It is my hope that our elders and ministers who are called to cast their votes on these amendments will vote affirmatively and embrace the theological response to the design for Minister of Word and Sacrament with a concentration in education, the ordination of Certified Christian Educators for a limited time and the institutional connections being established through these amendments.
Additionally included is a synopsis of the certification processes to raise the understanding of presbytery commissioners who are not aware of this extensive process encouraging competency and accountability to the church. It is also my hope that when considering the effects of these amendments each commissioner recalls G-1.0200 to faithfully interpret the amendments before our church.
“The great ends of the church are
the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
the maintenance of divine worship;
the preservation of the truth;
the promotion of social righteousness;
and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.”
Summary of Amendments 02-A.1-5
Amendments 02-A.1-A.5 are from the Task Force on the Educational Design for the Ordination of Christian Educators, which was established by the 212th GA (2000). This Task Force after extensive research and prayer has chosen to continue the tradition of Presbyterians claiming Christian education as a hallmark of our church. Through their process and wisdom the amendments are recommendations which primarily seek to strengthen educational ministry within the church.
- 02-A.1 To reclaim from the biblical emphasis of Calvin the role of teacher within the office of
Minister of Word and Sacrament.
Amendment 02-A.1 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by reclaiming the vital role of “teacher” in the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament. To rebut the con position which says that including the term “teacher” would “’profoundly’ change the requirements and theological bedrock for the office of ministry” gives one pause to ask where biblical authority rests within our understanding of this office. Christ was called Teacher often in scripture. Christ’s ministry primarily included teaching the disciples, individuals and crowds. His use of parables, questions, sayings and more illustrates the value for variety in teaching with individuals in relating to him, like a teacher does to his student. Christ’s final words recorded in Matthew reflect the centrality of teaching in the ministry as the disciples are commissioned to develop Christ’s church. Calvin recognized the depth of the role of teacher and even created a fourth ordained office of teacher, which is akin to our contemporary professors at the college and seminary levels.
- 02-A.2 To establish standards and requirements for competency in educational ministry within the
office of Minister of Word and Sacrament for those persons seeking a call to educational
ministry.
Amendment 02-A.2 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by establishing standards requiring competency in various educational ministry skills for those candidates in preparation for the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament who sense a call to educational ministry. These competencies would be required in addition to the current preparation requirements for the office of minister.
A little reality testing and historical perspective here is beneficial to the background of why the Task Force made this recommendation as they did. Currently within the PC (USA) Christian educational ministry roles are staffed by a variety of persons ranging from
- those without college education to those with terminal degrees in education, ministry or a related field;
- those who are uncertified by any standards to those who are Certified Christian Educators in accordance with G-14.0700;
- those who are not members or ministers in the PC(USA) to those who are members or ministers of our denomination;
- those who are non-ordained to any office to those who are ordained as deacon, elder or Minister of Word and Sacrament.
Herein, lies a key to this amendment. How did we arrive at such a place in time with no standards for leadership in Christian education within our churches? Because as a denomination we have neglected the roots of what Presbyterians have historically claimed as parts of our Reformed identity–sound Christian education and competency in church leadership. To ignore the integration of additional standards for Christian education competency for those who sense a call to ordained ministry with a concentration in education is to devalue our church and continue to witness it slipping into a chaotic culture of disbelief. Has this not already happened?
Creating standards for educational ministry at the ordained level gives priority to education in the particular church and sets the stage for a potential awakening within our denomination. From the roots of our past do we see visions for our future? Do we really want to be awakened as a church? Dare we need to ask this question?
David S. Schuller, a consultant for the Search Institute and editor of Rethinking Christian Education, a 1993 publication in response to Effective Christian Education: A National Study of Protestant Congregations addresses this relevancy when he describes the role of pastoral leadership for the future church. “For Christian education to be most effective, the congregation’s pastor must be highly committed to the educational program, devote significant time to it, and know educational theory and practice. The greatest weakness here is the involvement of pastors in the Christian education program for youth; only about half are actively involved. Slightly more than 60 percent participate in the adult educational program.” (p.11-12) Has anything changed since 1993? Time for a paradigm shift? Yes!
