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CMA In Care Program
Download information and forms here:
In Care Application Information
In Care Application Form
In Care Local Church Role
Ordained Ministers' Code
The Local Church in Relation to its Pastor
In Care Mentor Guidelines
In Care Boundary Training Requirement
In Care Renewal Forms
Ordination Steps & Procedures (Rev 3/11/2010)
Ecclesiastical Council Procedures
For information about the CMA In Care Program, the status of your application,
meetings of the In Care Subcommittee, renewal status, contacting the In Care or Ordination
Subcommittees and other program details and logistics, contact the Chair of the In Care Committee through the CMA office.
Download Recent Candidate Ordination Papers:
James Coyl
Gwendolyn Kirkland
Greg Sabetta
David Safeblade
Joyce Timberlake
Ramah Wright
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Boundary Training Required For All In Care Students in CMA
Effective September 1, 2005, you cannot be ordained in CMA without having
taken a CMA sponsored or approved Boundaries Workshop.
The Chicago Metropolitan Association sponsors a number of two-day workshops
to increase awareness about the boundaries that exist between us and those
we serve.
Because of the seriousness of the issue, the Church and Ministry Committee
and the Association Council voted to require that all students In Care of
the Chicago Metropolitan Association complete Boundary Training before they
can be approved for Ordination by the Church and Ministry, effective September
1, 2005.
Click here to read or
download the letter from CMA sent in September 2004 to all In Care students
discussing this policy.
Ecclesiastical Councils
The United Church of Christ provides for associations to ordain
candidates for ministry. Persons prepare themselves for ordination
through study (including Master of Divinity) and prayer (including
membership in a local church which sponsors the candidate).
The official context for ascertaining a candidate's fitness for ministry
is the Ecclesiastical Council which is convened by the cluster of the
candidate's home church on behalf of the entire Chicago Metropolitan
Association. Voting Delegates to the Council are all Chicago
Metropolitan Association ordained clergy and Licensed Ministers
plus delegates selected by each local church in CMA.
Candidates distribute copies of their ordination paper to Cluster
church representatives. Copies for others are available upon request.
Ecclesiastical Councils begin with prayer and, after introductions,
the candidate presents her or his paper. Direct questions to the
candidate are asked after the paper has been presented. Some areas
usually highlighted for candidate response are:
a. The Bible- What is it for you? the church? the Christian community?
What is "God's Word"? Is there "universal truth" in the Bible?
b. Knowledge of the wider church.
c. The candidate's understanding of her or his ministry's impact
on the local church.
d. What challenges does the United Church of Christ present?
e. What opportunities for celebration does the United Church of
Christ present?
f. Understanding of the sacraments. (The United Church of Christ
recognizes baptism and the Lord's supper)
g. Reflection on the UCC Statement of Faith
h. Self care
i. Reflection on the role of preaching in the ministry
Procedures for Ecclesiastical Councils
February 19, 1999
1. The ordination process begins after a candidate is approved for ordination by the CMA Committee on Church and Ministry. The candidate then notifies his or her local church pastor, and the pastor and candidate then contact the dean of their cluster and the CMA association co-minister for that cluster. Together they all coordinate a date for an Ecclesiastical Council.
2. Once the date has been established, the candidate, with the help of his or her church, must inform all the other churches and non parish clergy in that cluster. A copy of the candidate's ordination paper is sent to each church and to all non-parish clergy in the cluster. Each local church in the cluster is responsible in turn for making copies of the ordination paper for its own lay delegates. The cluster dean should have extra copies of the ordination paper available at the Ecclesiastical Council for others that may attend. The candidate and his or her church should also inform the deans of the other CMA clusters. It is the responsibility of the other deans to inform their churches and non-parish clergy about the Ecclesiastical Council.
3. Quorum: the Ecclesiastical Council truly represents an attempt to have Association-wide support for a candidate considering ordination. As in other association meetings, all clergy with standing in CMA and two lay delegates from each church with standing in CMA, are eligible to vote. A quorum requires that at least one lay delegate from each of at least one-third of the churches within the host cluster be present, or that at least one lay delegate from each of 12 churches in other clusters and one clergy from each of 12 churches in other clusters be present. It is the responsibility of the candidate's church to secure a quorum.
4. The Ecclesiastical Council meeting: All clergy and lay delegates should register and receive voting cards. The cluster dean or a representative from the Committee on Church and Ministry should introduce the candidate. The dean of the cluster moderates the meeting. After the candidate is introduced, he or she should be invited to summarize his or her faith journey and statement on theology to the Council. A period of questioning follows regarding the theology presented, the submitted ordination paper, and the candidate's readiness for ministry. (See Manual on Ministry for suggested questions.) A reasonable amount of time for questioning is one hour. Further time should be negotiated by the entire group.
5. Following the period of questioning, the candidate and family are excused. In case there is no family present, the candidate should not be alone during the deliberation. A formal vote is then taken by the official delegates present. A three-fifths vote is required for approval. The candidate is invited back into the meeting to hear the results, and the meeting is closed in a circle of prayer.
6. The dean or a designated person reports the decision to the CMA association office. Plans for an ordination service must be worked out between the ordinand, the Local Church, and the association co-minister.
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