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Who shall we send?
If it has been a few years since you joined the ranks of ministry, you may not be aware of some changes to the way Disciples credential ministers. The General Commission on Ministry (GCOM) did a massive rewrite of the foundational documents governing ordination and commissioning which officially took effect in August 2011.
"One of the goals of the rewrite was to identify the relevant preparation pastors really need for doing ministry and then finding places for them to receive that preparation both inside and outside seminary walls," said Rev. Sotello Long, member of GCOM and Regional Minister for South Carolina.
Many of the parameters and means of ministerial preparation are much more conducive to second-career and bivocational callings on the path to ordination. The requirements are such that an aspiring pastor will be equipped with 16 key "areas of ministerial practice" (AMP) that were not delineated in other models that range from biblical knowledge to cross-cultural experiences and ethics to worship.
This means that people in your circle of acquaintance - in your congregation, on a regional committee, at a camp - have more options to answer the call of God on their lives through apprenticeship or traditional post graduate schooling.
For instance, GCOM has put together a pathway laid out in a frequently-asked-questions document (also available in Spanish, French and Korean) that details how regional commissions on ministry and the candidates work together. While each region and candidate will be unique in the specifics of the process, generally it includes conversations with spiritual mentors and/or pastors and the regional minister or appropriate judicatory minister about discerning the call to ministry. The candidate will have a relationship with the regional commission through the entire process.
All these materials and more information including suggested educational providers are available on the disciples.org website under the quicklink for General Commission on Ministry.
Youth curriculum from Global Ministries 
Are you R.E.A.D.Y!? Ready for a new discovery of yourself, the church, your community and the world? You and your youth can begin the journey of experiencing mission in new ways with this curriculum created by Global Ministries.
The vision for this curriculum is to enable youth of all ages to re-imagine and redefine their understanding of God's mission. Life is full of crossroads where we must make decisions on how we will engage the world and, most especially, those who are different from us. During this quest, our hope is to challenge participants to broaden their view of their role in the church, community, and world.
Included in this curriculum is a wellspring of information and resources selected to aid you as you journey with your youth. In the four sessions, youth are asked to unpack their prejudices, both conscious and unconscious. They will also be equipped with tools to help them constantly evaluate their world and God's mission. Check it out
Support idea from Montana
Recently Dr. Ruth Fletcher, regional minister in Montana, published a short article about an experiment in clergy support on the DOC/UCC Partnership website. Read more
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