By approving these amendments the Christian education courses provided by our theological institutions should naturally increase, leading to greater relevancy in the preparation of Master of Divinity students who are called to educational ministry. Furthermore from Rethinking Christian Education in his chapter on “Pastors as Teachers,” Will Willimon concludes that “Seminaries will have more and better Christian education courses when they wake up to the recognition that their graduates are going to serve churches in a very different world.” (p. 54) Reclaiming the Great Commission to baptize and to teach sounds like a good old idea to inspire us to serve the church in the midst of a pluralistic culture.
To say that “standards for specialized ministries such as educators, … should be in a separate manual and not in the constitution” is missing the point. There is the implication that standards exist and they do not for Minister of Word and Sacrament with a concentration in education. Stating that “The Book of Order language already has adequate latitude” also misses the point. “Adequate latitude” translates as “no standards” based on current practice. Simply bypassing the importance of creating standards for Christian education competency among M Div students to prevent expanding the constitution “which already has the character of a manual of operations” is a poor reason to miss an opportunity to reclaim our Presbyterian identity by strengthening Christian education within the church.
- 02-A.3 To add teaching a lesson plan as an option for a candidate to proclaim the gospel when
being examined before presbytery.
Amendment 02-A.3 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by affirming teaching as proclamation of the Word and providing consistency within the process of preparation for ministry.
Since some candidates answer calls as associate pastors whose primary responsibility is adult education or youth ministry, providing an option of teaching a lesson plan before presbytery or a committee thereof gives presbytery opportunity to evaluate the educational competencies of a candidate as related to the call. If a calling presbytery would prefer that a particular candidate should preach a sermon, that possibility would still exist.
The amendment provides consistency within the process of preparation for ministry in that the present practice of the Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates gives candidates in the Open Book Bible Exegesis exam the option of presenting a sermon outline or a lesson plan on the assigned text. The option for teaching a lesson plan encompasses the reality that proclamation of the gospel does not happen solely through preaching. Teaching is also a primary function of the pastor. Still it would be an option and the calling presbytery could make the determination with each candidate.
For the Advisory Committee on the Constitution to say that “emphasis upon the centrality of the Word would be eroded and blemished” by teaching a lesson plan removes from the calling presbytery that responsibility for determination of fitness of the candidate for the call to the office. What kind of incompetency do we expect from a candidate if he or she would teach a lesson plan that is not grounded in the Bible? Perhaps this reasoning is exactly why the option should exist!
- 02-A.4 To provide an option for a limited time for a presbytery (only by three-fourths vote) to ordain a
Certified Christian Educator (by 12/31/03) with 5 years full time employment (by 12/31/07).
Amendment 02-A.4 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by providing for a limited time that a potential of 100 or so Certified Christian Educators could be ordained under certain conditions. Those conditions are
- that the educator complete the highest level of certification (See insert on A Synopsis of Educator Certification Process.) by December 31, 2003;
- that the educator serve in the field fulltime for 5 years by December 31, 2007;
- and that three-forths of the educator’s presbytery vote in favor of his or her ordination.
After December 31, 2007 this option expires. The placement of this amendment as an addition to the extraordinary means option that a presbytery currently has provides criteria for specifically for educational ministry.
The current supply of qualified persons serving in Christian educational ministry is scarcer than the waning number of pastors within the denomination. Thus to encourage greater competency in the field of Christian education strengthens the whole Church. The option of ordination of educators provides for the possibility that some faithful servants of the church could serve in pastoral roles in congregations other than the ones they currently serve. In both of these instances ordination would serve the church and not the individual. To further that testing of an individual’s inner call is the logical and practical involvement of both a Session and a Committee on Preparation for Ministry in the guidance of individuals who may consider being offered for ordination. These points for guidance at the church and presbytery levels are key parts of this amendment, which add to the integrity of the process that the Task Force on the Educational Design for the Ordination of Christian Educators intended.
- 02-A.5 To allow eligibility to serve as an associate pastor within the same congregation for a
Certified Christian Educator who is approved for ordination.
