Steps in Candidating for Ordained Ministry in the Methodist Church 2012

We recommend that you keep a hard copy of all the documentation to refer to as you proceed through the process of candidating.

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Welcome to this guide about candidating which will furnish you with an overview of the process you will encounter as you candidate. In addition to reading this document there are people to talk to and information to gather.

People to talk to:

Your Superintendent Minister, District Candidates’ Secretary, Training Officer and the officers in the Development and Personnel Cluster of the Connexional Team. For Diaconal candidates, the Vocations Coordinator in the Methodist Diaconal Order – email vocations@mdo.org.uk . Clearly friends and family as well as ministers and deacons you know. If you need to contact Development and Personnel the best way is to e-mail candidates@methodistchurch.org.uk

Information to gather:

Make sure you have the main documents from the website: (www.methodist.org.uk/candidating) - Is God Calling You? a booklet about candidating - Steps in Candidating (this document). - Candidating Portfolio (C2 - see below) - Relevant Forms – from the website.

Check that your Superintendent Minister has a copy of all the documents about candidating that are available on the website and the text can be downloaded. Any questions can be addressed to Development and Personnel. The written information will give you the details you need. In addition the Methodist Church has set out the regulations for candidating in section 71 of the Constitution Practice and Discipline (CPD) of the Methodist Church. All ministers have an up to date copy of this document and it is useful to read the relevant section through. Having read it you may wish to talk about it with your minister!

Portfolio:

An important part of the process is the submission of a portfolio of work demonstrating your sustained and systematic engagement in a process of vocational exploration and discernment. Please make sure you talk with your minister and start the process of preparing the portfolio immediately. Once you are clear in your heart that you would like to test the call of God on your life through the candidating process, and have discussed with your Superintendent, he/she will begin to consider finding a mentor to assist you with writing your portfolio. It is important to begin work on your portfolio even before you alert the Connexional Team of your interest. The C2 Portfolio document will give you all the information you need. Preparing the portfolio is the part of the process that could demand the most time and planning.

Online Enquiry

The website has a link to an on-line Enquiry Form which allows you to make sure we know of your interest in candidating. You can use this from 1 July 2011 and the date by which to submit an enquiry form is 30 September 2011.

What is the Formal Start?

From the website you can download the Application Form (C1) which needs to be completed and returned as an attachment to candidates@methodistchurch.org.uk by 1 November 2011. The form will be available from 1 July 2011. While you will have let people know beforehand, this marks your formal entry into the process. Your name will be entered onto the Candidates’ database and Development and Personnel will establish a physical file into which will be placed all the evidence

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that is amassed during the process. The formal part of the process does not take long; it is what has led up to this which takes the time. Starting in September it moves through three stages at Circuit, District and Connexional level with the recommendations being communicated after the Candidates’ Selection Committee (CSC). The final decision is made each year at the Methodist Conference.

Please note: The deadline date for all other 2012 candidating application documents (apart from the application

as above and district forms) to reach Development and Personnel is 15 December 2011. At each of the stages the people you meet will want to encourage you to explore your vocation and also to test whether that vocation is to ordained ministry in the Methodist Church. The whole process is undertaken prayerfully, with careful listening, detailed reading of your submissions and the references of others, with the panels making decisions openly and objectively.

Commitments, Requirements and Responsibilities

CPD is packed with important information for ministers, Churches and Circuits. There are sections of CPD that candidates, and those who support them, should be aware of. CPD is made up of two volumes and Volume 2 is produced annually. Volume 1 has the historic documents of our Church. In Volume 2 the decisions or Standing Orders (SO) of the Methodist Conference, describing the way we should order the life of our Church, are set out in full (Book III). The sections in Book III to focus on as you think about candidating for ordained ministry are: Part 7 Minsters and Deacons (1) – Status and Stationing This section looks at all the issues relating to candidates and has the special Section 75 for Deacons. Look also at Section 52 entitled ‘Circuit Ministry’ which sets out expectations of those involved in Circuit Ministry. Part 8 Ministers and Deacons (2) – Terms of Service These sections look at the provision for Presbyters and Deacons and reveal the care the Church takes of those who are ordained. In addition: There is also a section of CPD which sets out the expectations that the Methodist Church has of its members and, in particular, its ordained ministers. Book VI, Part 2 of CPD sets out this information in the form of ‘Guidance’ and there are 17 sections of it to read altogether. Those candidating for the Diaconal Ministry will find the Rule of life at Part 10 of this Book VI. Please Note:

1. That we would give page numbers but CPD 2011 will not be published until September. The whole of CPD is now on the Methodist website as soon as it is published, type CPD into the search box on the home page. Your minister will have their own copy which you could consult.

