Ministerial Qualifications
Policy Section 1080
The qualifications of the candidate for the ministry shall be considered in the light of New Testament teachings as understood by the local congregation and by CMC. The officiating minister is responsible to work within the expectations of both entities.
The qualifications given in the New Testament for elders/ bishops/overseers and deacons, including passages in I Tim. 3 and Titus 1, provide the basis for understanding and teaching the qualifications of the minister. As an official CMC application of the New Testament, an interpretation is followed which limits ordination and licensure to men and which disqualifies cases of divorce and remarriage of either spouse with a former spouse still living.
Ministerial belief and practice in regard to the Christian woman's veiling (I Cor. 11:1-16) was addressed in the CMC business meeting of August 1997. The action acknowledged the Bible as final authority, the principle of male headship as articulated in The Danvers Statement, support for the practice of the veiling, the validity of Article 14 of The Mennonite Confession of Faith (1963), and the veiling as a valid application. While the practice of the veiling is not a test of CMC ministerial membership, local congregations may require such practice as a ministerial qualification.
The officiating minister is responsible to see that the qualifications of the candidate have been satisfactorily determined by a process which includes the use of a CMC approved questionnaire (Questionnaire for Candidates for the Ministry) and response to Mennonite Confession of Faith (1963), Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology (1991), and the Danvers Statement (adopted by CMC in 1991.) The officiating minister is encouraged to involve other assisting ministers in the examination process. A copy of the candidate's completed questionnaire shall be submitted to the CMC office for availability to the Ministerial Committee, the Executive Board, and the CMC files as outlined in 1070.