I have many friends that still have to go before their Board of Ordained Ministry and they have asked me what my experience was like. So, I thought I would jot it down for posterity. My conference has each candidate go before four subcommittees: Ministerial Effectiveness, Psychological, Doctrine, and Sermon/Bible Study. I will recount my experience with each in different posts over the next few weeks. Links to those posts will appear in a yellow box below this post.
I worried that writing this might give away secrets, but upon reflection, the whole process was straight forward. There were no surprises. No secrets. My seminary classes and my mentors did well to prepare me for the board experience. The tips that I am giving are the same that were given to me and simply applied to my own experience.
Tip: Give yourself at least six months to prepare your materials. Go over the checklist again and again. The doctrine questions are not as easy as they may seem. Background checks and recommendations take time to acquire. START EARLY! I have been told that incomplete packets/not meeting basic requirements is the number one reason for deferment in my conference.
Thank you for taking the time to put this together. This is interesting and helpful.
You are welcome, John. This is such a big step that it can seem mysterious and scary. I hope my story will help people know what it’s like.