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15. During the licensing period, Licensed Minister will continue to meet with the Mentor
and the Calling Cohort
16. When the Licensed Minister is nearing completion of ministry training and
formation, the Licensed Minister will fill out the Pre-Ordination/ Pre-Commissioning
Guide and submit it to the DMC.
17. The DMC will interview the Licensed Minister and make a recommendation to the
District Board either for Commissioned or Ordained ministry status. The District
Board will also interview the candidate. Recommendation as a Commissioned or
Ordained minister is always dependent upon receiving a call to a ministry position.
So the recommendation is “pending call.”
18. The DMC will notify the congregation so that a vote may be taken by the
congregation to affirm the call.
19. Upon the affirmation of a call from the congregation a Commissioning or Ordination
service will be held in cooperation with the DMC.

Non-Salaried, Plural Ministry congregations:
The sequence of ministerial credentials in non-salaried, plural ministry congregations
will include the established categories of Discerner, Licensed, Commissioned or
Ordained as expressed in the 2014 Ministry Leadership Polity paper but the process
has been adapted to accommodate the unique aspects of ministry in non-salaried,
plural ministry congregations in the following ways.
1. The local congregation will elect a person to consider a call and will present
that name to the District Ministry Commission.
2. The DMC will interview the individual and at its discretion approve Discerner
status. Discerners are expected to establish a Calling Cohort. However, the
Cohort may be drawn from within the ministerial body of the Discerner’s
congregation. The DMC will still approve an ordained mentor which may be
from any of the other non-salaried, plural ministry churches in the district.
3. The Discerner may be as involved in ministry (teaching, preaching, visiting,
etc.) as the congregation’s Commissioned/Ordained ministers direct.
Discerners may not perform marriage ceremonies.
4. The remainder of the steps and responsibilities involved in the process will be
consistent with those outlined above (Steps 6-19).

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