Stage 2 Examine (Formal Discernment for Ordination)
Enquirer feels the call to ordained Ministry
If an individual believes, after prayerful reflection, that they are called to ordained ministry in the Anglican Church, and this call is affirmed by others in their faith community, they may be invited to enter the Vocational Discernment and Reflection program, that is held annually. Through a series of workshops, enquirers test their vocation through theological reflection, group discussion, journaling, and interviews, so that their suitability for a possible future in ordained ministry can be discerned by themselves and the Church. Before considering entering this stage, individuals should be realistic about what the future may look like and what is achievable. Financial, family, study, and other commitments should be considered intentionally and realistically. In order to enter the Discernment stage, candidates will need the endorsement of a priest sponsor who will provide a reference.
Minimum Expectations
While Christians at any stage of their faith journey may explore vocation and ministry as a ‘seeker’, an individual will not be invited to begin the formal Discernment and Reflection program until they have had sufficient exposure to, and experience in, Anglican church life, mission, theology, and leadership. Expectations will depend on individual enquirers, but in general, a candidate entering Discernment will:
be committed to Christ, the Christian faith and the mission of the Church;
have a demonstrated commitment to personal prayer and Bible reading;
be a baptised and confirmed member of the Anglican Church, or have been formally received into the Anglican Communion;
have a significant history of active involvement in an Anglican parish or faith community - usually at least two years;
have the endorsement of their Parish Priest or chaplain;
relate well to others, showing emotional and spiritual maturity;
have experience in church leadership, either in liturgy, administration, mission or pastoral care;
demonstrate capacity to undertake theological study at a tertiary level.
If invited into the Discernment and Reflection program, the individual will build on this foundation with confidence as they explore what future ministry God may have in store for them.
The Examine Program
The Discernment stage is intended to provide a climate of support, encouragement, and reflection. A number of people will assist enquirers to take the next steps in clarifying their vocation.
During this stage the enquirer will be invited to attend a series of Discernment and Reflection days. These are held on weekends and, for some of the program, spouses and fiancés are encouraged to attend and participate.
During the course of the program, the enquirer will:
participate in a series of Vocational Reflection days with other enquirers;
submit three essays entitled:
o My Life Story (see Appendix 1)
o My Understanding of God
o My Understanding of Priesthood (or Diaconate as appropriate);
submit their CV with academic transcripts;
submit copies of baptism and confirmation certificates;
submit a National Police Check;
complete a Safe Ministry Check;
obtain a Blue Card;
provide proof of residency/citizenship (if applicable);
submit a full current medical report from a qualified GP.
During the program, each enquirer will meet with:
their Regional Bishop, who will also meet with a small group of parishioners who know the enquirer;
two of the Archbishop’s Examining Chaplains (in separate interviews).
The Bishop and each of the Examining Chaplains will submit a recommendation to the Director of Discernment
indicating their support or otherwise for the candidate to proceed to the Vocation Discernment Conference (VDC).
They may recommend continuation of lay ministry, further education and formation, or an invitation to the VDC.
Criteria for Selection
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Candidates should be able to articulate a sense of vocation to the ordained ministry and reflect on the effect of this on their life. They should be able to speak of the development of their inner conviction and the extent to which others have confirmed it. They should be able to show an understanding of what it means to be a deacon or a priest. Their sense of vocation should be obedient, realistic, and informed.
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Candidates should show an understanding of their own tradition within the Anglican Church, an awareness of the diversity of traditions and practice, and a commitment to learn from and work generously with difference. They should be able to speak of the distinctiveness of ordained ministry within the Anglican Church and what it means to exercise public ministry. They should be able to reflect on changes in contemporary society and the implications of this for ministry and the Church.
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Candidates should show evidence of a commitment to a spiritual discipline, which involves individual and corporate prayer and worship. They should be committed to a developing pattern of disciplined prayer, Bible study and the regular participation in Holy Communion. They should be able to show how they discern God’s activity in their life, how their spiritual practice has changed over time and how it is changing them. They should be able to reflect on how engagement with the world and others both affects, and is affected by, their practice of prayer. Their spiritual practice should be able to sustain and energise them in daily life and future ministry.