2. When you complete the Application Form and sign it you will be agreeing to abide by this guidance and these Standing Orders in your candidating, training and the exercise of your ministry.

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For Superintendents: Do read CPD Standing Order 710 (1-7). Especially note the following:

the qualifications at 710(1)

that you check the candidate has read, understood and will agree to 710(3)(a).

to check the future availability and the terms and conditions under which a candidate if accepted might serve, see 710(3)(b). If necessary a letter of explanation from the Superintendent will suffice, with the Circuit Leadership report (C4). The candidate should indicate this or other issues on the on the C1 Form

Guidance for Superintendents please ensure you keep a hard copy of this and all other relevant candidating documents such as this (Steps in Candidating). Mentors are Wonderful Assist your candidates in finding a suitable mentor as soon as possible.

Age of candidates: Candidates who require full or part time training will be over 18 and with an upper age limit of 55. The age is calculated from the 1 September in the year in which the candidate is accepted. Where candidates only require ‘in service training’ (rather than full or part-time formal training) due to their previous experience and or qualifications the upper age limit may be varied to 60. This decision, which is in line with SO.710(5), has been taken having regard to the cost of the training programme, the length of time it takes to complete and the resources of the Church.

Medical Assessments: As part of our medical assessment during the process you may be required, if you are recommended, to attend an interview relating to medical matters if the report from our medical advisor raises issues which need to be addressed. These interviews will take place after Candidates’ Selection Committee, and are likely to be in April 2012. We will notify you of the actual dates as soon as they are available, and would ask you to keep the time free if possible. Immigration requirements: Note that candidates who are accepted for training must demonstrate that they have a legal right to live and work in the United Kingdom. The objective in requesting proof of immigration status is to ensure that at the end of training a person can be lawfully deployed as a Methodist Minister. Documentation requested:

1. If you are a British citizen or the citizen of an EEA country, and have a passport, please supply a photocopy of the page showing the ID of the holder and... If (and only if) you have changed your name since the passport was issued, then also send a copy of the document that made the change [marriage certificate or deed poll].

Or...

2. If you do not have a passport, please supply a photocopy of your birth certificate. If you were born after 1982, we may need to consult with you, as the law changed at that time,* and... If (and only if) you have changed your name since birth, then also send a copy of the document that made the change [marriage certificate or deed poll].

Or...

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3. If you are an overseas national please supply a photocopy of the passport page showing your ID and also a photocopy of the current visa and a note of when you came to the UK.

When you have made the necessary copies please ask your Superintendent Minister to certify the photocopies stating that he/she has seen the original, then signing and dating the photocopy. All information supplied is confidential and will not be used for any other purpose than that stated above. *Someone born in the UK before 01/01/1983 is automatically entitled to UK citizenship. After that date citizenship depends on the nationality of their parents.

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What are the forms and – who does what? On-line Enquiry Form – for those seriously considering candidating, to be completed by the 30 September 2011. C1 – Application Form - completed by the candidate and sent by them to Development and

Personnel by 1 November 2011. C2 – Candidating Portfolio - completed by the candidate, sending three comb-bound hard copies

to Development and Personnel by 15 December 2011. See the separate document on Candidating Portfolio.

C3 – Worship Report - reflections on two worship services led by the candidate as preacher for presbyteral candidates and as worship leader for diaconal candidates. Completed by those assessing and sent by the Superintendent to Development and Personnel by 15 December 2011.

C4 – Circuit Leadership Team Report - completed by the CLT and sent by the Superintendent Minister to Development and Personnel by 15 December 2011. C5 – References – requested by the District Candidates’ Secretary, prepared by the referee and

sent by the referee electronically to Development and Personnel by 15 December 2011. Where the candidate has been a Foundation Training student then Development and Personnel will request an additional reference from the FT institution.

C6 – District Candidates’ Committee Reports – The District Candidates’ Secretary to complete and send to Development and Personnel by 20 February 2012.

Medical Form – to be completed by the candidate and returned to Development and Personnel by post, to reach us no later than 15 December 2011. This form is sent on to the Connexional Doctor who will make recommendations to the Candidates’ Selection Committee after the Committee has made an initial decision about your candidature.

Equality and Diversity Form – To be completed by the candidate anonymously. This enables us to keep non-attributable data on the background of those who candidate.

All forms, with the exception of the Medical Form and Equality and Diversity form, to be electronic documents in WORD sent as attachments to Development and Personnel by noon on the day identified above and the signed hard copies posted to arrive at Development and Personnel on 15 December 2011. The Development and Personnel team will ensure that the relevant forms are sent to the District Candidates’ Secretary. The papers for the connexional Candidates’ Selection Committee (CSC) will be available to panel members at least 10 days prior to the Committee.

