New in Ministry Program | Pastors

• Steven Speilberg, the famed film director once said, “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” Mentors have experience and knowledge that, when accessed, helps a new pastor get a head start on building their skills instead of starting from ground zero.
• Over the course of your journey to ordination, we’ll connect you with multiple mentors to help you develop a well-rounded perspective on the task of pastoral ministry. Following ordination, we hope you’ll continue the habit of life-long learning by connecting with a ministry coach to help you keep refining and honing your skills.

• Your first full-time pastoral experience will likely be in one of our larger churches with an experienced mentor pastor. You’ll be exposed to a wide range of ministry experiences that you will process with your mentor pastor. Together you’ll work through specific Student Learning Opportunities (SLOs) that you will report on through the Adventist Learning Community (how to track SLOs).   
• Most internships last about 24 months and are usually followed by enrollment in the MDiv program at Andrews University 

• When you find yourself in your first district on your own, ministry can feel very lonely. Your mentor pastor will meet with you monthly to listen to your highs and lows, pray with you, and encourage you. Your mentor will probably do a lot more listening and less instructing. Any SLOs that you haven’t yet specifically reported on can be discussed as you prepare for your ordination review process.  

• A mentor mentee relationship may not always run smoothly. Conflict is an expected part of working together and working through issues professionally is an essential skill in your pastoral development. Your professional development is too important to leave a strained relationship unresolved. 

Don’t: 

• Avoid the conflict and hope it will go away 
• Talk with other pastors or church members with your frustrations 

• If you are experiencing a conflict with your mentor pastor, identify your concerns and share them honestly with them. If you are unable to work things out, contact the Ministerial Director with your concerns and we will work to find an appropriate resolution. 

• The North American Division has identified seven core qualities that form the foundation of the pastoral profession. Not only do they provide a framework of occupational expectations, but also identifying these seven core qualities allows the Church to promote ministerial excellence and most importantly essential skills for the winning of souls for Christ.

Character

The foundational quality, allowing the character of Christ to be formed in us and modeled through personal integrity that aligns with biblical ideals

Evangelism

Skilled and passionate about making disciples, helping people accept, internalize, and share in a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ the Seventh-day Adventist message

Leadership

Building a Church vision and equipping members to learn, grow, and serve

Worship

Facilitating an enriching corporate worship experience that brings people into the presence of God

Management

Executing responsibilities in a timely and well-organized fashion

Scholarship

Diligently and carefully studying the Bible and professional resources for continuous personal growth in Christ

Relationship

Relating well to others regardless of faith, age, ethnicity, personality, or gender

• More about the seven core qualities

• Becoming proficient in all seven core qualities of pastoral ministry is a massive task. That’s why the North American Division has been working with ministerial directors, experienced pastors and schools of theology in our universities to build a comprehensive roadmap that can enable theology professors, mentors, and ministerial directors to work together in helping students and New in Ministry pastors develop excellence.
• Each of the seven core qualities has been broken down into several “Student Learning Outcomes.” In an undergraduate program, students will be develop a certain level of understanding in each objective. During their internship, they will encounter the same qualities and outcomes with new levels of understanding and proficiency. This continues during the graduate program, in the first solo district, and after ordination. This approach is called “spiral learning” and is intended to help new pastors build a habit of life-long learning and professional growth.
• More about Student Learning Objectives

The New Way (In Beta Testing)

1. Log into your account on the Adventist Learning Community (ALC)
2. Go to your Dashboard
3. Choose “My SLO Requests” from the left-hand pane
4. Click the button “New SLO Request” and fill out the online form
5. Hit “Submit” and it will be reviewed by your mentor pastor and ministerial director for approval

The Old Way

1. Select a topic to work on from the Intern Development Notebook
2. Have your mentor pastor sign off on that topic when you have completed the discussion

New in Ministry retreats are for any pastors not yet ordained. Pastors who are away at seminary are not expected to participate of course. 

We usually have two retreats a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. We are blessed to have a great space for learning and relaxation at Camp Mivoden. All meals and accommodations are paid. We even pay your mileage there and back.

• Three days of fellowship, learning and reflection with your peers in a relaxed environment. We’ll tackle topics relevant to your current ministry challenges with plenty of time to dialogue about your current situations. You’ll hear from experienced pastors, administrators and other guests as they share their experiences and respond to your questions. You’ll be able to share your learning and draw on the learning of your peers that they have been gleaning from their own ministry contexts.
• Along with these valuable learning opportunities, there is intentional time for spiritual reflection. Instead of packing the schedule with lectures and reading, we leave space for you to engage with God.
• You should also expect to have fun! What’s a retreat without the chance to relax and play a bit?

• All pastors in the Upper Columbia Conference are expected to pursue a graduate-level degree.  The preferred degree is the MDiv from Andrews University. This on-campus degree is a 78 credit, fully accredited program. It is targeted at providing the learning and skills needed for pastoral ministry.
• The Upper Columbia Conference covers all tuition, moving expenses there and back, and provides a living stipend to their sponsored students.
• The program takes most students about two years and provides the chance to build life-long friends in pastoral ministry

• Pastors who have come into pastoral ministry from another profession or those for whom relocating to Berrien Springs for two years would be an undue hardship can apply to enter the MA in pastoral ministry program. This 48-credit program is offered primarily through extension classes held at the North Pacific Union Offices in Ridgefield, WA. Students attend a week of in-person instruction and complete the class requirements with reading, papers and projects while in their district.
• Students usually take 1-2 classes a semester and take about four years to complete the program and receive their degree.
• This degree does not provide the needed requirements for other advanced degrees.  Further credits would be required in order to pursue a doctorate

·   Make your request to UCC Administrative Committee

·   Apply to Andrews University

Because a masters degree is an integral part of pastoral preparation in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, students are strongly encouraged to complete their masters degree at an accredited Adventist institution. Exceptions for special circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

One of the most sacred duties of the Church of Christ on earth is the sacrament of the laying on of hands for the purpose of setting individuals apart for the work of pastoral/gospel ministry in behalf of God's Church. Though ordination/commissioning “conveys no special powers upon the recipient, it does impose solemn responsibilities” upon the candidate, and for this reason is not to be lightly regarded. "Their time, talents, and lives are to be dedicated to Him without reservation, for they are His mouthpiece and representatives of His church."  

Seventh-day Adventist Minister's Manual, p. 78.

• Preparing for ordination involves several steps that typically take about seven years to complete.
• Internship – New pastors are placed with a Mentor pastor in a district. This internship generally lasts 18-24 months.
• Graduate Degree – The pastor enrolls in the Master of Divinity program at Andrews University. This program usually takes about 27 months to complete.
• Solo Pastoral Experience – The pastor is placed in a district in the Upper Columbia Conference. They meet regularly with a mentor pastor, apply learned skills and demonstrate proficiency in the seven core qualities of pastoral ministry. Pastors will be considered for ordination after 2-3 years of solo pastoral experience.
• Ordination Review – Candidates for ordination work through the final review process with the ministerial director

There are several steps in the ordination review process:

• The candidate begins gathering documentation. The ministerial director will work together with the candidate to review SLO progress and understand what the ordination review committee will need as they consider candidacy.
• Church boards will be invited to share their thoughts and insights on the candidate’s ministry. That information will be shared with the ordination review committee
• Conference ordination review committee meets to review the candidate’s experience and calling.
• Candidates are recommended to UCC executive committee
• Candidates are recommended to the NPUC executive committee
• The NPUC executive committee makes final approval for ordination

The full UCC ordination/commissioning process can be accessed here.