Amendment 02-A.5 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by providing continuous leadership within a local congregation should the church decide to change an educational position to an ordained call. Some churches in the past have called their educator (after further training) to essentially the same educational position but changed the title to an ordained call. Approval of the amendment would acknowledge that this is an above board option for a church to practice for a limited time. It will provide a church the option to do this should it choose to do so for the health of the church and its educational ministry. It will allow an educator who is ordained under the previous amendment to serve the same call should it be changed to an ordained position. Like Amendment 02-A.4 this option expires on December 31, 2007.
Amendments 02-C.1-C.4 are from the Educator Certification Council. These amendments respond to a group of referrals all of which have their roots from “A Proposal for Theology and Practice of Ordination” (1992). This proposal noted that: “The Church needs again to clarify theologically and institutionally the status of Christian [e]ducators…”
- 02-C.1 To include both levels of certification by adding Certified Associate Christian Educator in
the Book of Order.
Amendment 02-C.1 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by putting into the constitution the practice that has been in place for decades. The Educator Certification Council has been certifying educators at two levels–Certified Christian Educator and Certified Associate Christian Educator. The Certified Christian Educator is currently the only educator recognized within our church polity. This amendment provides for theory and practice to be congruent by placing the “theory” into the Book of Order regarding the Certified Associate Christian Educator.
- 02-C.2 To include the knowledge and skill area of Worship and Sacraments in the Certified
Christian Educator level.
Amendment 02-C.2 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by adding the 7th knowledge and skill area of Worship and Sacraments at the CCE level which is already in practice by the Educator Certification Council. Adding this required area in the Book of Order maintains consistency within the current practice in the denomination. Since no manual currently exists, these kinds of changes need to be made in the Book of Order to maintain consistency in practice and particularly to note standards for competency in various knowledge and skill areas.
- 02-C.3 To require presbyteries to keep rolls on certification of Christian educators at both levels.
Amendment 02-C.3 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by helping the denomination keep accurate records on CCEs and CACEs and open lines of communication and connection that currently only exist if the educator contacts the denomination. This “housekeeping” amendment can also support the connectional link needed between Committees on Ministry and educators as called for in amendment 02-C.5.
The ACC supports this amendment which has to do with record keeping, a manual type responsibility. Does it seem odd that other amendments with greater impact on the development of well-trained leadership, increasing the spiritual nurture in the life of the church, are considered items that “move the Book of Order away from a constitutional document and toward being a manual of operations”? The ACC’s rationales are inconsistent.
- 02-C.4 To require presbyteries to establish guidelines for compensation and benefits for Certified
Associate Christian Educators.
Amendment 02-C.4 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by expecting presbyteries to establish compensation and benefit guidelines for CACEs. A little history is helpful to this amendment. The Educator Certification Council is the primary body that relates to educators in the denomination, yet due to no record keeping on educators being required; determining the state of employment practices for educators had been difficult.
When the 208th GA (1996) commissioned the Work Group to Study the Role and Status of Christian Educators in the PC(USA), that group called for Research Services to conduct a survey on the practices of educator compensation and benefits amid other information, but no rolls for educators existed at the denomination. Hence, the need for amendment 02-C.3. The Work Group then requested the aid of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators and requested use of APCE’s mailing list. Of its four partnering denominations in May 1998 when the survey was conducted, 1,123 APCE members were serving PC (USA) congregations or other governing bodies. Of that number 875 returned the surveys–a response rate of 72%. The results of the survey indicated that compensation and benefits practices for educators across the denomination were significantly inconsistent and inadequate if not unjust in many cases.
In 2002 the GA approved that presbyteries provide “requirements for compensation and benefits for Certified Christian Educators.” A significant number of presbyteries still have not responded to this “requirement” because of the lack of formal relationship of CCEs and presbytery. Prior to 2002 only a few presbyteries had been responsible in providing “guidelines” for compensation and benefits for CCEs. The evidence that the Educator Certification Council sent this amendment and that the GA approved it to come to presbyteries for vote points to the need for just employment practices in our churches as provided for in G-10.0102n. To vote for this amendment is a vote for just employment practices and the church is called to be about modeling this kind of behavior to the world.