The Candidating Portfolio is marked and the mark sheet will be sent to you and to the District and Connexional Committees. The portfolio and the mark become part of the discussion with you about your learning and understanding and help the committees grasp your understanding of your call.

Date by which a candidate shall be a Local Preacher or Worship Leader. The application of the policy contained in SO710(1)(b) and (c) be by the day prior to the commencement of the Ministerial Session of the Methodist Conference for presbyteral candidates and the day prior to Diaconal Candidates’ Selection Committee for diaconal candidates in the year of candidating. In such cases, where the implementation follows the submission of the Application Form it is the duty of the Superintendent Minister to indicate to Development and Personnel that the Service of Admittance for a Local Preacher, or completion of a Worship Leader’s course, has taken place.

Advice on filling in the forms Your application forms will create a first impression of you, so both their appearance and

their content matter.

Please ensure that all the details are filled in with meticulous care.

The forms will be photocopied and reproduced for committee use so it is essential to type them, selecting a clear typeface. Please use black font colour.

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All forms from candidates, circuits, districts etc must be sent as attachments to candidates@methodistchurch.org.uk followed up by a signed hard copy to Development and Personnel, at Methodist Church House.

It is strongly recommended that you keep a photocopy or an electronic copy of all your completed forms lest they should go missing in the post or www (though this rarely happens), but also, perhaps more importantly, so that you can review what you have written as you prepare to meet the various committees, since the interview committees will formulate some of their questions on the basis of the contents of your application forms.

In the event that you become a recommended candidate, some of the evidence in the file will be used during the formulation of your pre-ordination training proposal.

The information in the application file will then become the basis of your personnel file held by the Methodist Church in Development and Personnel.

If you withdraw from the process at any stage, or if it is reported to Conference that your offer of ministry is not recommended, the application form (C1) and the letter indicating the outcomes of the process will be retained, but the detailed information will be destroyed following the decisions of Conference that mark the formal end of the candidating process.

Please send all forms as WORD documents, not as pdfs or jpegs. Thank you. We will need to contact you and therefore please make sure that the contact details on the C1 Application Form are the phone, postal and e-mail address at which we can contact you between December 2011 and June 2012. Where there are changes do let us know immediately.

1. Appearing before the Circuit Meeting

It is usually the case that candidates are nervous about appearing before the Circuit Meeting but find the experience ultimately very affirming. Hopefully, whilst exploring your vocation, you may have had previous experience of observing or attending the Circuit Meeting, so will know what to expect. Though it may be a large gathering, there will be people you know. Your minister and representatives from your Church will be there and you’ll probably be able to sit with them as the agenda is followed. This is the point at which your interest in ordained ministry becomes more publicly known. You will be presented to the Circuit Meeting by two of its members (S.O. 711(3)). Usually, your Superintendent will address the meeting, explaining their role in the candidating process. Then s/he will formally present you to the meeting as a candidate, speaking on your behalf, drawing upon some of the evidence within the report about you that the Circuit Leadership Team is preparing, and introducing you so that you can, briefly, address the meeting. The second member of the meeting may add a few words, either then and/or after you have spoken. Make sure that you have discussed with your Superintendent what is to happen beforehand, so that you can prepare yourself carefully for the meeting. The meeting will want to hear of your sense of call, how you have explored that call and your reason for offering as a candidate for the particular order of ministry (presbyteral or diaconal) at this point in your life. Circuits are often very supportive of 'their' candidate, taking pride in being able to offer you to the Connexion. If you are a presbyteral candidate, you will have gained recognition as you have preached around the Circuit, so those who attend the Circuit meeting will feel that they know you. Diaconal candidates who are not Local Preachers may not be as widely known across the Circuit. Nevertheless, in the course of your exploration of vocation you should have had the opportunity to meet and converse with members of the meeting, perhaps previously unknown to you, who will encourage others to lend their support to you now.

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The Circuit Meeting will not have seen your Application Form (C1), so they will base their judgement upon what they know of you and what they hear at the meeting. The meeting votes by secret ballot and sends its report as evidence for the District and Connexional stages of the process. You will be informed of the vote and of the meeting’s discussion. It might be a good idea to ask someone who was present and known to you, whose judgement you trust, to give you some informal feedback that might help you in your later self-presentation. The Circuit Meeting is probably the largest single body of people that you will have to address during the candidating process. Please note that in the unusual circumstance that you are unable to be present, it is possible for the Superintendent to make representations on your behalf and for a vote to be taken in your absence. However, this is a rare occurrence. If the Circuit Meeting is not supportive of your candidacy you may nevertheless exercise the right to continue, progressing to the next stage of the process, the District Candidates' Committee. Immediately after the Circuit Meeting, your Superintendent will complete and post a signed hard copy of the vote on the form C4a to Development and Personnel followed by an electronic copy the next day.

