From Seminarian to Minister

Candidates must understand that permission to "negotiate for service" is not automatic if the conditions in the authoritative interpretation have been met. In fact, such approvals are not the usual practice of presbyteries, and they are typically reserved for those who are clearly nearing the time for their “final assessment” and are fully expected to be “certified ready for examination” when the assessment is conducted. Neither candidates nor the congregations or agencies that may wish to call them will be well served by extended delays caused by failure to meet the requirements of “final assessment.”

This principle is clearly illustrated by the condition that the candidate must have "satisfactorily completed all the standard ordination exams." It is not sufficient that any remaining exams have been scheduled in the near future, since the exam results may turn out to be "Unsatisfactory" or unforeseeable circumstances may prevent the candidate from being able to take the exams as scheduled. Either situation would delay the candidate's availability to be considered for a call by four to six months, or more.

If a candidate is seeking a call based only on an approval to "negotiate for service," then they should clearly communicate to any congregations or organizations with whom they are negotiating exactly what provisions remain before their presbytery of care will "certify [them] ready for examination, pending call" and the projected timeline for fulfilling those provisions. In no case can a presbytery of call proceed to validate a ministry offer or examine a candidate for ordination before the presbytery of care has certified the candidate.