Amendment 02-C.5 is from Overture 02-11 from the Presbytery of National Capital and naturally complements the others in Amendment 02-C.
- 02-C.5 To provide pastoral care to Certified Christian Educators through the Committee on
Ministry.
Amendment 02-C.5 would strengthen educational ministry within the church
by making sure pastoral care is provided to CCEs through the Committee on Ministry. This amendment is similar to the previous one in its evidence for need based upon the many educators who have shared their “horror” stories of how they have been treated or mistreated by churches. For COMs to be intentionally tuned in to educators and their pastoral care needs can only improve the relationships that educators and churches have in service to our Lord Jesus Christ. Often a church calls an educator as their second professional staff person. If a church has not had a multiple staff to support and is not in the practice of annual consultations with each individual staff member, then the COM can help by providing guidance to churches and educators in significant ways that further the peace, unity, and purity of the church.
After the 2000 GA’s encouragement to ordain educators as elders, at least 15 presbyteries also started welcoming CCEs who are ordained elders to have voice and vote at all meetings. The presbyteries and churches that have made this change have strong educational ministries. When an educator takes a new call and moves to another church in a different presbytery, their experience changes vastly if a presbytery welcomes educators. The Educator Certification Council receives such feedback when exams are evaluated and because of these healthy practices by some churches and presbyteries, recommends these amendments.
Conclusion
While some believe including such amendments in the Book of Order move it further from being a constitutional document to that of a manual, the nature and purpose of these amendments dispute that claim. These amendments provide for educators a connection to the system of polity in our denomination and also establish for our churches and educators a means of accountability regarding service in educational ministry. Establishing just employment practices and treatment of those within the service of the church is a primary way that our denomination can embody “the promotion of social righteousness.” These amendments promote what many of our churches ignore and/or deny in practice because they are not currently required to do so by the Book of Order. To support these measures of theological competence in church leadership, accountability to one another in the church, connection and responsibility within our polity, and just employment practices is clearly consistent with a majority of the theory and content in the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Respectfully submitted,
Mary A. Morrison
APCE President Elect
(To be installed as APCE President Jan. 30, 2003, in Denver at the annual corporation meeting.)
Mrs. Morrison who is a life-long Presbyterian also serves as the APCE Liaison to the PC (USA) Educator Certification Council. She is an ordained Elder and a Certified Christian Educator. She currently serves as Associate for Christian Education in Foothills Presbytery.
A Synopsis of Educator Certification Processes
There are two levels of certification of Christian educators
- Certified Christian Educator, (Book of Order G-14.0700)
- Associate Certified Christian Educator (which is not currently in the Book of Order)
The requirements for certification at each level are summarized below.
Certified Christian Educator: This level requires a Master’s degree in Christian Education or Divinity from an accredited school or prior certification as a Certified Associate Christian Educator. An applicant must have been employed full-time for one year. Completion of graduate level course work is required in
- Biblical interpretation
- Faith and human development
- Reformed theology
- Religious education theory and practice
- Polity
- PC (USA) program and mission
- Worship and sacraments
Certification is granted after the successful completion of a reference group process and a written examination. The exam includes the following:
- demonstration of sound exegetical method
- application of the biblical texts to the educator’s particular context for educational ministry
- application of the biblical texts to the larger church
- development, implementation and evaluation of an original educational design
- integration of the seven knowledge and skill areas in response to case studies
Certified Associate Christian Educator: This level requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or having been an Enrolled Educational Assistant. An applicant must have been employed full-time for two years. Completion of undergraduate level coursework is required in
- Biblical interpretation
- Faith and human development
- Reformed theology
- Religious education theory and practice
- Polity
- PC (USA) program and mission
Certification is granted after the successful completion of a reference group process and a written examination which includes all of the requirements as listed for CCE except the educational design does not have to be original, but may be adapted from published materials.
Statistics on Certified Christian Educators and Certified Associate Christian Educators
Certified In Process
CCE 419 179
CACE 153 167
Resource: Educator Certification Council of the Presbyterian Church (USA), November 2002
