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How to Become a Priest
Rev. Katie Beaver

Recently, I was asked about the process for becoming an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church. It is hard to summarize in just a few sentences so I thought I would write it down for the curious. I will preface it by noting that this process can look different for every ordained person, no matter the diocese. I can only speak from my own experience. The below process, for me, took almost seven years to do, four of which I spent also working full time. It’s a long process, but I’m grateful for it.


So you feel a nudge toward ordination from the Holy Spirit?

 

Do not panic. Pray, listen, learn, deepen your ministry as a lay person. Interrogate your motives. Talk to your friends and family. Make sure to pledge. Look into sitting on the vestry or altar guild. (This could be the longest phase.)  

 

When you’re ready, let other people know.
1. Talk to your rector.
2. Meet with a lay committee at your parish (usually 6 months to 1 year)  If they write favorable letters to the Diocese on your behalf,
3. Apply to become a “postulant” which is what they call someone who is discerning a call to ordination. Usually, this process is done with the Commission on Ministry (COM), a committee of lay and ordained people elected by the diocese with the purpose of working with people seeking ordination. Normally the application requires recommendation letters, essays, interviews, and a resume.
4. Be prepared to get personal. They will ask you about your faith, your childhood, your opinions on the Church, your health, your finances, your relationships, your theology, and your motivations.
5. This is the stage in which it is most common for a COM or Bishop to say, “no,” or “not right now” to some folks.
If the Bishop and COM select you and admit you as a Postulant,
6. Begin a discernment year with your diocese. (1 year)
    a. A parish internship
    b. Retreats and classes with other postulants
    c. Assigned reading and writing
7. As the year ends, you will be required to turn in paperwork documenting:
    a. Your physical health (signed by your primary care doctor)
    b. Your mental and psychological well-being (from a licensed psychologist)
    c. Training in abuse prevention and domestic violence awareness
    d. Your spiritual journey so far.

If you still feel called, and the COM and the Bishop agree,
8. Apply to seminary! All ordained priests are required to get a 3-year master’s degree in divinity (M.Div.) from an Episcopal seminary. Sometimes, bishops will allow priests to attend non-Episcopal divinity schools, but normally require extra education in Anglicanism.
9. Though each has a different structure, all accredited Episcopal seminaries have competency requirements in:
    a. Old and New Testament Interpretation
    b. Biblical Language (Hebrew or Greek)
    c. Church History
    d. Systematic Theology
    e. Practical Theology & Pastoral Care
    f. Global Anglicanism and other major religions
    g. A Field Education placement
    h. Preaching
    i. Ethics
    j. Liturgical History and Practice
10. All dioceses require seminarians to complete one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). It is an intensive 400-hour certification in chaplaincy in a clinical setting, usually a large hospital. Most seminarians do this during the summer.
11. At the end of seminary, most postulants are required by their Diocese to take and pass the General Ordination Exams (GOEs), six essays in three days covering: Biblical Studies, Theology, Ethics, Practical Theology, Liturgy, and Church History.
You have your exams finished and your M.Div. in hand so…ordination!
12. You will have final interviews with the Bishop, COM, and Standing Committee of the Diocese. If they approve of your call, they will call you a “Candidate” which means you’re ready for ordination.
13. All priests are ordained deacons for six months before they are ordained priests.

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