Learn about the Discernment Process for Ordination from the COM
We’re excited that we’ve got an upcoming ordination in the diocese. Meredith Harmon will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on July 22. Have you ever wondered about the discernment process toward ordained ministry? Have you wondered if you might wish to explore the possibility?
We thought we’d share with you a bit about how people are ordained in The Episcopal Church and the work of the Commission on Ministry (COM) in assisting people through the discernment process.
A few members of the COM answered some questions about their ministry.
How do people interested in ordination begin the process of discerning a call? Do they contact you or do they come through their parish priests?
People who are exploring a call to ordained ministry (called explorers) first contact their parish priest and share their feeling of call. At that point, the parish priest contacts the COM to schedule a training for the Parish Ministry Discernment Committee (PMDC). This group of six people meets with the explorer to talk and pray and otherwise discern where God is calling them.
Ultimately, we see ordination as the parish recognizing the ministry and affirming it. Should the PMDC agree that the explorer is called to ordained ministry, the explorer then becomes a nominee and moves into diocesan discernment.
“For those considering the formal discernment process toward ordination,” Fr. Seth Raymond expressed, “I would encourage you to pray for a few things: the cultivation of patience in a process that involves many listeners and respondents, the ability to express how the church would be strengthened by the gifts you bring to an ordained role, and confidence in the knowledge that God is calling you to deeper relationship and service regardless of the outcome of the process.”
Bishop Jeff Lee ordaining Rebecca Terhune to the Sacred Order of Deacons, October 2022
What’s the breakdown of membership of the COM (priests, deacons, lay leaders)? How are people selected to serve?
COM currently has three priests, one deacon, and four lay leaders. The members of COM are appointed by the bishop and serve for one-year-long terms that are renewable.
“The priest who encouraged me to pursue ordination was fond of reminding me that while a formal discernment process ends, discernment never ends,” wrote Fr. Seth Raymond. “With her words ringing in my ears, I was thrilled to join the Commission on Ministry last year. The Commission on Ministry is a wonderful way to pray for, encourage, and listen to the ways the Holy Spirit is calling her people into deeper relationship with God and the church.”
If you are interested in serving on COM, please talk to Mother Pippa Lindwright, president of the COM, at . They should be members in good standing, be knowledgeable about the Episcopal church, and be active and discerning listeners.
Does discernment look the same for everybody or does it vary from person to person?
Discernment is as individual and unique as we are. While there are general competencies, knowledge and experience that we think people need for ordained ministry, COM and the bishop work with each individual to make sure they are set up for success. After all, our goal is to serve the church and the ordained leaders by preparing them as best we can.
Do people have to start the discernment process before going to seminary?
While it is traditional to discern first and then go to seminary, we have two people in process who completed seminary before they entered process. Our lives and calls do not always happen in a linear fashion, and the COM works with people’s individual experiences as they go through the formation process. That said, if you do feel called to ordained ministry, we suggest you go through discernment first before applying to seminary.
What’s the difference between an explorer, a nominee, a postulant, and a candidate?
When you first feel a call to ordained ministry, we talk about you exploring the possibility, and thus you are an explorer. Once your parish recommends you (meaning your PMDC, priest, and vestry sign off on your call), you are nominated and thus are a nominee.
The next step is to go to the annual Commission on Ministry Discernment Weekend (often held in the fall). At that point, you interview with the COM, and they make recommendations to the bishop. The bishop then confers postulancy or not.
Next comes the formation. Mother Pippa noted, “for people discerning a call to the priesthood that generally means three years of seminary. For people discerning a call to the diaconate that means entering into Education for Ministry, and completing internships at a parish and at a community outreach setting. After the second year of education the postulants meet with the COM for their candidacy interviews. They next interview with the Standing Committee and then both COM and Standing Committee make a recommendation to the bishop. The bishop then decides whether or not to grant candidacy.”
What is it you find enjoyable or fulfilling about serving on the COM?
"I strongly believe that God calls everyone to ministry,” noted Mother Pippa. “Through our baptism we are called to ‘represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church’ (BCP, 855). But figuring out that call requires community. We need other people’s insights to find our own path.”
Fr. Seth shared, “In the many interviews we've conducted this year, I am amazed at the vulnerability and depth of reflection happening around our diocese. We have people in small parishes and large asking how their gifts for pastoral listening, education, community organizing, leadership, theological study, and justice might be used for the sake of the gospel. In each of these cases, the answer is "Yes!" While not every person discerns a call to ordained ministry, my hope is every person is affirmed in their calling to use their gifts to the glory of God and the strengthening of the church.”
“What I have most enjoyed is seeing how people grow throughout their journeys. We are so blessed to be able to hear people’s stories and see how the Spirit is leading them towards embracing their unique gifts of ministry,” wrote Deacon Nancy Hills. “It is an honor to be able to offer encouragement, occasional guidance, and prayers for people who feel called to serve in the church in such a public way.”
“COM is given the privilege of walking with people as they explore their calls and working with them to ground, form, and prepare them for the work God has given them to do,” wrote Mother Pippa. “Ideally we are part of the team of people who are praying for, supporting, and sustaining people as they prepare for ministry.”
"Every aspirant, postulant, and candidate for ordination has a unique story,” wrote Fr. Seth, “but every story has a common denominator: the desire to listen deeply for God's call and to discern whether that call is to order one's life in service to the church.”
Are you interested in exploring that call?
Thank you to Mother Pippa Lindwright, Deacon Nancy Hills, and Fr. Seth Raymond for contributing to this piece. We thank them for their service on the Commission on Ministry along with other current COM members Father Seth Dietrich, Ashley Humphrey, Vince Katter, Mary Thickens, and Jen Vettrus.