) of these members were
contacted by email, eight (8) by post, and two (2) in person; and each was asked to
complete the three-item questionnaire. Twenty-one (21) or 48.8% of those contacted did
not respond, while 22 or 51.2% did respond and 18 or 81.8% of those completed the
questionnaire: 13 by email, four (4) by post, and one (1) by facsimile. Thus, 18 or
41.9% of the 43 members of the Council completed the three-item questionnaire. Table
25 shows these results.
35UYearbook of CABC for 2006 [document online], [cited 9 May 2007 at 17hl5 AST]. Available from http://www.baptist-atlantic.ca.
153 Table 25 ECO Respondents to Questionnaire
Examining Council Categories (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Total Members on Council 43 Total Members Contacted 43 100.0 Members who Responded 22 51.2 Members who Completed Questionnaire 18 81.8 Ratio of Completed Questionnaire to Total Members 18/43 41.9
Table 26 shows the 18 respondents' answers to the first question: "What are the qualifying factors you use to determine a candidate's potential for effective ministry?"
Table 26 ECO Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? (N = 18)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Calling 14 77.8 Theological Education and Reflection 14 77.8 Conversion 11 61.1 Suitability 10 55.6 Resources for Discernment 8 44.4 Spiritual Readiness 8 44.4 Character 7 38.9 Competent Practical Ministry Experience 7 38.9 Affirmation/Confirmation 5 27.8 Baptist Distinctives 4 22.2
154 Fourteen (14) or 77.8% of respondents identified calling and theological education and reflection such as "Bible use" and "doctrine" as qualifying factors, respectively. Eleven (11) or 61.1% identified the candidate's conversion experience, while 10 or 55.6% identified the candidate's suitability. Eight (8) or 44.4% of respondents identified various resources that were used to determine candidates' potential for ministry, including the candidate's application (2), "books on leadership" (1),
Convention regulations (1), education (1), the evaluator's experience (1), the mentor's evaluation and/or recommendation (2), "Readiness for Ministry" Certification (1), the candidate's Statement of Faith (1), and the candidate's "clarity and detail in writing".
Eight (8) or 44.4% of respondents identified elements of Spiritual readiness as predictors of effective ministry, while seven (7) or 38.9% identified candidates' character and competent practical ministry experience, respectively. Five (5) or 27.8% reported that affirmation and/or confirmation of calling to and/or giftedness for ministry is an important factor, and four (4) or 22.2% identified knowledge of, and adherence to,
Baptist distinctives.
Table 27 ECO Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? (N = 18)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Process 5 27.8 Discernment 10 55.6 Both 3 16.7
As Table 27 shows, respondents' answers to the second question reveal that five
(5) or 27.8% of responding Council members referred to a process by which potential
155 candidates are determined, while 10 or 55.6% referred to the use of discernment, and three (3) or 16.7% referred to both a process and discernment.
Table 28 ECO Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 18)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Subjective Resources 16 88.9 Recommendations from Others 10 55.6 Documents from the Candidate 7 38.9 Spiritual Resources 7 38.9 Denominational Resources 4 22.2
Table 28 shows the resources that respondents reported having used to determine a candidate's potential for effective ministry. Sixteen (16) or 88.9% reported having used subjective resources such as Council interviews and discussions with the candidate, evaluation, listening, monitoring or observing, and/or the evaluator's own reflection; while 10 or 55.6% reported having used recommendations and input from others such as the Executive Minister and Director of Internship, the Internship Supervisor/Mentor, and the Regional Ministers.
Seven (7) or 38.9% reported having used candidates' documents such as their applications, diplomas, documents, "Readiness for Ministry" Certificates, resumes, and/or Statements of Faith; while seven (7) respondents also reported using Spiritual resources for discernment such as Biblical standards, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and/or prayer. Four (4) or 22.2% reported having used denominational resources such as checklists and guides, Convention guidelines and regulations, the examiner's experience,
156 Regional Ministers, and/or the Baptist Statement of the Basis of the Union.
Although each respondent was asked to attach a copy of any guidelines or resources they used to determine candidates' potential for effective ministry, only one (1)
respondent from this Council attached a document. The eight-item document, "Auxiliary
Material Regarding the Recommended Changes for the 'Regulations Concerning the
Ministry' relating to Examination for Ordination", that was attached, included a section called the "Examination Appraisal Sheet"—the items in which have been included in the responses shown here). A copy of this document can be found in Appendix C. It also
included a section called "Information on Procedures for Candidates" which is a brief
encouragement to candidates to take careful time in preparing their written statement for
the Council to examine.
Table 29 ECO Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? (N = 18)
Responses (2006) Number Percentage (%)
Yes 12 66.7 Some 4 22.2 No 2 11.1
As Table 29 shows, 12 or 66.7% of respondents reported that all candidates could be better prepared for the Examining Council interviews, while four (4) or 22.2% said
that some candidates could be better prepared. Two (2) or 11.1 % of respondents reported
that no further preparation is needed, while one (1) respondent did not answer the
question. Combing the "Yes" and "Some" categories shows the 16 or 88.9% of
157 respondents reported at least some need of further preparation for candidates' appearance before the Examining Council for Ordination.
Table 30 shows the ways in which respondents reported that candidates might be better prepared for their interviews with the ECO.
Table 30 ECO Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? Explain. (N = 18)
Responses(2006) Number Percentage (%)
Practical Ministry-Skills Training 6 33.3 Candidate's Preparation for Interview 6 33.3 Follow-up and Support 4 22.2 Spiritual Readiness 4 22.2 Evaluation of the Steps in the Process 3 16.7 Evaluators Having Regular Meetings 3 16.7 Theological Education and Reflection 3 16.7 Evaluation of the Total Process 2 11.1 Evaluators' Attitude of Respect for the Process 2 11.1 Affirmation/Confirmation 5.6 Candidates' Attitude of Respect for the Process 5.6 Baptist Distinctives 5.6 Documentation from Candidate for Discernment 5.6 Evaluation of the Requirements at each Stage in the Process 5.6 Relationship and Communication between Steps/Evaluators 5.6
While six (6) or 33.3% of respondents reported that candidates' having further practical ministry-skills training including "people skills" and "emotional intelligence"
would better prepare them, six (6) also reported that candidates' preparation for the
158 interview could improve. Four (4) or 22.2% reported that candidates might be better prepared if more support was given throughout the process, as opposed to the present practice of having more support near the end of the process, as well as three (3) of these respondents identifying the need for mentoring and one (1) identifying the need for training for the supporting internship supervisor. Four (4) also reported that candidates could be more spiritually prepared in terms of their "realistic view of the call" (2) and their "passion, gifts, responsibility, role, and self-care" (2).
Three (3) or 16.7% of respondents identified the need for evaluation of particular steps in the process, including the stage with the Local Church and another suggestion that an "exit questionnaire" be prepared for candidates to complete concerning their impressions of the process of examination by the Council. Two (2) others or 11.1% of respondents identified the need for the total process to be evaluated. Three (3) respondents reported that having regular interview meetings with evaluators would help to better prepare the candidates; and three (3) respondents identified that candidates' theological education and reflection could improve. Two (2) respondents identified that some evaluators could show a greater attitude of respect for the process—citing the concern that there should be "no 'slip-through'" candidates.
The following six (6) suggestions were each made by one (1) or 5.6% of respondents, respectively: clearer sense of affirmation and/or confirmation of calling and ministry potential; an improvement in candidates' attitudes of respect for the process through which they must go for Ordination; better knowledge and understanding of
Baptist distinctives; better documentation from the candidate to aid the Council's discernment, including "better writing skills" and Biblical defence of the theological statements made; an evaluation of the requirements at each stage in the process; and
159 better and more open relationship and communication between evaluators at each step in the process, including ensuring that "previous steps have been completed" satisfactorily.