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Candidates should be sufficiently self-aware, mature, and stable to show that they are able to sustain the demanding role of an ordained minister. They should be able to demonstrate how they have faced change and pressure in a balanced and flexible way and how they manage stress. Candidates should be seen to be people of integrity who can generate trust and display honesty. They should be able to speak of how they have coped with difficult life experiences, how they have reflected upon them and incorporated them within their life and understanding.
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Candidates should show the capacity to build healthy personal, professional, and pastoral relationships. They should demonstrate an awareness of the need for, and ability to establish and sustain, appropriate boundaries between personal and professional life and within pastoral relationships. They should be able to manage conflict and show an ability to negotiate difficult relationships. Candidates should demonstrate good interpersonal skills, the willingness to learn from experience, and a commitment to building inclusive relationships within diversity. They should show the potential to exercise effective pastoral care.They should show the potential to exercise effective pastoral care. Candidates must be willing to live within the discipline of Faithfulness in Service.
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Candidates should demonstrate an ability to offer leadership in the Church community and in the wider community as appropriate. This ability includes the capacity to offer an example of faith and discipleship which is inspiring to others and witnesses to the servanthood of Christ. They should show a commitment to identifying and nurturing the gifts of others and be able to collaborate effectively. Candidates should be able to identify their own leadership style and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of this and of the different ways in which leadership may be exercised within the Church. They should be able to be flexible and adaptable in leadership and demonstrate ability to guide and shape the life of the Church community in God’s mission to the world.
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Candidates should show an understanding of the Christian faith and a desire to deepen their understanding. They should demonstrate a personal commitment to Christ and a mature, robust faith which shapes their life and work. Candidates should show an ability to reflect critically on their faith and make connections between faith and contemporary life. They should demonstrate a capacity to communicate their faith engagingly and effectively.
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Candidates should demonstrate a personal commitment to mission that is reflected in thought, prayer and action. They should show a wide and inclusive understanding of mission and the strategic issues and opportunities within contemporary culture. Candidates should be able to articulate the good news of the Kingdom appropriately in different contexts and speak of Jesus Christ in a way that is exciting, accessible, and attractive. They should enable others to develop their vocations as witnesses of the good news. They should show potential as leaders of mission.
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Candidates should have the necessary intellectual capacity and quality of mind to undertake satisfactorily a course of theological study and ministerial preparation and to cope with the intellectual demands of ministry. They should demonstrate a desire to learn through the integration of academic study and reflection on experience and a commitment to this as a lifelong process of learning and formation. Candidates should show flexibility of mind, openness to change and challenge, and the capacity to facilitate learning and theological reflection within the Church community.
Theological Education in the Anglican Communion (TEAC)
TEAC plays a role in the Anglican communion to encourage and equip theological education across the Anglican Communion especially in those regions where there is limited access to published resources. Supporting church-based theological education alongside seminary-based education.
TEAC produced comprehensive grids that are useful source of understanding what are described as ‘Competencies’ for Ministry. . They are specific enough to provide a shared understanding of a candidate’s journey in discernment on which regular review of progress might be reasonably based.
The nine criteria for selection areas that are set out in God Calling are a based on these grids. The ACSQ uses these grids to provide an understanding of one’s progress through a process of discernment, formation and training in ordination and ongoing ministry. They are useful to be used contextually in the ways people might develop within these qualities as they are seen as reflective of the call to ordained ministry.
Spouse and Family
Expectations of clergy spouses and clergy families have changed greatly in recent times. While clergy spouses are encouraged to develop their own areas of ministry and interest within the life of the church, the suitability of an applicant for ordination is not determined on the basis of the abilities of their spouse or the willingness of their spouse to express their ministry within the same context as the applicant.
However, the work of an ordained person is demanding in ways that can put strain on a partnership. For this reason, questions to the applicant and spouse or potential spouse about present and anticipated challenges for them and their family, and about how they deal with tough questions together, are not only appropriate but essential.