ARTICLE 4: Eligibility for the Ministry
A. Eligibility
Only those shall be called to the office of minister of the Word who
1. have been declared eligible for call by the churches;
2. are already serving in that capacity in one of the churches; or
3. have been declared eligible in, or are serving in, one of the churches with which the Canadian Reformed Churches maintain a sister-church relationship.
B. Declared Eligible
Only those shall be declared eligible for call within the churches who
1. have passed a preparatory examination by the classis in which they live, which examination shall not take place unless those presenting themselves for it submit the documents necessary to prove that they are members in good standing of one of the churches and have successfully completed a course of study as required by the churches;
2. have served in churches with which the Canadian Reformed Churches do not maintain a sister-church relationship, and have been well tested for a reasonable period of time and examined by the classis in which they live, with due observance of the general ecclesiastical regulations adopted for that purpose; or
3. have been examined according to the rule described in Article 8.
C. Calling Twice
The approval of classis shall be required for a second call to the same minister regarding the same vacancy.
D. Counsellor
When a vacant church extends a call, the advice of the counsellor shall be sought.
Texts of Implementation
Texts of Application
Texts of Commentary
Colloquium
GS 2013 – Article 149
3. Considerations:
3.3. Some letters deal with major items and require input and direction from Synod, including the following:
Article 7 – Examination of Ministers from Churches in Ecclesiastical Fellowship
Several churches point out that, according to the PJCO 2012, ministers coming to our federation from a sister church need to undergo a complete examination at classis, whereas presently a colloquium is held. If we take seriously our ecclesiastical relationships and the ordinations that take place in sister churches, there is no need for this provision in our Church Order and a colloquium would be sufficient.