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About this blog
The Rev. Timothy Cargal, Ph.D., serves as Assistant Stated Clerk for Preparation for Ministry in Mid Council Ministries of the Office of the General Assembly.
“... the Land that I Will Show You” is the blog of the Office of Preparation for Ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This blog is designed to serve as a resource for those discerning and preparing for a call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament as ordained teaching elders of the church. It will also provide a place for reflecting on and dialoging about the changing context of pastoral ministry in the early 21st century.
For quick announcements about changes or developments in the preparation process, dates related to exams or other key events, discussion boards, surveys, etc., you can follow us on Facebook at “Preparing for Presbyterian Ministry.”
Recent posts
- Clarification of Evaluation Standards for the Standard Ordination Exams
- BCE Preparation Resource Released
- PCC Responds to September 2016 BCE
- PCC Letter on BCE Preparation
- Bible Content Exam Results
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- Ordination Process (34)
- Ordination Exams (30)
- Ministry Context (16)
- Ordained Ministry (8)
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Archives
A Digital Handbook for Digital Exams
This fall, the standard ordination examinations will have a whole new "look and feel."
This fall, the standard ordination examinations will have a whole new "look and feel" as all five areas will be administered online for the first time. So that everyone from inquirers and candidates, to their presbytery committees, to the proctors at the testing sites can prepare for the changes, we are releasing a new edition of the "Handbook on Standard Ordination Examinations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." You can download a PDF copy by clicking here.
The Handbook is divided into five sections. The introduction provides a brief overview of the origins of the standard ordination exams in the PC(USA) as well as the principles that have guided the ords throughout their history.
The next section is a guide to "Administration of the Exams." It begins with a review of both the times when the examinations are offered and the timing of the different exam areas within the preparation for ministry process. Registration for the exams has been online for a couple of years already, and information on that process is also covered in this section. New to this edition of the Handbook is a section on "Online Administration of the Exams." Inquirers and candidates are encouraged to familiarize themselves with this material even before registering since some of these factors may influence their decisions about choice of a testing site.
The third and largest section deals with the different areas of examination in turn: Bible Content, Bible Exegesis, Theological Competence, Worship and Sacraments, and Church Polity. For each area there are descriptions and preparation guidelines, both general and specific instructions, and a brief discussion of the standards required in order to satisfy that specific area of competency in the preparation for ministry process. Used in conjunction with other preparation materials identified in the preceding "Administration of the Exams" section, the section provides a strong base of understanding both for the inquirers and candidates who will take the exams and for the members of presbytery committees and commissions who will interpret those results along with them.
The fourth section deals specifically with "Evaluation of Senior Exaams." The emphasis here is on the standards established by the Presbyteries' Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates (PCC) for evaluating the exams, not the "nuts and bolts" process by which the online examinations will be read. (The many questions that readers themselves no doubt have about these changes will be addressed through training materials that will be released during the summer.) The section also includes information about how presbyteries may appeal the results of exams if they believe the readers' evaluations have improperly applied those standards.
The "Conclusion" of the Handbook is a brief note from the Office of Preparation for Ministry/Examinations, along with contact information on how to reach us should someone have questions or concerns about the process.
Because the moving of all examination areas to online test administration is more the midpoint than the conclusion of the changes that are in process, there will be regular updates to the Handbook over the next several years. We will be releasing it online in digital formats and including "Release" numbers so that users can check whether they have the most up-to-date information (innovations introduced with the "Advisory Handbook on Preparing for Ministry" released last fall). Whenever updates are released, we will send notices to committee moderators and post announcements on our Facebook page (search on "Preparing for Presbyterian Ministry").
If you have comments about or suggestions for additional content that would be helpful to include in the Handbook, we would be delighted to receive them.
- Posted at 1:13 p.m.
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