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Local Ministry License

Description of Credential

Candidates for ordination to specialized ministry and commissioning apply for this license while in process.  This license may also be appropriate for persons seeking to fulfill the educational requirements for ordination to word and sacrament while in the process of completing the Master of Divinity degree, if at least half of the degree program has not yet been completed. It is the appropriate license for all individuals serving as solo pastors who do not qualify for ordination to word and sacrament or ordination to specialized ministry. The license is valid only for the ministry for which the candidate was originally licensed. The holder of a local ministry license is accountable to a minister ordained to word and sacrament within the local area of service, or to the regional conference superintendent.  At the time of a call to another ECC congregation or ministry, the holder of a local ministry license must submit a written request to the Board to transfer the license and submit to an interview with the appropriate regional conference committee on ministerial standing. This license is valid for one year and authorizes the holder to perform all ministerial functions, subject to state regulations.

Who is eligible for the credential?

The Local Ministry License is intended for persons serving at least twenty hours a week in ECC congregations, ECC institutions, or other approved ministries and organizations. The license is for those involved in pastoral ministry who also fulfill sacramental and other pastoral functions.

What are the requirements of the credential?

• Membership in an ECC congregation.
• Within eight years of the initial receipt of this license, completion of graduate-level survey courses in systematic theology, Old Testament, New Testament, and church history. These courses shall be taken for credit.  Progress on this program of study must be reported annually to the Department of the Ordered Ministry to maintain standing.
• Students at CHET shall complete a program designed by the president of CHET and the Board.
• Enrollment in the CEOP (if not attending North Park Theological Seminary).
• Participation in the pension plan of the ECC (if paid for 30 hours or more per week).  If paid for less than 30 hours, pension is optional but recommended.
  
• Submission of a completed minister’s profile form, signed baptism statement and background check, criminal record screening, and statement of faith paper.

Detailed Procedure

• Once the candidate meets the requirements for the credential, he/she contacts the conference office for a license packet.
• The conference office sends the packet to the candidate.
• The candidate completes all of the necessary paperwork, making sure to sign the license application, check all boxes, and obtain the signature of the local church chairperson on the back of the application. He/she then sends all of the paperwork back to the conference office.  
• The conference office receives this paperwork, making sure that none of it is incomplete or missing. If necessary, the conference office contacts the candidate to inform him/her of what is missing.
• The conference committee on ministerial standing interviews the candidate in the fall or spring, using the statement of faith paper as the basis for the interview. The committee makes its recommendation.
• Once the candidate has received a favorable interview, the conference office makes copies for its records, and then sends all originals to the Department of the Ordered Ministry.
• At this time, the Department of the Ordered Ministry will issue an interim license, which will be in effect until the candidate is approved at the Covenant Annual Meeting. (Interim licenses expire on June 30.)
• To receive a first-time license, the candidate must receive a favorable recommendation from the Board of the Ordered Ministry, a favorable recommendation from the regional conference ministerial association at its annual meeting, approval of the Covenant Ministerium, and approval of the Covenant Annual Meeting.
• The Department of the Ordered Ministry sends out license certificates in July.
• Each spring, the conference office sends out applications for renewal of licenses (except for those who have retired and are designated LML/R on the roster).
• The conference committee on ministerial standing will re-interview the candidate every three years as long as he/she holds a license. (To transfer a local ministry license, an interview will be required with the regional committee on ministerial standing where membership is being sought.)