Ordination
After a candidate has successfully completed each of the preceding steps in the process towards Ordination, the Examining Council makes the recommendation back to the Local Church for the Ordination of the individual to the work of the Christian
Ministry. Each Local Church prepares an Ordination service in accordance with local practices, yet with guidelines from the Convention, the Pastor's Handbook, and/or the
Regional Minister, if needed.
Cumulative Results
The template for designing a PSPD that will be proposed in the next chapter will be based on the results presented thus far. However, since the Qualifying Factors identified and suggestions for improved preparation made by the majority of evaluators at all stages in the current preparation process will become the back-bone of the candidate's personalized syllabus, it is necessary to present these results in cumulative form.
Table 31 shows the overall totals of those who completed the three-item questionnaire. According to the various sources previously outlined in this chapter, 226 representatives were identified as having been potential evaluators of ministry candidates between 2006 and 2007. As shown, 225 potential evaluators were contacted, of which
196 or 86.7% responded. Of those 196 representatives who responded, 137 or 60.6% had actually evaluated someone in 2006 and 2007. One hundred (100) or 72.9% of these 137 evaluators completed the three-item questionnaire.
160 Table 31 Cumulative Respondents to Questionnaire
Categories (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Representatives Reported to Have Been Evaluators 226 Total Representatives Contacted 225 99.6 Representatives that Responded 196 86.7 All Representatives that Licensed/Evaluated 137 60.6 Representatives Who Completed Questionnaire 100 72.9
The first question asked of these responding evaluators was, "What are the qualifying factors you (personally and/or collectively) use to determine a candidate's potential effectiveness in ministry?" They were also each asked to "Please identify the source or authority behind each factor, and attach any worksheets or guidelines you have been given." Table 32 shows evaluators' cumulative responses to this question.
As can be seen below, 16 Qualifying Factors were identified by representative evaluators. The candidate's sense of calling was identified by 57 or 72.2% of respondents across the 11 stages in the process towards Ordination. Spiritual readiness was identified by 46 or 58.2% of respondents, while theological education and reflection was identified by 44 or 55.7% of respondents, including two (2) who identified
"education" only. Forty-three (43) or 54.4% of respondents identified conversion and 38 or 48.1% identified competent practical ministry experience as Qualifying Factors.
Suitability, although not completely defined, was identified by 32 or 40.5% of respondents. The affirmation/confirmation of the candidate's calling and/or gifts for ministry identified by 30 or 38% of respondents.
161 Table 32 Cumulative Question 1: What are the Qualifying Factors...? (N = 79)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Calling 57 72.2 Spiritual Readiness 46 58.2 Theological Education and Reflection 44 55.7 Conversion 43 54.4 Competent Practical Ministry Experience 38 48.1 Suitability 32 40.5 Affirmation/Confirmation 30 38.0 Baptist Distinctives 25 31.6 Practical Ministry-Skills Training 24 30.4 Character 20 25.3 Resources for Discernment 18 22.8 Support 10 12.7 Documentation from Candidate 6 7.6 Life Background 6 7.6 Previous Steps Completed 3 3.8 Disqualifying Factors 2 2.5
Candidates' knowledge of Baptist distinctives was identified as a Qualifying
Factor for effective Ordained Ministry by 25 or 31.6% of evaluators, while the candidate's practical ministry-skills training was identified by 24 or 30.4%. Character was important to 20 or 25.3% of respondents, while various resources for discernment were identified by 18 or 22.8%, which included denominational resources, documentation from the candidate, recommendations and input from others, spiritual readiness, subjective resources, and the completion of previous steps in the process. The
162 support that a candidate had was identified by 10 or 12.7% of respondents, including three (3) who identified the candidate's need for a mentor. Documentation from the candidate and the life background of the candidate were each identified by six (6) or
7.6% of respondents, respectively. Three (3) or 3.8% of respondents identified the completion of previous steps in the process as a Qualifying Factor, while two (2) or 2.5% of respondents identified the absence of disqualifying factors as a Qualifying Factor for effective Ordained Baptist Ministry.
The second question asked of the representative evaluators was, "How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?" The answers to this question were first categorized by process, discernment, or both process and discernment. The cumulative results are shown in Table 33.
Table 33 Cumulative Question 2: Process, Discernment, or Both? (N = 100)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Process 38 38.0 Discernment 32 32.0 Both 30 30.0
Thirty-eight (38) of the 100 answers showed the use of a process alone to identify candidates with Qualifying Factors for Ordained Ministry, while 32% of answers showed the use of discernment alone. Both a process and discernment was identified by 30% of respondents. It is interesting to note that 100% of responders from the 21 Local Churches who requested interviews with the Examining Council for Ordination identified a process
163 only, considering the completion of previous stages in the process as valid reasoning to request the final interview. The only other respondents to identify 100% of candidate's potential effectiveness in ministry through a process alone were the individual representatives interviewed from ABU and ADC Graduation, respectively.
Next, the specific answers respondents gave to this second item on the questionnaire were grouped into six (6) categories of resources used to determine a candidate's possession of Qualifying Factors for effective Ordained Ministry. Since there
were 100 respondents to this question, the numbers of respondents corresponding to the various answers given in Table 34 are also the percentage of answers.
Subjective resources such as the committee or board interviews and discussion with candidates, evaluation, listening, monitoring or observing, and/or reflection was identified by 63% of respondents. Recommendations from others such as the Executive
Minister and Director of Internship, the Internship Supervisor/Mentor, the Regional
Minister, and/or representatives from each Church who know the Candidate personally was identified by 58% of respondents. Documentation from the candidates including
applications, diplomas, documents, the Internship Covenant, "Readiness for Ministry"
Certificates, resumes, Statements of Faith, and/or transcripts was identified by 26% of respondents.
Twenty (20) percent of respondents reported using denominational resources to determine a candidate's potential effectiveness in Ordained Ministry including the checklists and guides, the Church's Constitution, Christian Literary Classics, Convention
Guidelines and Regulations, the examiner's experience, the Internship Manual, Regional
Ministers, and/or the Statement of the Basis of the Union. Spiritual resources of Bible references, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and/or prayer was identified by 19% of
164 respondents, while the candidate's completion of previous steps was identified by 6% of respondents.
Table 34 Cumulative Question 2: How do you identify...? (N = 100)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Subjective Resources 63 63.0 Recommendations from Others 58 58.0 Documents from the Candidate 26 26.0 Denominational Resources 20 20.0 Spiritual Resources 19 19.0 Previous Steps Completed 6 6.0
The third question asked of evaluator representatives was, "Could candidates be better prepared for your committee or 'stage in the process'?" Respondents were also
asked to explain their answer. Table 35 shows that 44 or 53% of respondents reported that candidates could be better prepared for their respectively stages in the process, 19 or
22.9% reported that some candidates could be better prepared, and 15 or 18.1% of respondents reported that candidates did not need to be better prepared. One (1) respondent reported that evaluators could be better prepared and four (4) respondents did
not specify whether or not candidates could be better prepared but did give ways in which candidates could be better prepared. By combining categories, it can be seen that 63 or
75.9% of respondents reported that all or some candidates could be better prepared for particular stages in the process towards Ordained Baptist Ministry.
165 Table 35 Cumulative Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? (N = 83)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Yes 44 53.0 Some 19 22.9 No 15 18.1 Evaluators Need Preparation 1 1.2 Unspecified 4 4.8
Candidates Need Some Preparation 63 75.9
The second part of Question 3 asked evaluators to explain how candidates for ministry might be better prepared for each stage in the process toward Ordination. The cumulative responses shown in Table 36 show that seventy-six (76) respondents identified ways in which candidates might be better prepared for each stage in the process towards Baptist Ordination. Follow-up and support at certain stages or throughout the process was identified by 23 or 30.3% of respondents, including reference to the need for a mentor, while candidates' and evaluators' preparation for interviews was identified by
19 or 25% of respondents. More detailed information regarding the process was identified as a need by 18 or 23.7% of respondents, including eight (8) who referred to evaluators' need, seven (7) who referred to both candidates' and evaluators' need, and four (4) who did not specify who needed more information.
