How do you become an ordained minister?

Answer 1

If you believe that God is calling you into the ministry - and assuming that you are a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church - then you should talk to your pastor and see if he will let you try out your ministry by, say, preaching from time to time or studying The Bible with people. If, after doing that, you still feel that you are being called, the next step is to attend an Adventist college and do the theology course. This involves four years of study to reach the BA degree followed by another year or 18 months for an MA (not all countries require the MA).

Once you have satisfactorily complete the theology course you can apply to the church organisation for a job as a minister and after interview you will usually be assigned to work with an older pastor for a couple of years. This is known as an internship. During that time you will function as a pastor but you will not be allowed to baptise, marry or discipline church members.

Finally if you have shown promise as an intern the church organisation will decide to ordain you, usually at a large gathering such as a conference or camp meeting, after which you will be a minister with all the rights and duties that implies.

Answer 2

To become a minister of religion, it is firstly necessary to have "a calling", or a vocation which, put more simply means you must be filled with the burning desire to preach God's word and minister to His people. If you are already a member of a church group of any particular religion, I advise you to start by talking with your minister. As he/she is already a minister, that is the best place to start. You can find out from that person what is required of you. Becoming a minister of religion, means that you will be required to undertake several years of Biblical studies including theology (the study of God and His Word), philosophy and any other studies relevant to your religion. Depending on the religion, you may be able to live at home and attend a religious institution by day. Some religions require their aspirants to live away from home, undertaking studies at the religious institution. This may sound daunting, but if you have a genuine vocation, I'm sure you will achieve your goal. Personally, I wish you every blessing, because if you have a vocation and are prepared to persevere with the studies, you will become a fine minister.

Answer 3

It depends what you mean by the term "ordained".


United States

The fastest and easiest way to become ordained is with the Universal Life Church. Online ULC's, such as the Universal Life Church Seminary, The ULC Bookstore or ULC Headquarters, issue legal ordinations with the click of the mouse and stroke of a few keys. You input your information, it is recorded into the church's records, and just like that you are an ordained minister.

Other churches have established seminaries that can take up to eight years, depending on the church, before becoming ordained. These are usually for more established, mainstream religions.

In the United States of America, the First Amendment of the constitution guarantees that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Thus the government can not tell a church who it may ordain or how it may conduct an ordination.

Canada

For a Christian or Jew, in Canada, if you want the authority to legally place 'Reverend' before your name you must belong to a recognized 'ordaining party'. The specific requirements will vary depending on the organization, however this is usually a time and labor intensive process.

To become legally registered with the government, you must be recommended for ordination by the legally ordained local leadership to the licensing denominational head. You would then be charged by the official leadership of the ordaining organization with fulfilling the great commission world-wide and be expected to know and conduct yourself within the context of the laws of the land and the Word of God. You must renew your credentials annually through the licensing denomination's system of accountability to legally remain ordained.

There is another popular ordaining process in which many churches and religious organizations will 'ordain' members specific to the function of their local protocols. For example, once you have completed the specific training process for beginning a mission, you do not require licensing or legal ordination. The belief is that God ordains each of children as his ministering servants, to go out and make disciples of all nations, as commanded by Jesus in the gospels. Using this process you will not satisfy the legal definition of "ordained minister."