Meeting with a psychotherapist: A member of Development and Personnel will send you the contact details of a psychotherapist with whom you will be asked to make an appointment for a psychological assessment which must be carried out by 9 February 2012. This is an opportunity to talk about yourself with a professional assessor who is not a member of the selecting committees. The appointment will last for about an hour. Many people find this a valuable process though you can expect the psychotherapist to want to know about painful or difficult areas of life, both past and present, as well as the more polished areas we tend to present to strangers. In other words s/he will be looking to get as full a picture of you as possible, warts and all. The psychotherapist will then write a report of your meeting that is private and confidential. The full report is seen only by the connexional psychotherapist and yourself. The connexional psychotherapist attends the Connexional Selection Committee and is able to act in a consultative capacity to the selection panels. She may write a summary of the psychological report for the selection panel highlighting issues that may warrant further exploration. Some candidates may be called for a second psychological interview during the CSC.

2. Meeting with the District Candidates' Committee

The next stage is to meet with a District committee. Committee members are carefully selected by their District Synods to represent the membership of the churches in the District and they will include people experienced in the art of interviewing. The meeting will be chaired by a District Chair, but not necessarily by your Chair. It is possible that the District Committee could be composed of members from two or more District Synods. If the Chair of another District is chairing the proceedings your District Chair will be a member of the committee. Apart from the person who chairs the meeting the DCC comprises the District Candidates’ Secretary (DCS) - who would have liaised with you previously - who will act as Secretary

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and between 10 and 13 others of whom at least five shall be lay people, three presbyters and one a deacon. The DCS will already have been hard at work, behind the scenes, ensuring that the Committee has all the available evidence to hand. They will also be responsible for making sure that the evidence gathered in the meeting and the decisions and outcomes it reaches are properly recorded and duly transmitted to the Development and Personnel unit.

You may feel that you will be exposed to the scrutiny of strangers. However, do not be afraid, they

will want to hear of your journey of faith and commitment. Furthermore, you will not be alone or

unsupported. Every candidate will have the support of their own Superintendent/minister and may

also be accompanied by someone who has guided them in the process of vocational discernment. Who will not be present? You will not be interviewed at District level by a relative or a close friend since this would be unfair to you and to others who are to be interviewed. So the DCS will discuss the appropriate boundaries with you and determine whether there is any member of the Committee who should declare a relationship with you that could make them ineligible to interview you. Why a District Committee? In part because of our Methodist understanding of ourselves as a Church: we are not a congregationally ordered Church but a Connexional one, which expresses that connexionality in the local Methodist society (your church) that is part of a Circuit that, in turn, relates to a District, all within the context of the Connexion. It is probable that the District Committee is the first interview where you are less likely to feel that you are among friends and acquaintances, as it is the first place where an impartial questioning of a candidate takes place.

What will happen on the day? During the day each candidate will meet with committee members in small groups where focussed conversations will explore specific areas: then at the end of the day with the whole District panel of about 13 members. The Creative Presentation: There is a creative presentation on a given topic for all candidates. You will be informed of this topic shortly after 1 October. You can prepare a banner, painting, hymn (with new or existing music), poem, short drama, dance, mime, board game, PowerPoint presentation etc. Please contact your District Candidates’ Secretary to indicate to them what medium you would like to use at the District Committee. At the District Committee present your visual or verbal material using electronic media if you wish (but have hard copy as back up). You will have a maximum of 10 minutes to present your material, but ensure it addresses the topic given to you and which will be known to the Committee. The Committee will then explore this with you. You should anticipate spending at least half a day at the District Candidates’ Committee, about an hour and a half with the sub-groups and full committee and some time waiting as they deliberate behind the scenes. As you wait between different parts of the day's process you will probably have ample opportunity for conversation with those who have accompanied you. If, however, you are someone who would prefer to have the time and space for quiet contemplation, do let your supporters know. All involved might like to take newspapers or a good book!

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The District part of the process culminates in the interview with the full panel of the District Candidates' Committee. For all candidates this will be the point at which you make the creative presentation. All candidates will have the opportunity to discuss their sense of vocation with the full committee. Some Districts choose to report the outcome of the interview to you before you go home, usually by means of the Chair engaging you in conversation. The rules for the conduct of the DCC require it to report the outcome to you more formally no later than 72 hours after the committee has met. You will sign the District Report form to say that you have seen it and the supporting documentation that is to go forward to the Connexional Selection Committee. The forms will be sent as attachments to Development and Personnel by 20 February 2012 with the signed hard copies also posted that day. Those who have accompanied you to the meeting will be able to offer both feedback (including advice about how to improve your interview technique) and pastoral support, as you decide whether to go forward to the Connexional Committee. Even if the District Candidates' Committee is not supportive of your candidacy, after reflection upon their feedback to you, and upon the way you presented yourself to them, you may nevertheless exercise the right to continue, progressing to the next stage of the process, the CSC. Resource List: After the District Committee presbyteral candidates will be asked to offer a list of resources and cultural experiences to Development and Personnel to be part of the discussion at CSC. Further details will be sent to you.

