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 The process of becoming a full connection Elder or Deacon
in the United Methodist Church has undergone an enormous change in recent
years. The probationary process, as it is has come to be known,
is being implemented in various ways throughout United Methodism.
Here in the Desert Southwest Annual Conference, the
probationary process is being designed in accordance with disciplinary
requirements to enhance and further the educational process of the probationary
members while developing both mentoring and covenant relationships
with peers in the process and with full connection elders and deacons.
The information found below page is a fluid statement of the process as
it is developing here in the DSWAC.
Probationary Process: Goals and Methods
All persons
who are commissioned ministers shall be appointed by a bishop (para. 430)
and serve a minimum of three years as a probationary member of the annual
conference. During the probationary period, all commissioned ministers
are to be involved in
a curriculum that extends theological education by using
covenant groups to support the practice
and work of their ministry as servant leaders, to contemplate the grounding
of ordained ministry, and to understand covenant ministry in the life
of the conference. The specialized service of probationary members shall
be evaluated by the superintendent and BOOM in terms of the probationary
member’s ability to express and give leadership in servant ministry.
The commissioned
ministers planning to give their lives as deacons in full connection shall
be in ministries of Service and the Word the entire probationary period.
The commissioned ministers planning to give their lives as elders in full
connection shall be in ministries of Service, Word, Sacrament, and Order
for their entire probationary period. A commissioned minister serving
as pastor of a local church shall exemplify and be held accountable for
leading the congregation in servant ministry.” (para. 317)
Since ministry during the probationary
period establishes lifelong patterns, the Board of Ordained Ministry of
the Desert Southwest Annual Conference will provide a process through
which probationary members may enter into the practice of ministry within
a system of nurturing supervision and support, fostering the development
of personal expectations and disciplines which will result in effective
ministry.
Participants in the probationary process
will:
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Learn to integrate formal
study, life experiences, and the evolving challenges of leadership in
a multi-cultural church that is at once local and global.
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Establish practices of
spiritual discipline that will nurture and sustain a deep and growing
Christian faith and effectiveness in ministry.
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Identify and begin the
development of skills enhancing their commitment to carry out the church’s
mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ by equipping laity for ministry.
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Claim their role within
the ministry of all God’s people.
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Be welcomed into and connected
within the clergy covenant.
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Experience a working introduction
to the United Methodist ethos and the resources of the denomination.
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Begin to develop their
vocational identity within the context of servant ministry.
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These objectives will be worked out by four strategies:
mentoring, covenant groups, continuing theological education, and supervision.
Mentoring
The mission
of mentoring is to promote vocational identity and effective ministry
through a covenant relationship that provides support, accountability,
counsel, and growth in Christian maturity.
One member
of BOOM has been assigned to each probationary member as a BOOM liaison.
The covenant group leader will also serve in a mentoring relationship.
Long term:
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Mentors will
be trained as needed.
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Mentors will
be selected and assigned to probationary members in consultation with
district superintendent.
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Mentor and
probationary person will meet four times a year and will have contact
once a month (email, phone, etc.)
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It shall be
the responsibility of the probationary person to make sure meetings
are arranged and the responsibility of the mentor to make sure the monthly
contact happens.
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The relationship
between the mentor and the probationary member is confidential and mutually
accountable.
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The mentor
is to file a non-evaluative report with BOOM each year. This report
should focus only on issues of faithful participation in the process.
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Under normal
circumstances the mentor/probationer relationship will last until
the probationary person is ordained.
Covenant
Groups
In Covenant
Groups, commissioned ministers receive encouragement for the practice
and work of ministry as servant leaders. They reflect on the grounding
of ordained ministry and consider covenant ministry in the life of the
annual conference (para. 317,BOD1996). Participation in the covenant
group during the probationary period is part of the process of vocational
discernment. For those who proceed into ordained ministry, it forms
habits and practices of covenant ministry that will continue through their
participation in the Order of Deacons and the Order of Elders.
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members will be organized into covenant groups of five or six persons.
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| There shall be a facilitator for each
group who will be either lay or full member in connection assigned by
the district superintendent.
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| Meet four to six times a year: eighteen
to twenty hours, worked out by the covenant group in consultation with
the facilitator.
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| Meetings will include prayer, worship,
and integration of practical theology (this may be accomplished by using
case studies, sharing/evaluating sermons, etc.)
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A covenant contract
for the group will be signed by each person which shall include:
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An agreement
as to the confidentiality of the group.
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An agreement
to make these meetings a high priority, and to be in attendance.
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An agreement
to work with peers in the covenant group as well as the facilitator
to insure that mutual growth in ministry is accomplished.
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The group facilitator will file a non-evaluative
report each year with BOOM. This report should focus only on issues
of faithful participation in the process.
Continuing
Theological Education
Probationary Members will participate in a BOOM sponsored
plan of continuing education designed to reinforce seminary training and
provide opportunity for practical reflection upon the practice of ministry
in the real world.
Supervision
Thorough assessment and careful supervision
of new leadership in the church is critical for the development of effectiveness
and a truly healthy church. Probationary members are supervised by both the district
superintendent and the conference BOOM. The district superintendent
oversees all commissioned ministers in the appointive ministry. This includes routine procedures such as clergy meetings, interviews,
and annual reports about the probationary member. BOOM oversees
the processes toward full membership and ordination, sets times for interviews,
and develops expectations for effectiveness in ministry.
 
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John Flowers is chair of the Probationary Process team. Contact
John
by email
for more information about the
process.
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