Q: When it comes to ordination, are you required to be in an assigned position when you are interviewed for ordination or when you are ordained at the assembly?

A: According to the Church of the Nazarene Manual 2009-2013, the answer is yes.

• One who is called of God to this ministry who currently holds a district license, and who has at one time held a license for not less than three consecutive years and recommended for renewal of district license by the church board of the local church in which he or she holds membership or by the District Advisory Board. Further the candidate has fulfilled all the requirements of the church for the same, has successfully completed a validated course of study prescribed for licensed ministers and candidates for ordination as elder, and has been carefully considered and favorably reported by the Ministerial Credentials Board of the district assembly. The candidate may be elected to the order of elder by two-thirds vote of the district assembly. To be eligible for election, the candidate must have been an assigned minister for not less than three consecutive years, and the candidate must currently be serving in an assigned ministry. In the case of part-time assignment, it should be understood that there should be an extension of the consecutive years of in-service time, depending on their level of involvement in local church ministry, and that their testimony and service demonstrate that their call to ministry is primary to all other pursuits." Manual 2009-2013, excerpt fromparagraph 431.3.

David P. Wilson is general secretary for the Church of the Nazarene.

In each issue, a forum of pastors, laity, theologians, and church leaders respond to your questions on subjects such as doctrine, theology, Christian living, and the church. Send your questions to Holiness Today, Church of the Nazarene Global Ministry Center, 17001 Prairie Star Parkway, Lenexa, KS 66220| Email: holinesstoday@nazarene.org. The editor regrets that all questions cannot be printed, acknowledged, or answered.


Holiness Today, November/December 2012

Please note: This article was originally published in 2012. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.