3. Appearing before the Connexional Committee

The Ministerial Candidates' Selection Committee (MCSC) and the Diaconal Candidates' Selection Committee (DCSC) have been meeting at the same time and place with the two processes running in parallel since 2009. Together we refer to them as the Candidates’ Selection Committee (CSC) What is CSC? The Candidates' Selection Committee (made up of members of both the DCSC and MCSC) is the body that recommends to Conference the names of candidates to be accepted for pre-ordination training for diaconal ministry and membership of the Methodist Diaconal Order or for presbyteral ministry in the Methodist Church.

Who are the members of the CSC?

The Committee is appointed by Conference and reports directly to it. It has, altogether, over 90 members nominated by Conference to represent the life of the church. What kinds of people are invited to become members of CSC? They are a carefully balanced mixture of ordained and lay people, many having experience and skills in personnel matters, interviewing, counselling or education. Some have been engaged in training foundation students and student ministers. Some have particular interests in mission in this country and the World Church. The Committee will be divided, for most of its work, into small panels of six to eight people. A full list of the names of the Committee members present will be on display at the conference centre where the Committee meets. How will they work together? DCSC and MCSC will work in parallel (CSC) whenever possible, but the panel you meet will be focused on the order of ministry for which you are candidating. As far as you as candidates are

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concerned the selection of candidates for either order of ministry will be taking place concurrently at the same centre and with officers complementing each other's work. The Committee works particularly with the candidates’ circuits and districts to bring together information to help the Church to make its decision. The basis for the Committee's work is the selection criteria clearly set out on the website - please be sure to read it carefully so that you will be aware of the charisms for which the Church is looking in this process. Why a connexional committee? Part of the answer to the question is in the word 'connexion'. Methodism is a connexion, which means that we work with and for each other. A person ordained to Methodist ministry, either as a presbyter or as a deacon, is one who represents the whole church, and so the whole of the church, through its representative bodies, has a part to play in the processes of selection, training and ordination. Don't the local church and those who have accompanied my vocational discernment, know me much better? Some people will have known you well for some time; others will have come to know you through the process of Foundation Training or vocational exploration. The Circuit and the District have been asked to express their judgement that you, as a person they know, are someone in whom they affirm continuing signs of a calling to a particular order of ministry. Hence, the Circuit Leadership Team wrote a report, you appeared at a Circuit Meeting so that they could record a vote and the District Candidates' Committee interviewed you. Referees have provided evidence for the committees about your recent development. All these people have accompanied you in education and formation, and their reports help CSC to make a recommendation to Conference as to whether you should enter training for ordained ministry as a presbyter or deacon in the Methodist Church. When is CSC? In 2012 the dates are Monday 12 - 16 March. You will be required to attend for 24hrs in that week and we will let you know which 24hrs by the week commencing 27 February 2012. For example the timetable in 2010 was as follows:

First day 3.00pm Candidates arrive (possible interviews with a psychotherapist) 4.00pm Tea Break 4.15pm Welcome to candidates (Chapel) and meet with Panels 4.30pm Triangle Interviews commence 6.15pm Triangle Interviews conclude 6.30pm Dinner 7.30–8.30pm Group Work 9.30pm Prayers (Chapel) Second Day 8.00am Holy Communion - Chapel 8.30am Breakfast 9.30am Candidate 1 – interview 10.30am Candidate 2 – interview 11.30am Candidate 3 – interview 1.00pm Lunch 2.00pm Candidates assemble in Chapel for dismissal prayer by Chaplain and then leave. 2.00pm Full Committee

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Who will I meet at CSC? Your primary contact will be with the particular Panel of 6-8 people and, dependent upon the order of ministry for which you candidate, they will either be members of MCSC or of DCSC. A number of people with official roles help the Committee to work effectively. Potentially you may meet: The Chaplains, who are not serving members of the Committee and do not take part in any of

their deliberations or have a vote. There will be a small chaplaincy team, made up of presbyters, deacons and lay people. You can talk freely and confidentially with them; they will not report anything back to Committee members. The chaplains arrange worship and are chaplains to everybody – providing pastoral support to candidates, committee members, wherever and whenever they may be needed.