Sixteen (16) or 21.1% of respondents identified practical ministry-skills training as a way in which candidates could be better prepared throughout this process. Among these 16 responses were two (2) that identified the need for better "people skills" and
166 "pastoral care skills". Fifteen (15) or 19.7% of respondents identified the need for an improved attitude of respect for the process. While five (5) of these respondents did not specify whose attitudes might improve, five (5) suggested it was candidates' attitudes and five (5) suggested it was evaluators' attitudes that could improve at certain stages in the process towards Ordination.
Table 36 Cumulative Question 3: Could candidates be better prepared...? (N = 76)
Responses (2006-2007) Number Percentage (%)
Follow-up and Support 23 30.3 Preparation for Interviews 19 25.0 Information regarding the Process 18 23.7 Candidates' Practical Ministry-Skills Training 16 21.1 Attitude of Respect for Process 15 19.7 Evaluation of the Process 14 18.4 Candidates' Spiritual Readiness 11 14.5 Theological Education & Reflection 9 11.8 Relationship and Communication across Steps/Evaluators 8 10.5 Improvements in Evaluation Meetings 7 9.2 Candidates' Competent Practical Ministry Experience 5 6.6 Candidates' Suitability 4 5.3 Candidates' Knowledge of Baptist Distinctives 3 3.9 Candidates' Sense of Calling 3 3.9 Affirmation/Confirmation 2 2.6 Candidates' Character 2 2.6 Candidates' Documentation 2 2.6 Evaluators' Initiation of the Process 2 2.6 Recommendations/Input from Others 1 1.3
167 An evaluation of the process, including the total process, a particular step in the process, and/or requirements at certain steps in the process was suggested by 14 or 18.4% of respondents as ways to better prepare candidates for the evaluation process. Eleven
(11) or 14.5% of respondents identified that candidates' Spiritual readiness could improve, while nine (9) or 14.5% of respondents identified that theological education and reflection could improve the candidate's preparedness. Eight (8) or 10.5% of respondents identified that the relationship and communication across steps and/or the evaluators in the process would help to better prepare candidates for ministry. Seven (7) or 9.2% of respondents identified improvements in evaluation meetings such as having regular meetings, having candidates make application to appear for evaluation, having scheduled candidate appointments, and/or having an organized chair for the meetings with candidates, as being helpful to better prepare candidates for the various stages in the process towards Ordination.
Candidates' competent practical ministry experience was identified by five (5) or
6.6% of respondents, while the candidates' suitability was identified by four (4) or 5.3% of respondents. Three (3) or 3.9% of respondents identified that better knowledge of
Baptist distinctives could help candidates, while three (3) also identified that a better or clearer understanding of their calling could better prepare candidates for the evaluative stages in the process. Two (2) or 2.6% of respondents identified each of the following areas, respectively, as aspects that might better prepare candidates for various stages in the process towards Ordained Ministry: affirmation and/or confirmation of calling and/or gifting for ministry, the candidate's character, the candidate's documentation, and having evaluators also initiate the process by identifying potential candidates. One (1) or 1.3% of respondents suggested that careful follow-up of the recommendations and/or input
168 from others could help to better prepare candidates at various steps in the process towards
Ordination.
Having identified in this chapter, the responses of representatives of the evaluating bodies in the process towards Ordained Baptist Ministry, the next chapter will use these collective and cumulative Qualifying Factors and identified ways in which candidates might be better prepared for each evaluative step in the process, to create a template for designing personalized syllabi for the pre-ministry development of potential candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry in the CABC.
169 CHAPTER FIVE
Phase Two of The Project: Formulating the Template for a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development in the Preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry
A. Evaluating the Cumulative Qualifying Factors
B. Formulating the Template to Develop a PSPD for the Example of Calling
170 CHAPTER FIVE
Phase Two of The Project: Formulating the Template for a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development in the Preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry
Having identified the reported Qualifying Factors and Possible Areas for
Improvement in the preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry from each of the evaluative bodies in the process towards Ordination, and having collated and cumulated those findings, this chapter will now describe how the project moved into the second phase of formulating and evaluating the template for a Personalized Syllabus for Pre- ministry Development (PSPD). This chapter will also include a "walk through" the template, using the most frequently identified Qualifying Factor, "Calling", as an example of how the template will be used to create a PSPD for an individual candidate's preparation for Ordained Baptist Ministry.
Evaluating the Cumulative Qualifying Factors
Before designing the template, it was important to have the cumulative list reviewed for feedback from one representative from each evaluative body already tested.
Thus, a list of the cumulative Qualifying Factors from Table 36 was sent by email to 10 representatives on February 4, 2008. Six (6) or 60% of representatives responded in the short time-line given. Of those six (6), only three (3) or 50% of respondents evaluated the cumulative list. Since the list they reviewed had been generated directly from respondents' answers, this low response rate was not discouraging for the researcher.
Two (2) respondents considered the list complete, while one (1) added two qualifiers to the list: that candidates should be helped to balance their families and their ministry, and
171 that candidates should be prepared for continued education after Ordination. These qualifiers were added to the specifics of the Qualifying Factors of "Support" and
"Theological Education and Reflection", respectively.
Formulating the Template to Develop a PSPD for the Example of Calling
Moving from this list of research data to a useful template for designing PSPDs involved putting each of the 16 Qualifying Factors that emerged from the data on a separate page in rank order of significance as identified by the evaluating respondents.
Although they were called "Qualifying Factors" in the data-collection stage, these items are called "Key Areas of Development for Effective Ministry" in the PSPD, so as not to give the impression that the PSPD is an evaluative document. Instead, "Key Areas of
Development" shows the true purpose of the PSPD: to assist the intentional pre-ministry development of potential candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry by providing an individualized developmental plan for each of the Key Areas for effective ministry identified by the evaluating bodies at each stage in the process toward Ordination.
Next, the framework of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) was applied to each "Key Area" on its respective page of the PSPD template. Just as it was important to establish the Biblical, historical, denominational, practical, and developmental foundations for this thesis-project, it is equally important for candidates for ministry to know these foundations for each of the Key Areas of Development. Thus, the candidate's first assignment for each Qualifying Factor is to write a background article on the Biblical, Church History, Baptist, and Practical foundations of each Key Area. Each
Key Area's "Practical" section will include the specific responses given by evaluators at
172 each evaluative stage in the process, to serve as a guide to research and evaluative expectations. Further guidelines from the ministry coach would help the candidate to research each of these Key Areas. Researching these backgrounds will help the candidate to better understand the need, as well as the relevance, of each Key Area for effective
Ordained Baptist Ministry. These backgrounds would appear in Section One of the
PSPD.
Using the most frequently identified Qualifying Factor as an example, keeping in mind the Bible, Church History, Baptist, and Practical foundations needed, the outline for the background exercise for the Candidate's Calling might look something like this:
I. Rationale for Developing a Theology of the Call to Ministry
II. Defining the Call to Ministry
III. Three Types of Calling
IV. Discerning the Individual's Call to Ministry
V. The Biblical Pattern of the Call
VI. Answering the Call to Minister
V. Preparing for the Call.
According to the IEP format, the next step in the personalized process is to determine the candidate's current performance and/or status in this Key Area. This determination would be made under the guidance of the candidate's ministry coach and would include subjective feedback from the candidate directly by interview, self- evaluation, and/or one-on-one coaching; and by interviews and/or written assessments from the candidate's sphere of influence, including family members, congregation,
173 educational institution, and/or place of ministry; or objective feedback from psychological tests that determine cognitive, moral, faith developmental, and/or
personality traits351. Whichever combination of assessments used to determine the
candidate's present status, each assessment must be reliable, valid, objective, and
standardized as they relate to the elements identified by representative evaluators in each
Key Area. The results gleaned from these assessments would then be used by the
candidate and coach to determine elements of strength, as well as elements needing
further development. These elements would be listed under Section Two of the PSPD.
