Licensure of Students to Exhort

"Students who have received licensure according to synodical regulations shall be permitted to exhort in public worship services." (Church Order, Article 22)

Log in to begin the licensure process.

Purpose Of Licensure: Licensure provides students with the opportunity to conduct worship services and exhort in the churches of the CRCNA as part of their ministry formation program (including field education). Exhorting that is done to fulfill ministry formation requirements must be evaluated periodically. Evaluated exhorting must take place using approved forms in congregational or other approved settings and in assigned internships.

Eligible Persons: Students at Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) and students in other seminaries preparing for ordained pastoral ministry in the CRCNA may apply for a license to exhort in the churches of the CRCNA. Licensure is designed to aid students in their preparation for the ministry of the Word, and only those persons preparing for this ministry should seek licensure. Students nearing the completion of their first full year of seminary (i.e. completed two full quarters and beginning third full quarter OR completed first full semester and have begun second full semester) are eligible to apply for licensure.

Licensure Requirements: All students must meet specific requirements for licensure related to character, competence and capacity for ministry. These requirements are briefly described below:

  1. Character for ministry must be discernable from the student's application and the recommendations of churches, classis, Calvin Seminary faculty, and others.
  2. Competence for ministry must be discernable from the student's application and the recommendations of churches, classis, mentors, and Calvin Seminary faculty. In the case of students from other seminaries, recommendations also may be sought from relevant faculty from the student's seminary.
  3. Capacity for ministry must be discernable in the student's application, recommendations, and the completion of a minimum number of course credits and specific courses.

Specific Required Courses: A minimum of two (2) biblical exegetical courses, one (1) theology course, and two (2) preaching and/or worship courses are required for licensure. The application form will ask you to list the specific courses in each category.

On-line Application for Licensure: Students must request access or be invited to access the application online from the CTS Office of Ministry Formation. This application contains specific items which call for the student's response, information regarding the required recommendation and other documentation, and specific instructions for applying for licensure.

Procedure for Applying and Receiving Licensure: When nearing the completion of their first full year of seminary (see "Eligible Persons" above), the student should take the following steps to apply:

  1. Respond to the invitation to apply for licensure. Along with this invitation, you will receive your user ID and password to give you access to the online application form.
  2. Complete the online application. (Students are advised to save their answers to the five items in the application as a computer file.) If the student's transcript on file at CTS is not current, the student may be requested to obtain a current transcript.
  3. Request a written recommendation. CTS students should request a recommendation from their FFM leader/faculty advisor. EPMC or transfer students should request a recommendation from: 1) the chairperson of their Classis Student Fund Committee (CSFC), OR 2) a member of their Classis Ministry Leadership (CMLT) team. Your recommender should send the required recommendation to the Office of Ministry Formation ministryformation@calvinseminary.edu as an e-mail attachment (by filling in and submitting this form). If this is not possible, the recommendation may be faxed to the attention of the Office of Ministry Formation (616) 957-8621. The on-line application website will indicate when the required recommendation has been received. If the recommendation is not received within ten days of the request being made, the applicant is advised to follow-up with the recommender.
  4. Students may apply for licensure at any time during the year. Applications received by the first of the month ordinarily will be processed by the Director of Ministry Formation (DoMF) by the 15th of the month. In some cases the DoMF may advise the applicant re. parts of the application that have not been completed and/or are inadequate. In such cases, the processing of the student's application may be delayed until the next month or until all aspects of the application have been properly completed and received. The names of applicants approved by the DoMF will be forwarded to the chair of the Candidacy Committee.
  5. The CTS Candidacy Committee reviews the work and recommendations of the DoMF and recommends approved applicants to the Synodical Ministerial Candidacy Committee (SMCC) for licensure. Applications not approved by the committee will be referred back to the DoMF for further work with the student or may be referred to SMCC for advice.
  6. The SMCC receives licensure recommendations from the CTS Candidacy Committee and approves applicants recommended for licensure. The SMCC notifies the CTS Candidacy Committee and the DoMF of its licensure decisions. The CTS Office of Ministry Formation informs students re. the decisions of the SMCC. Applicants not approved for licensure by the SMCC receive the decision/advice of this committee from the DoMF and/or a member of SMCC.

Questions or comments regarding the application process and/or form may be e-mailed to the CTS Office of Ministry Formation ministryformation@calvinseminary.edu.