The Connexional Psychotherapist(s), whose professional responsibilities involve a lot of confidential work, advising panels or officers and meeting some candidates individually.

The Committee members responsible for the group exercise that forms part of the assessment procedures.

Someone to talk to about training opportunities. Staff from Development and Personnel, who will assist with your registration at CSC. People responsible for committee administration. Staff from Development and Personnel (who are not members of the Committee). Two coordinators (members of the Committee), facilitators of the group exercise, who have

the primary responsibility of ensuring good communication between the panels and the candidates and who facilitate the group exercise. If you want to raise a question with the Committee they, or the member of Development and Personnel or the Chaplains are the contact persons.

The Staff of the High Leigh Conference Centre (where CSC meets,) who handle domestic arrangements. You will register with them immediately upon arrival and be given your key and information about the layout of the Centre.

Staff from Development and Personnel co-ordinate the work of the Committee. After the Committee either the Designated Connexional Team representative (for presbyteral candidates), or the Warden of the Order (for diaconal candidates), will write to tell you the recommendation that will be made to Conference. The Officers and Team representative and the Warden work closely with the co-chairs of the Full Committee.

What happens at CSC?

The context of the whole event is one of worship and prayer. The formal acts of worship at the beginning and end of each day are very important, since they allow the opportunity for the candidates and the Committee members and all those involved to pray and seek God's will together. The broad framework of activities is set out in the timetable above. During the 24 hours each candidate has interviews with groups of panel members on specific areas connected to being in ministry (‘triangle’ interviews); shares in a group exercise and makes a presentation at the beginning of an interview with one of the Panels. At some point, (for example, at the beginning while people are arriving, or while the full panel interviews are being carried out), you may also be called to see a psychotherapist.

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Meeting with a psychotherapist When you attend the Connexional Selection Committee you may be asked to see a psychotherapist who is in attendance. You may wish to request an appointment yourself. This provides an opportunity to follow up areas mentioned in the psychotherapist report from the first interview. Occasionally, Panels also take the opportunity of requesting that candidates see a psychotherapist during the selection process in order to clarify or to explore personal areas that inevitably arise during this serious and thoughtful process.

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How does CSC formally commence? The first activity is a welcome, gathering together all the candidates and the members of the Committee, during which you will meet the members of the small interviewing panel to which you have been assigned. The time begins with introductions and prayer led by one of the chaplains.

What are the sub-panel ('Triangle') interviews? To enable the panels to meet each candidate and the candidates to get acquainted with the panel, members of the panel form three sub-groups of two members each. Each sub-group explores in conversation with the candidate areas of interest arising from the selection criteria in turn. For presbyteral candidates the three areas will be:

i. Your journey of faith, calling and relating to others. (The reports on your leadership of worship and preaching (C3) will be available to the members of 'Triangle 1.') ii. The Church's Ministry in God's World. iii. Learning and Understanding. (Your resources list will be made available to the members of 'Triangle 3.')

For diaconal candidates the three areas will be: i. Your journey of faith, calling and relating to others.

ii. The Church's Ministry in God's World. iii. Understanding of the Methodist Diaconal Order (MDO) as a religious order.

All candidates should expect the panel members they meet to explore in conversation with them aspects of their personal devotional life, their understanding of Methodism and the ways in which they link their faith to daily living. To help them to get to know about you the interviewers will already have received information from your file before the Committee, including the Application Form (C1) the Candidating Portfolio (C2), the two Worship Reports (C3), the Reports from the Circuit (C4 and C4a) and references from either the (C5) and the District Committee Reports (C6).

What is the Group Exercise? This is an exercise in which candidates work together on a task, observed by those who devised the exercise and by Committee members. The observers look at the way the group works together to achieve a purpose and what each member contributes. What will happen in the full panel interview? After the Triangle interviews and Group Exercise your panel will determine the order in which each of you will appear in turn before a full panel. Before the Full Panel Interview the panel will have received feedback from the triangle interviews and the group exercise. In the Full Panel Interview one member chairs the group while the secretary takes notes. The format will be: - Presentation (5 minutes) - Panel exploration of presentation issues (up to 10 minutes) - General questions and discussion of candidating issues (10 minutes) Briefing notes on the presentation to the panel will be sent to candidates prior to CSC. The general questions will take up matters related to the Selection Criteria. Interviews may vary slightly in length but will be neither shorter than 20 nor longer than 30 minutes. The purpose is to allow you to present yourself fairly to the Panel and, through the Panel, to the Committee and Conference. It is not the intention of the interviewers to try and catch you out, so do not feel that you will be disadvantaged if you have to seek reiteration or clarification of a question that has been asked.