With the example of the Candidate's Calling, the status of the candidate's calling
would be determined based on a comparison of the candidate's experience and the
objective material the candidate has gleaned in her or his background investigation. If
the working definition of "calling" that has been gleaned from Scripture, Church History,
and Baptist Polity is "God's claiming, summoning, and commissioning of a chosen
individual, to serve God and others on God's behalf, within that individual's circle of
influence at home, at work, in the community, and in the church", then it must be
determined where the candidate's calling stands in this process before God.
Section Three for each "Key Area of Development" in the PSPD is a statement of
the goals for the ongoing development of each of these elements needing further
strengthening. Goals are placed in one of two categories: long-term, as identified by the
evaluators' cumulative results; and short-term, as identified by each stage in the
evaluative process.
Using the example of "Calling", long-term goals might be to determine whether
351Ruch and Zimbardo, 459.
174 or not the candidate is called to ministry, or to determine to which area of ministry God has called. Short-term goals may be to complete the background article, so as to have a better understanding of how to discern God's calling; to talk to the pastor about calling; to go to "Potential Impact", a youth event focussed on helping people to discern God's calling in their lives; and to get involved in church ministry, with the idea of possibly requesting a Local Church License to Minister.
After the goal is articulated in writing, steps to achieve this goal are negotiated between the candidate and the coach, with input from a variety of sources, including the elements identified by the evaluators, by others in effective ministry, by the educational institution the candidate may be attending, by supervisors, and/or by Regional Ministers.
A potential timeline for each long-term goal is then established with the identification in writing of specific start, finish, and evaluation dates. Looking at the Convention's established stages in the process towards Ordination and the particular importance placed on each Key Area at each of these particular evaluative stages is helpful in determining these timelines. For the example of "Calling", the long-term goals may be met within a year or two.
Next, short-term goals are developed from the most important, most timely, and the most time-intensive developmental long-term goals. Steps to achieve each goal are also negotiated between the candidate and the coach, with input from a variety of sources, including the elements identified by the evaluators, by others in effective ministry, by the educational institution the candidate may be attending, by supervisors, and/or by
Regional Ministers. Once the steps are determined, possible activities are identified that could facilitate the candidate's development at each of those particular steps of
175 development. Among these activities could be reading certain books, completing evaluations or assessments, accessing specialized educational services, undergoing personal counseling, and/or experiencing particular ministry opportunities. Next, timelines for the start, finish, and evaluation of each of these short-term goals would be established. Follow-up meetings between the candidate and the ministry coach would
also be scheduled at this stage in the PSPD design.
For the Key Area of Calling, the timelines for short-term goals can be set by checking the Convention website for when the next "Potential Impact" is planned, by
setting an appointment with the pastor, and discussing with church leaders the ongoing or upcoming ministries that are available in the church with the possibility of becoming involved.
Finally, the coach and candidate agree upon how progress in each of the Key
Areas of Development will be evaluated and when. These evaluations should be both objective and subjective so as to align the candidate's development with those in effective ministry, as well as determining the candidate's subjective appraisal of where he or she is in the developmental process. These evaluations might include written
assessments, oral interviews, the completion of official evaluative stages, such as the
Board of Ministerial Standards and Education, to name a few.
For the Key Area of "Calling", the evaluation period for the short-term goals could be a month to complete the background article, meet with the pastor, and
investigate church involvement and the dates for "Potential Impact". Means of
evaluation could be based on conversation with the minister coach over the phone during
the process or in person after the month has passed. A copy of the complete template for
176 designing PSPD, including the example of the Key Area of "Calling" appears in
Appendix D.
This chapter has outlined how the cumulative list of Qualifying Factors was sent to a representative of each evaluative stage in the process of Ordination for Baptist
Ministry for their review; how their feedback was incorporated into the results already collected; and how the template was designed for use in creating a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development. The template was also applied to the Key Area of Calling, to show how this template would be used with a candidate preparing for Ordained
Ministry. The next chapter will conclude the present study and make some recommendations for further study in this important area of preparation for Ordained
Baptist Ministry.
177 CHAPTER SIX
Conclusions
A. Summary of the Argument for a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
B. Significance of the Thesis-Project to the Practice of Ministry
C. Implications for Further Study
178 CHAPTER SIX Conclusions
Summary of the Argument for a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development
This thesis-project has presented a credible argument for the use of the
Personalized Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development (PSPD) as an individualized approach to facilitating intentional pre-ministry preparation for candidates for Ordained
Baptist Ministry within the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches. To present the
PSPD as a Biblically, Theologically, historically, denominationally, and developmentally viable option for intentional pre-ministry preparation, the argument opened with the question, "Why and how prepare for leadership in Christian Ministry?"
The first two chapters answered this question by exploring Christian Ministry and its preparation as seen first in Scripture, and then in Church History and then in the
Baptist Denomination. Chapter One traced the practice of Christian ministry beginning with the roots of the Old Testament priests, Levites, and prophets. It was concluded that each of these Old Testament ministers had a unique "set-aparted-ness" by their identity, authority, and responsibilities before God and the people.
The second third of Chapter One showed the shift of focus in ministry from the
Old Testament practice of ministry, to the Gospel-accounting of the Person of Ministry, as seen in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ, Whose preparation for ministry involved a seven-aspect pattern that He repeated in the preparation of His Disciples/Apostles for ministry: preparation; identification; empowerment; challenge; commissioning; the practice of ministry; and the development of disciples, who in turn, repeated these same
179 seven dynamic elements in their leadership and ministry. Not only did His practice of ministry show a focus on preaching to crowds of potential followers, teaching smaller groups of believers who followed Him, and healing the needy who responded to Him in faith; but Jesus' ministry also emphasized the character of the minister appointed by God the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit.
The last third of Chapter One focussed on the practice and example of the ministry of the emerging New Testament Church as seen in the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. The analogy used was that of the Gospel accounts of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ showing the spiritual, practical, and personal characteristics of the frame or bones on which the flesh of the New Testament Church's ministry had grown. It showed then, how the Epistles returned the focus to the personal characteristics that round out full-bodied Christian ministry of the deacon, evangelist, elder/bishop, and pastor/teacher. It showed that those developed by the gifting of the Holy Spirit and by the evident needs of the people were set apart for ministry, in similar ways as the Hebrew predecessors—with the laying on of hands. The Epistles circulated throughout the gatherings of new Christians and reinforced the practices of the Christian ministry, with special emphasis given to the character of the minister.
Unfortunately, although the minister's authority had always come from God's calling and the Holy Spirit's gifting, the people began to see the authority of these ministers as coming from the office itself. Regardless, this careful study of Scriptures that relate to the ministry of the OT priests, Levites, and prophets; the ministry of the NT
Gospels about Jesus and His Disciples; and the Acts of Apostles and the Epistles of the early Church, showed that those preparing for leadership in Christian ministry that the nature of the ministry in which one engages is closely tied to who one is as a person—
180 character, substance, convictions, and focus. The practice of the ministry in which one engages should be accompanied by preparation; identification; empowerment; challenge; commissioning; actual practice in ministry; and the development of disciples who, in turn, will do the same.
