Home > Denominational Ministries > Ordered Ministry > Sustaining Pastoral Excellence > Grants > Application Eligibility

Application Eligibility

All applications for grants must be accompanied by supporting documentation and/or materials that describe the self-selected experience to be considered complete. Complete applications turned in by the pre-designated dates will receive the swiftest response.

Eligibility Covenant

1. Pastors, missionaries, and chaplains that have at least two years' ministry experience and are currently active in a pastoral, chaplaincy, or mission ministry through the Evangelical Covenant Church on a full time basis are eligible to apply.

2. Participants must have one of the following Covenant credentials:

   • Ordained to Word and Sacrament 

   • Ordained to Specialized Ministry

   • Licensed Consecrated Missionary 

   • License for Pastoral Office 

   • Local Ministry License

   • Commissioned Staff Minister 

3. All ministerial association dues must be current in the last two years for a minister to be eligible.

4. All applications for self-selected growth experiences must be completed and turned in by one of the following pre-designated dates: February 15, April 1, June 1, August 1, October 1, December 1. These are the dates that application reviews will begin. All Covenant-created opportunities have a posted registration deadline specific to each event. Applications for these interactions must be received by the stated deadline.

5. Applications must be turned in at least 6 weeks prior to the chosen renewal opportunity for which the grant will be used.

6. Decisions on applications will be communicated no later than 21 days after the pre-designated deadline - or the posted deadline of the Covenant created events.

7. If approved, the grant recipient and church chair will be notified by letter. If denied, the applicant will be notified by letter, or phone, with specifics as to why the grant was denied.

8. Grant recipients will be reimbursed up to the specified grant amount when the receipts and response/evaluation sheets are turned in. Only receipts that accompany the evaluation sheets will be reimbursed, and only one check will be sent for reimbursement. Additional receipts turned in at a later time will not be paid. All receipts with evaluation must be turned in within ten (10) weeks after the chosen interactions for reimbursement. The exception to this reimbursement time-line is for those receiving ongoing spiritual direction, for which receipts may be turned in quarterly. (If the reimbursement process creates a hardship for you please get contact Dan Pietrzyk, SPE Director, or your Conference Superintendent.)

9. A check will be sent to you within 6 weeks after receiving the receipts and evaluation.