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Everybody recognises that it is not easy to be relaxed owing to the importance of this stage of the candidating process for all concerned. While one candidate is meeting a panel, others will be free. We recommend that you remain in the candidates' lounge or, if you choose to go elsewhere, inform the chaplains where you can be found.

What can the panel decide, and how are decisions made? As soon as you leave the panel, the panel members will decide whether they are able to immediately determine a recommendation to make to the full Committee. There are categories of possible recommendations (for FT candidates all are subject to successful completion of Foundation Training): Category 1. Recommended for acceptance and to proceed to pre-ordination training.

2. Conditionally recommended - the condition must be something that is possible for you to fulfil within three years. Once you have fulfilled it you may proceed to pre-ordination training. Sometimes the condition will permit you to proceed directly into pre-ordination training but requires that the training incorporate a particular element.

3. Not recommended - the offer for ordained ministry is to be declined. In coming to one of these recommendations, and particularly when an initial panel vote is not unanimous, the panel may ask for further exploration with a candidate by a 'Panel of Reference.' The 'Panel of Reference' consists of three experienced members of the Committee. What happens at a 'Panel of Reference?' A member of the original panel briefs this group which then interviews the candidate concerned. This interview may well be much more specific, since it will concentrate on areas on which the first panel has asked for further clarification. If you are called to a 'Panel of Reference' it is to give you another chance to present yourself clearly (thus ensuring that no misunderstandings have arisen). Listen carefully to the questions that are put to you and ensure that you understand what is being asked. How is the recommendation reached? The recommendation of the interviewing panel and the report of any 'Panel of Reference' are brought to the full Committee. The full Committee has the same three choices available in making its report to Conference. In the case of recommendations 1 and 2 (recommended or conditionally recommended) Conference needs to know that there were at least 75% of the Committee in favour.

How and when will I hear the recommendation of the Committee? Once the full Committee is satisfied that the interviewing panels and the panels of reference have finished their work, candidates will be permitted to leave. However, you must make sure that you do not leave before you have been given permission (by means of a final corporate prayer of dismissal for which you will gather after lunch). During the week immediately after the Committee the designated Connexional Team representative (for presbyteral candidates) or the Warden of the Diaconal Order (for diaconal candidates) will send you a letter reporting the outcome of the Committee by post and e-mail. Copies of the letter will also be sent by e-mail to your Superintendent Minister, the Chair of your District and the District Candidates' Secretary and (for FT candidates) to your Training Institution. Those other recipients will be asked to exercise due discretion and maintain confidentiality because the story of your experience of offering as a candidate is yours, not theirs, to tell; they are sent copies so that they can support and advise you in the light of the outcome.

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What happens if I am not recommended? Some offers for ordained ministry are not accepted. If this happens to you, you will need to think what it means for you and for your future vocation. The calling to be a member of the church and to witness and carry out personal ministry wherever you may be is just as important as being in ordained ministry: but it may well not feel like that! The Church knows that if this is the outcome it can seem like a personal rejection. It could be said that God does not reject, rather God redirects. The letter informing you of the outcome from the Committee will give some indication of the reasons for their decision. Your Superintendent Minister, the District Candidates' Secretary and your Foundation Training Institution/Vocational Mentor will be able to provide support and to help you reflect upon the outcome.

Are there any grounds for appeal against the recommendation of MCSC and DCSC?

Yes: there are three grounds for appeal. The pertinent Standing Order states:

715 Appeals. (1) The candidate or a Connexional Team Secretary, or with the candidate’s consent the candidate’s Superintendent or Chair, may, by notice given in writing to the secretary of the Ministerial Candidates’ Selection Committee or Diaconal Candidates Selection Committee within fourteen days of notification to the candidate in writing of the decision of the committee and specifying the ground(s) of appeal, apply for a review of the recommendation of the relevant committee, on one or more of the following grounds:

i. That the procedural provisions of this Section (Section 71: Ministerial and Diaconal Candidates: CPD Volume 2) have not been correctly followed;

ii. That there are facts which were not available to the committee and which are such as to make its recommendation inappropriate;

iii. That the judgement of the committee, as conveyed to the candidate in the official letter informing the candidate that his or her offer has been declined, is questioned in writing by both the Superintendent and the Chair of the candidate.

iv. A reasoned statement to support the appeal shall be supplied by the appellant(s). For (iii) above to be a ground of appeal, the District Candidates’ Committee must have recorded a majority in favour of the candidate of 75% of those present and entitled to vote.

The Appeals Committee will meet if required in April 2012 and the person appealing has the right to attend that committee always assuming that the District Committee vote was 75% in favour.

If my offer is declined by Conference, may I offer again?