Some theological conclusions were also drawn concerning this Scriptural evidence of the ministry: that God called, equipped, authenticated, and accompanied His ministry leadership; that the called persons responded by accepting the call, were taught and/or trained for the specific duties of the calling, and endeavoured to remain close to
God in the leading of the people; and that those who were led by these spiritual leaders involved themselves in a ceremony consecrating the leaders to God's service, and, in most cases, followed their leadership and supported them in material, as well as behavioural, ways.
Chapter Two traced the place and growth of the Ordained Ministry from the close of the historic New Testament Church to Baptist Ministry today, beginning with the
Patristic Period of the Church, which showed a continued controversy over the authority of the person, or the role, in ministry. Ministry in the Middle Ages showed a complete shift from the New Testament priesthood of all believers, to a religious hierarchy that left out the uneducated masses and/or ministers.
It was shown that ministry in the Renaissance was greatly influenced by the rebirth of literacy and free-thinking. The argument showed that when the Protestant
Reformation came it attempted to restore New Testament, apostolic ministry to the priesthood of all believers and not just to the Ordained.
It was shown that by the 1600s, the Baptist churches—and with them some varied but solid theology—that had emerged in Europe and Great Britain, came to North
181 America. The two-fold ministry of pastor/teachers or elders, and deacons were called, empowered by the Spirit and some training, and Ordained by the local congregation for a
life-time of service to that congregation.
It was also shown that Baptist Ministry in 17th- and 18th-Century America emerged with confidence and an evangelical purpose. By the dawn of the 20th Century,
Maritime Baptists had emerged with congregations defined by the Biblical principle of the priesthood of all believers who, based on the principles found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13
and Titus 1-2, recognized the offices and responsibilities of pastor/teacher or elder, and
deacon. Today, twelve stages of evaluation are found in the Ordination process within the CABC, culminating with the Ordination of the candidate by her or his local
congregation.
The overview of the theoretical basis for an individualized approach was presented in Chapter Three through the several sources from which individualized
service-delivery has emerged: Learning Theory, General Psychology, Developmental
Psychology, the Psychology of Personality, the Guidance Movement, Developmental
Guidance, and individualized program delivery in Education. The argument was made
that since an individualized approach to the training of students has led to success in
education and in life, then theoretically an individualized approach could be used in such
an important venture as the preparation of candidates for Ordained Ministry.
The individualized approach suggested in this study is that of a Personalized
Syllabus for Pre-Ministry Development (PSPD) based on the data gathered from
responsibilities from each of the 12 evaluative bodies within the CABC's process towards
Ordination, and presented in Chapter Four. Data from the Local Church and Association
Licensing Committees, Atlantic Baptist University, the Board of Ministerial Standards
182 and Education, Acadia University Admissions as well as Graduation, Supervised Field
Education, Acadia Divinity College (ADC) "Readiness for Ministry" Certification,
Internship, and Local Churches Requesting an Interview with Examining Council for
Ordination (ECO) yielded 16 Qualifying Factors and 19 Areas for Improvement in the pre-ministry development of candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry.
Chapter Five showed how a template for designing a Personalized Syllabus for
Pre-Ministry Development was formulated, and an example was given of its use in writing an individualized, intentional PSPD for a candidate's pre-ministry development of their sense of Calling.
Thus, in these five chapters, the argument for the use of the PSPD as an individualized approach to facilitating intentional pre-ministry development within the
CABC was researched and presented.
Significance of the Thesis-Project to the Practice of Ministry
As the campus counselor at a Wesleyan Bible College that prepares students
(including Baptists) for leadership in Christian ministry, my ministry includes psychological and emotional counseling, as well as coaching in terms of designing and facilitating specific action plans for increased effectiveness in specific areas of clients' lives. A tool such as the PSPD will be invaluable for creating God-honouring, client- specific action plans for preparing the called for Ordained Baptist Ministry. Baptist users of the PSPD will have a personalized course of action designed to facilitate their successful and effective transition to active Christian ministry. Similar research could be done in other denominations as well, yielding a PSPD template that reflects their denominational and evaluative criteria.
183 The research is significant in that it will move candidates beyond the readily available descriptive guides of the process that state what they need to do, and will move them into the prescriptive realm, with a personalized syllabus that will tell them how they might prepare, especially at stages where candidates have not been successful at certain stages in the process towards ordination.
Evaluators, academic institutions, and congregational life and service will benefit from this research. The committees of evaluators who make decisions concerning candidates for ministry will be presented with candidates who have prayerfully and actively focussed on "real-life" ministry preparation. Academic institutions will benefit, as applicants who have used their PSPD will be better prepared for the academic stage of their journey. Churches will also benefit, as candidates will have had support throughout their pre-ministry development and thus, be less likely to bring unresolved issues into their pulpits and board meetings. Practising ministers will benefit from the use of this tool as they plan for personal and ministry development within their areas of ministry.
Implications for Further Study
This thesis-project has an internal and external means of evaluation. Internally, the project includes one stage of evaluation of the template for PSPD. Externally, the researcher's thesis advisor has evaluated, and the Director of the Doctoral Program and his committees will evaluate, the research implications of this thesis-project. Opportunity for evaluation can be given to the Chairpersons of the Boards, Committees, and
Commissions involved in the process, the Principal and President of the educational institutions involved, and the Executive Minister of the Convention.
184 Further study beyond the scope of this thesis-project would involve testing the
validity and viability of the revised template by using it to develop PSPD's for three
representatives at each of 12 stages of individual development for ministry, as well as
individuals who have been in ministry for five (5), 10, and/or 20 years, respectively.
These candidates could then be interviewed to determine whether or not they have found
the PSPD helpful in facilitating their successful transition from their sense of calling to
effective ministry.
A pilot study might also be implemented to test the validity and viability of the
use of the PSPD on a Convention-wide basis as follows:
1. Phase One: A seminar to all who sense a calling to vocational ministry
2. Phase Two: One-to-one follow-up with PSPD (in-person; online by website, web-log, and/or web-cam)
3. Phase Three: Mentoring through the actual process
4. Phase Four: Successful evaluation for readiness for ministry
5. Phase Five: Successful recognition for ministry, that is Ordination
6. Phase Six: Effective ministry (with regular evaluation)
Because of the importance and practicality of implementing this personalized
approach to pre-ministry development, the ideas, findings, and recommendations of this
thesis-project have been made available to the CABC's Board of Ministerial Standards
and Education for consideration.
This thesis-project has suggested and shown that a Personalized Syllabus for Pre-
Ministry Development would, indeed, be a useful road-map for navigating the complex but crucial road to serving God in the Ordained Ministry in the Convention of Atlantic
Baptist Churches.
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198 APPENDIX A. 1
SAMPLE COVER LETTER (BMSE & ECO)
May 9, 2007
Greetings, Members of the Examining Council and/or Board of Ministerial Standards and Education 2006,
My name is Margo MacDougall and I am making this request as a doctoral student at Acadia Divinity College because I need your help and about 20 minutes of your time. Many of you know me, so you would know that I KNOW how busy you are in ministry but I am wondering if you might answer the three questions on the enclosed form.
For my Thesis/Project, I am looking to design a template for creating personalized syllabi for the pre-ministry development of candidates for ordination in Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches. As part of the process I am asking the members of our evaluation committees, councils, and boards from 2006 to respond in writing to the three questions on the enclosed form, on or before May 25, 2007.
Although I need you to put your return address on the envelope that I have enclosed so that I will know who has responded, your actual responses will remain anonymous. So I ask that you only identify on the form which committee(s), council(s), and/or board(s) that you served on in 2006. To keep your identity protected during the research process, I will wait until I receive responses from all of you, before sorting and coding the responses by committee, council, or board.
If you are unable to, or choose not to, participate in this research, please indicate by return post. Otherwise, I will take your responses as your consent for me to use the content of your responses, but not your identity, in my thesis/project.
Also, I can make my completed thesis/project available to you, should you be interested; just let me know of your interest. It should be completed sometime this summer (hopefully — prayerfully) but won't be defended until the new year.
Thank-you in advance and may God bless you in ministry,
Reverend Margo L. MacDougall (D.Min., cand.) <><
Campus Counsellor Bethany Bible College Sussex, NB
199 APPENDIX A.2
Doctor of Ministry Research for Margo L. MacDougall
Date: Committee, Council, Board:
1. What are the qualifying factors you (personally and/or collectively) use to determine a candidate's potential effectiveness in ministry? (Please identify the source or authority behind each factor, and attach any worksheets or guidelines you have been given.)
2. How do you identify those candidates who have these qualifying factors for effective ministry?
3. Could candidates be better prepared for your committee or "stage in the process"? Please explain.
200 APPENDIX B.l
SAMPLE OF RESOURCES USED BY AN ASSOCIATION 1. Application For Association License To Minister
Name:
Address:
Telephone(s): E-mail:
Home church and address:
When were you baptized?
Do you currently hold a church license to minister?
When was it first issued?
Licensing church and address:
Education, beginning with high school:
Briefly outline your work experience:
How have you been involved in Christian ministry?
Do you support the aims and activities of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches?
On a separate sheet, please tell us about your faith in Jesus Christ, and of your conversion experience.
On another sheet, describe your call to ministry.
Please date and sign this application
201 APPENDIX B.2
SAMPLES OF RESOURCES USED BY AN ASSOCIATION 2. Association License to Minister Interview Questions
1. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, your conversion experience, Christian walk and call to ministry.
2. What is your educational background and what are you presently doing in regard to academic preparation for ministry?
3. In what areas of ministry have you been active in the past and more recently?
4. What is your view of ministry within and cooperation with the Northwestern Baptist Association and the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches?
5. Are you familiar with the doctrinal position of our Convention? Are you in agreement with it?
6. How well are you acquainted with Baptist distinctives?
7. What are some of your ministry strengths and weaknesses?
8. What are your future ministry goals and plans?
202 APPENDIX B.3
SAMPLES OF RESOURCES USED BY AN ASSOCIATION 3. Association of Atlantic Baptist Churches Scholarship Application Form
NAME OFAPPLICANT:
AGE BIRTHDATE / / TELEPHONE ( ) DAY MONTH YEAR FULL ADDRESS STREET OR BOX NUMBER CITY/TOWN
PROVINCE POSTAL CODE
HOME CHURCH ARE YOU A MEMBER
TYPE OF CHRISTIAN MINISTRY DESIRING TO ENTER:
LICENCE TO PREACH GRANTED BY: / / ASSOC'N CHURCH DATE REC'D
INSTITUTION YOU PLAN TO ATTEND : / ABU ADC
YEAR OF STUDIES DIPOLMA/DEGREE
TUITION COST |
OUTLINE YOUR PLANS (SEE #4 ELIGIBILITY, INSTRUCTION SHEET):
SIGNATURE
PLEASE ATTACH TO THIS APPLICATION TWO (2) LETTERS OF REFERENCE FOR FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS OR FOR THOSE RE-APPLYING ONE LETTER FROM THE INSTITUTION ALREADY ATTENDING...DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 1ST FOR THE FIRST BURSARY PERIOD JAN TO JUNE IN NEXT YEAR AND AUGUST 1ST FOR SECOND BURSARY PERIOD JULY TO DEC THAT YEAR.
SEND COMPLETED FORM TO: Association Licensing Committee Chairperson
203 APPENDIX C
Sample Resource Used by Examining Council for Ordination
Examination Appraisal Sheet Candidate Name
(For use by Examining Council members)
Evaluate the following items from 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent).
1. Content and Organization of the Written Statement Account of his/her conversion Account of his/her call to ministry His/her concept of ministry
His/her views of doctrine and supporting biblical references in the following areas: The Scriptures Biblical references God the Father Biblical references God the Son Biblical references God the Holy Spirit Biblical references State and Fall of Man Biblical references Salvation and Regeneration Biblical references The Church Biblical references The Mission of the Church Biblical references Evangelism Biblical references Last Things (e.g. The Second Coming, Heaven, Hell, Judgement) Biblical references Baptist Distinctives Biblical references His/her Relationship to Convention
2. Response to Questions of the Chief Examiner
3. Response to Questions of Council Members
204 APPENDIX D
TEMPLATE FOR PERSONALIZED PRE-MINISTRY DEVELOPMENT
The Purpose of PSPD is to assist the intentional pre-ministry development of potential candidates for Ordained Baptist Ministry by providing an individualized developmental plan for each of the Key Areas for effective ministry identified by the evaluating bodies at each stage in the process toward Ordination.
PSPD-Key Area One: Candidate's Calling was identified as a Qualifying Factor for Effective Ordained Ministry by 72.2% of all respondents and identified as a need for further preparation by 3.9% of respondents.
"The call, one of our richest spiritual resources, is our way of considering carefully whom we serve, and why. If we lose touch with that call, we lose the higher vision, the treasure at the heart of our faith that makes sacrifice worthwhile and ministry meaningful."352
1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background
When God calls, He requires a response, so it is important to understand,
discern, and know how to answer the call, in order to make the appropriate response.
The call to ministry must be understood, authenticated, and answered according to
Biblical principles. A Biblical understanding and theology of the call to ministry
gives the candidate the confidence, focus, and accountability necessary to accept such
a calling from God. Thus a theology of ministry should include a definition of the
Call to Ministry, the means by which to discern the individual's Call to Ministry, and
an articulation of the appropriate ways to answer the Call to Ministry.
Defining the Call to Ministry
We will look at each word in the phrase itself: ministry and call. Ministry
comes from the Greek diakoneo, meaning, "to serve". In both Testaments, ministry is
Robert Schnase, Testing and Reclaiming Your Call to Ministry (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1991), 20.
205 seen as service rendered to God and to others in God's Name. These serving
ministries are priest, Levite, and prophet in the Old Testament; and apostle, evangelist,
presbyter, and deacon in the New Testament.354 In Scripture, "Jesus Christ provides
the pattern for Christian ministry" as He proclaims the Gospel, serves, and worships
the Father. Anyone entering into ministry should be called by God and properly
prepared to minister in each of these three areas.
Second, "call" or "calling" can be defined from its contexts in the Classic, Old
Testament, Intertestamental, and New Testament usages... .
New Testament references to KCCXEG)are limited to... .
A Definition of the Call to Ministry
Our definition of the call to ministry will include three concepts: Vocation (in
the sense that any work can be a calling from God); Ministry (as service to God and
to others on God's behalf); and Call (as a summons, commissioning, and claiming
from God Who is ready to assume control over and care of all who accept the call).
Thus, we define the call to ministry as God's claiming, summoning, and
commissioning of a chosen individual, to serve God and others on God's behalf,
within that individual's circle of influence (i.e., at home, at work, in the community,
in the church). With this call comes the promise of the power and caring provision of
George, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry: Shaping Contemporary Ministry with Biblical Mandate, John MacArthur, Jr., ed. (Dallas, TX: Word, 1995), no page number; Eugene H. Peterson. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), 4.
354Walter A. Elwell, ed., Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996), 531.
355Terry L. Miethe, The Compact Dictionary of Doctrinal Words. (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1988), 138; Alan Richardson and John Bowden, eds., The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1983), 269.
206 the God Who has called.