Standing Orders of the Methodist Church permit you to offer again at a later date, provided that you do so within five years of completion of your Foundation Training (FT candidates), however, you will not be able to candidate again until two years after your first application to candidate (unless you are explicitly given permission in writing by CSC to do so in the year following your original application) because you will need to give yourself (and the Church) sufficient time to consider the implications of your initial offer having not been accepted. In the event of your being a 'not recommended' candidate who decides, after prayerful consideration, to candidate again, you may decide to do some further preparation, or to gain some other experience before you offer yourself again.

How does the candidating period end? What next?

The CSC reports to the Methodist Conference. All the recommendations (including the decisions on appeals) are given in detail in the Diaconal Convocation (for Diaconal candidates) or the Ministerial Session (for presbyteral candidates). Conference also notes with regret that some offers have to be

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declined. In its Representative Session, Conference moves to accept the report of the Selection Committees, ‘by Standing Vote’. Prayer is offered for all those who have shared in this process.

After the Committee, for those to be recommended, decisions will be made about pre-ordination training and they will be invited to discuss their future training needs. The letter that informs you of your recommendation will explain when, how and by whom the decisions in respect of your pre-ordination training will be made. From 2011 a staff member of the Discipleship & Ministries cluster which is the part of the Connexional Team responsible for pre-ordination training, will be present throughout the Candidates’ Selection Committee to respond to queries that candidates may have on training.

The work of God goes on. Our prayer is that together we may discern, through our processes during this period, the manner in which you may respond to God's calling in your life and within the life of the Church.

For all who have engaged with the process there will be the opportunity to reflect upon what has transpired and to offer ourselves anew to God.

God of power and grace,

may the boldness of your Spirit transform us,

the gentleness of your Spirit lead us,

the gifts of your Spirit equip us,

to serve you in the church and the world

now and always.

Amen

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Useful Addresses Mrs Naa Oyoo Ace-Acquah (Discernment and Selection) Methodist Church Development & Personnel 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR Tel: 020 7486 5502 candidates@methodistchurch.org.uk The Diaconal Order of the Methodist Church Deacon Margaret Cox The Methodist Diaconal Centre 26 St James Road Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2NX Tel: 0121 440 2318 office@mdo.org.uk All the information you need for candidating will be on the Methodist Website: www.methodist.org.uk/candidates

ACTION BY WHO DOES WHAT AND WHEN?

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Candidate

Immediately: Download from the Methodist Website the information and forms required. Arrange a meeting with Superintendent; arrange to attend the Circuit Meeting. Before 30 September 2011 Submit the on-line Enquiry form indicating your probable candidature. By noon 1 November 2011 Email the Application Form C1 electronically to Development and Personnel and post a signed hard copy. Complete and send as hard copy only the Equality Monitoring Form. You will receive a Medical Form to complete and return to Development and Personnel. Take the services to be assessed for the Worship Report C3. Circuit Leadership Team begins to prepare CLT Report C4. By noon 15 December 2011 Email the Candidating Portfolio C2 in WORD format, without the appendices to Development and Personnel. Post 3 comb-bound copies with appendices to arrive no later than 15 December 2011. Complete and return the Medical Form in the envelope provided. 15 December 2011 onwards – undertake psychological assessment for candidates. Assessments to have been carried out by 9 February 2012.

Superintendent

As soon as possible: Download candidating information (forms etc) from the Methodist Website, consider with the candidate who could be a referee. Read carefully the Guidance for Superintendents. Then meet with prospective candidate. Discuss and complete relevant sections of the Application Form C1, ensure the candidate is completing the Candidating Portfolio and, with the District Candidates’ Secretary, ensure a mentor is found to assist the candidate. Set Plan dates for the 2 worship services to be assessed and alert assessors. Ensure you have verified candidate’s relevant passport pages and signed appropriate section of application form. Alert the Circuit Meeting in good time that there is a candidate. Ensure the candidate sends the materials on time and that copies are kept. Send C3 worship reports, C4 Circuit Leadership Team report to Development and Personnel, electronically and as a signed hard copy before 15 December 2011. If the Circuit Meeting is after the 15 December send the vote separately to Development and Personnel on C4a before 20 February 2012.

Attend the District Committee with your candidate

District Candidates’ Secretary

The District Candidates’ Secretary is keen to support all those who seek to offer for ordained ministry in the Methodist Church. Their contact details are in the Synod handbook published each year in September.

Development and Personnel

The Development and Personnel staff are dedicated to ensuring the administration of this process involving over one hundred people is carried out smoothly.

Learning Insts. January 2012 - complete reference for FT candidates and e-mail to Development and Personnel.

CSC 12 - 16 March 2012 - Candidates’ Selection Committee for all Presbyteral and Diaconal candidates.

Please send all documents as typed electronic attachments (WORD) and signed copies in the post the same day – Thank you.