Who God Calls
As the "priesthood of believers", the church lives out her calling by serving in
the various capacities of ministry that the Lord provides. Yet, Scripture gives
examples of individuals who have been called into specific ministries: "Some are
called to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and
teachers" (Eph. 4:11-12). Examples from Scripture include Melchizedek, the priests
and Levites; the prophets, Amos and Isaiah; the apostles Peter and Paul. Throughout
church history, we see God extending these individual calls to serve: Anglican
Martin Luther, Episcopalian Bishop Burnet, French Bishop Massillon, Catholic St.
Bernard, Methodist John Wesley, Baptist Billy Graham, Reformed Methodist Salome
Lincoln, African Methodist Episcopalian Jerena Lee, to name just a few.
David Hensen writes that next to salvation, knowing God's specific call on
one's life is the "greatest possession".356 The individual's specific call from God can
be the evidence that sustains through the pressures and stresses of the serving life.
Thus we can agree with David Fisher when he writes, "the call to pastoral
ministry...must be even more specific" than the general call to proclamation, service,
and worship.357
Opinions differ as to the length of God's call. Some claim a task-specific call,
while others claim a permanent, or lifetime, call... .
356David Hansen, The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers (Downer's Grove, 111.: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 30.
357David Fisher, The 21s' Century Pastor: A Vision Based on the Ministry of Paul (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 93.
207 Whether the individual's call is permanent or short-term, Howard Sugden and
Warren Wiersbe have suggested that Christians "rest on God's Word" (1 Chron.
21:13), not others' opinion; and to "be sure you serve in the place of God's
choosing".358
Discerning the Individual's Call to Ministry
The call to ministry cannot be discerned by subjectivity alone. Yet with so
many claims to call and so many possibilities, how do we know whether or not we
have been called to full-time ministry? This question will be addressed by examining
Biblical and historical examples of individual calls to ministry, by suggesting a
pattern for God's calling, and by outlining four areas by which this individual calling
might be confirmed.
Three Biblical examples of individual calls to ministry will be examined for a
potential pattern with which to discern the call to ministry. Exodus 3 records Moses'
call to be the leader of Israel... .
Jesus makes His call to public ministry clear when He reads from Isaiah in the
Temple, as recorded in Luke 4. He shows His Father's approval when He quotes,
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon Me" as recorded in verse 18, and
continues to read the details of the ministry to which He will "devote Himself, soul
and body".359
Second, Jesus calls His disciples...
358Howard F. Sugden and Warren W. Wiersbe, Confident Pastoral Leadership: Practical Solutions. (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1973), 19.
359James M. Hoppin, Pastoral Theology (New York, NY: Funk and Wagnalls, 1901), 90.
208 Church history is speckled with the details of God's call to... .
The Pattern of the Call
Six elements are repeated in different ways in each of these examples:
1. The individual is busy doing something when the call comes: shepherding, fishing, tax-collecting, praying, or listening in worship.
2. God approaches the individual, for example through a burning bush, vision, dream, light, or Himself; and a voice.
3. God calls the individual to a specific mission, to which the individual protests— usually citing an awareness of personal inadequacies, except for in Jesus' case.
4. God asks for something to be sacrificed, such as Hosea's reputation, the disciples' families, or the loaves and fish.
5. God promises to go with the called one.
6. There is a confirmation of the call either through a witness or circumstance; an anointing with oil, a dove; and/or through the laying on of hands.
Four sources of confirmation of the call to ministry:
a. The first source of confirmation comes directly from the Caller Himself. Since God calls, God also confirms His call360... .
b. Once God's direct confirmation is received, the second source of confirmation comes into play: the external, objective, confirmation of the church is necessary
c. The third source of confirmation of the call to ministry is external circumstances or providence... .
d. Five features of the individual to be considered when looking to the self for confirmation of the call will be discussed in turn: abilities, attitudes, motives, character, and lifestyle.
Should these four sources of confirmation be positive, we can move to answering the call to ministry, in the faith that God has called us.
Thomas C. Oden. Classical Pastoral Care: Volume One: Becoming a Minister. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1987), 34.
209 Answering the Call to Ministry
This aspect of the call may seem quite straightforward but there are at least
four parts to answering the call:
1. Questioning the Call: The realization of our inadequacies can lead us to resist
God's call as we realistically wonder, "What difference can I make in light of
such a great responsibility?"361 Let your realization of your inadequacies lead
you to depend more fully on God.
2. Resisting the Call: Resistance can be a powerful step in answering the call to
ministry.
a. Resistance to the call can take at least three forms: doubt, awareness
of inadequacy, or failure.
b. The next step in answering the call is to consider its cost...taking a
realistic look at the positive and negative aspects of accepting the call
to ministry, so we need not look back once we've accepted the call
(SeeLk. 14:28-33)... .
3. Accepting the Call: Realizing that there is no "greater privilege", nor no
"greater responsibility" , we covenant with God to accept His call on our
lives. Answering "yes" to the call to ministry involves a final step:
preparation.
4. Preparing for Ministry: personally, intellectually, spiritually, and
361Nina Gunter, Honoring God's Call: A Celebration of Holiness Women Preachers, comp. Susie Cunningham Stanley (Kansas City, MO: Beacon, 1996), 42.
Darrel W. Johnson, Leadership Handbook of Management and Administration: Practical Insight from a Cross Section of Ministry Leaders, ed. James D. Berkley (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1994), 16-17.
210 ecclesiastically.
a. Personally: develop maturity, physical stamina, and social poise 3
b. Intellectually: educational and experiential preparation . . . remain a
student our whole lives3 4; informal education, such as mentoring and
discipleship, as well as formal education, such as Bible School, University,
and/or Seminary...
c. Spiritually: the most important , for it includes our personal relationship
with God and our pursuit of godliness. Joel R. Beeke has called this
"the foundation of pastoral ministry"367 and rightly so. We need to be well
acquainted with God: in the most general sense of knowing His awesome
wonder and power; in the most specific sense of knowing His personal
love for us and salvation provided to us through the atoning work of Jesus
Christ.368 Our relationship with God then affects our pursuit of godliness
in living as we are led by His Holy Spirit in the regular practice of the
spiritual disciplines such as Scripture reading, prayer, worship, fellowship,
service, and evangelism.
363Jay E. Adams, The Pastoral Life: Shepherding God's Flock (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1974).
364Sugden and Wiersbe, 14.
365John Caldwell Thiessen, Pastoring the Smaller Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), 1962.
366Adams.
367Joel R. Beeke, Reforming Pastoral Ministry: Challenges for Ministry: Challenges for Ministry in Postmodern Times, John H. Armstrong, ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001), 59.
368Ibid., 61-63.
369Ibid„ 64-75.
211 d. Ecclesiastically: by accepting God's setting us aside for ministry and the
church's confirmation of God's calling, through Ordination. The goal of
the Ordination process is to formalize the church's recognition of the call
of God upon someone's life for ministerial service. The examination for
Ordination attempts to bring accountability in this calling by preventing
distortions and counterfeit calls.
The response of the examining body is that of recognition and affirmation
of the call to ministry or denial of the call. Although the authority of the
ordaining body is not absolute, it should be sought, as its use by God to identify
His called is exemplified in Old and New Testament practice as seen in 1 Samuel
16 and Acts 6.
2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) a. Aspects Involved in this Key Area b. Areas of Strength c. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term Goal 1: to determine whether or not I am called to Ordained Ministry i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines: within a year or two 1. Start Dates: March 2008 2. Finish Dates: March 2010 3. Evaluation Dates: monthly b. Long-Term Goal 2: to determine to which area of ministry God has called
Richard L. Mayhue, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry: Shaping Contemporary Ministry with Biblical Mandates, John MacArthur, Jr., ed. (Dallas, TX: Word, 1995), 138; Oden (1987), 34.
212 i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines c. Short-Term Goal 1: to talk to the pastor about calling i. Steps: set up appointment, formulate questions, meet with pastor ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Date: Feb. 18 2. Finish Date: Feb. 25 3. Evaluation: Mar. 1 d. Short-Term Goal 2: to go to "Potential Impact", a youth event focussed on helping people to discern God's calling in their lives i. Steps: check out website for dates and requirements ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Date: Feb. 26 2. Finish Date: Feb. 29 3. Evaluation: Mar. 1 e. Short-Term Goal 3: to complete the background article, so as to have a better understanding of how to discern God's calling i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines f. Short-Term Goal 4: to get involved in church ministry, with the idea of possibly requesting a Local Church License to Minister. i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Meeting with Ministry Coach for oral feedback: Mar. 1 b. Written tests c. Oral tests d. Other
213 PSPD-Key Area Two: Spiritual Readiness (58.2%) > Better Prepared (14.5%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • coping with day-to-day experience • disciplines • fellowship • giftedness • life/walk in terms of dedication to God • spiritual maturity and/or development • stewardship of financial situation and plans • training at seminary • witness a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated i. Written tests ii. Oral tests iii. Other
214 PSPD-Key Area Three: Theological Education and Reflection (55.7%) > Better Prepared (11.8%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Evidence of a developing theology: Growth and Development of Theology • Theology of Bible • Theology of Church • Theology of Ministry a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
215 PSPD- Key Area Four: Conversion (54.4%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
216 PSPD- Key Area Five: Competent Practical Ministry Experience (48.1%) > better prepared (6.6%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Aspirations • Excellence • Experience in denomination through the local church, association, and/or Convention • Fruit of Ministry • Pastoral identity and/or role • Realistic Expectations • Spiritual Giftedness • Vision a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
217 PSPD- Key Area Six: Suitability (40.5%) > better prepared (5.3%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • A heart for ministry • Deserving of holding a license • Emotional stamina • Enthusiasm • Fitness for Ministry • Good sense of relationship • Intelligence • Love of people observation of reactions to Christians, reactions to pastor • Motives and/or purpose • Personal Presence: body language, general appearance, and how you present yourself • Personality in terms of being a people-person • Physical Stamina • Potential" in terms of development and/or progress • Rushing with regards to the timing of things • Respect for and a Realization of the Importance of Ordaining Process as it relates to the affirmations, priority of process, and quality of licensing. • Self-awareness with regards to the positive as well as the negative aspects of self and/or "capabilities • From IEP: academic, self-concept, behaviour, societal and community responsibilities, cognitive, affective, physical, appraisal, potential, motivation, achievement deficits a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates
218 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
219 PSPD-Key Area Seven: Affirmation/Confirmation (38.0%) > better prepared (2.6%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Affirmation or Confirmation of Calling • Approval from local Church, BMSE, and/or Internship Supervisor • Conviction • Examination • License(s) • Previous Steps Completed a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
220 PSPD-Key Area Eight: Candidates' Knowledge of Baptist Distinctives (31.6%) > better prepared (3.9%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Bible Knowledge and/or Bible Usage • Convention • Distinctives • History • Polity • Practice a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
221 PSPD-Key Area Nine: Practical Ministry-Skills Training (30.4%) > better prepared (21.1%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Communication skills • Conflict management • Crisis management • Evangelism • Leadership skills • People Skills and/or Emotional Intelligence • Preaching • Teaching • Training at seminary or in the church • Working in a team a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
222 PSPD-Key Area Ten: Character (25.3%) > better prepared (2.6%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Accountability • Attitude towards the Convention, the process, before the Board, and/or with the Mentor; Better Prepared: Attitude of Respect for Process (19.7%) • Being • Common sense • Community-minded • Consistency • Emotional maturity • Initiative in the process • Personal contact and/or visibility with evaluators and in places of ministry • Response to work or work habits a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
223 PSPD-Key Area Eleven: Resources for Discernment/Avenues of Evidence (22.8%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) a. Spiritual Resources: For Discerning Qualifying Factors (QFs) (19.0%) i. Bible ii. Guidance of the Holy Spirit iii. Prayer b. Subjective Resources for Discernment: For Discerning QFs (63.0%) i. Evaluation ii. Interview and discussion with candidate iii. Listening iv. Monitoring v. Observing c. Denominational Resources for Discernment: For Discerning QFs (20.0%) i. Church Constitution ii. Convention Guidelines and Regulations iii. Examiner's Experience iv. Guides and Checklists v. Regional Ministers vi. Statement of the Basis of the Union vii. The Internship Manual viii. The writings of Charles H. Spurgeon d. Recommendations/input from others: For Discerning QFs (58.0%) > Better prepared (1.3%) i. Committee and/or Board Interviews and Discussions with Candidates ii. Evaluation iii. Listening iv. Monitoring v. Observing vi. Reflection vii. Representatives from each church so knows candidate, regional minister, Executive Minister who was also the Director of Internship, the Internship Supervisor/Mentor e. Documentation from Candidate: For Discerning QFs (26.0%) > Better Prepared (2.6%) i. Applications ii. Diplomas iii. Documents iv. Internship Covenant v. "Readiness for Ministry" Certificate vi. Resume vii. Statement of Faith
224 viii. Transcripts a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
225 PSPD-Key Area Twelve: Follow-up and Support (12.7%) > Better Prepared (30.3%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Support ("natural" as well as intentional) • Academic support for those with learning disabilities, study skill and writing skill needs • Church and Association involvement and support • Cumulative How better prepared: for Interviews (25.0%) • Denominational support through assessments &/or professional counseling if needed (has been provided confidentially & they don't ask for disclosure) • Direct and personal support of the Lay Internship Committee (eclectic group: deacon, parent, youth, senior, CE) • Family support • Information, Regulations • Intentional developmental support through a "progress plan" • Mentor for remediation throughout the process, with regards to the Convention, Theology, and/or Training. Particular interest was given to responses that called for mentoring, coaching, or one-to-one support. • Positive and negative • informational and directional support regarding the process; Better Prepared: Information regarding the Process (23.7%); Better Prepared: Info re. process & Attitude of respect for process (include reasons for it) a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities iii. Timelines b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments needed...) iii. Timelines 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
226 PSPD-Key Area Thirteen: Documentation from Candidate (7.6%); For Discerning Qualifications (26.0%) > Better Prepared (2.6%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Applications • Diplomas • Documents • Internship Covenant • "Readiness for Ministry" Certificate • Resume • Statement of Faith371 • Transcripts a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated
227 a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
228 PSPD-Key Area Fourteen: Life Background (7.6%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background • Effects of past life on ministry whether positive and negative • Life developments • "Pathway travelled up to this point" 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
229 PSPD-Key Area Fifteen: Previous Steps Completed (3.8%) > For Discerning QFs (6.0%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Known completion of previous steps in the Ordination process a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress > objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
230 PSPD-Key Area Sixteen: Absence of Disqualifying Factors (2.5%) 1. Biblical, Historical, Denominational, Practical Background 2. Measurement of Current Performance (from Candidate & Sphere of Influence) • Anything from the past (or present) that might stand in the way of one's effectiveness in ministry, such as the particular circumstances of divorce, and/or the lack of confession and/or remorse for sin • "Baggage" that might hinder ministry • Discipline issues a. Areas of Strength b. Areas of Growth and Further Development 3. Goals based on Key Areas a. Long-Term i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed like specialized teaching, technological devices, learning needs, learning style, learning development) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) b. Short-Term (from Each Stage Results) i. Steps ii. Activities (books, experience, evaluations or assessments, services needed...) iii. Timelines 1. Start Dates 2. Finish Dates 3. Evaluation Dates (week, month, semester, year) 4. Evaluation of Progress: objective criteria by which progress will be evaluated a. Written tests b. Oral tests c. Other
231