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Ordination

As most of you know I am in the process of becoming an ordained minister. I currently have my minister's license, which basically gives me all the abilities of an ordained minister, but expires every year. Once I finish the ordination process I will be a reverend for life. Yikes! It has been a crazy ride. I have had to ask for multiple extensions due to circumstances which were beyond my control (mainly the whole divorce thing). After my last extension I decided to really hunker down and finish the requirements. It's not an easy task. These are the requirements:

Reading Report #1
Reading Report #2
Reading Report #3
Reading Report #4
Bible Competency Exam
Doctrinal Position Statement
FMI 102 – Church Doctrine & History
FMI 103 – Spiritual Formation
FMI 106 – Congregational Health – may be taken on Friday, 5/23/08
Ministerial Survey #1
Ministerial Survey #2
Mentoring Evaluation

I wrote a 40 page doctrinal position statement, four 3 page book reports, and attended multiple Minister's Institute Sessions. I was also mentored by my senior pastor, and have to have two evaluations filled out by ordained ministers who know me well. So far everything has been turned in - except for one ministry evaluation. If I don't get it in by Saturday I will have to have another extension and won't be ordained until Fall. Which would suck. But I managed to get ahold of someone to fill it out for me - and he says he's gonna make it happen. Phew! I am so excited. I do have one more Minister's Institute to attend at the end of May, but my ordination interview is at the end of this month. On May 24th (after the last FMI) I will be one happy woman! I was so relieved to finish my doctrinal position statement. I had it as a "to do" on my phone for over a year. Deleting that task was amazingly cathartic!

For a while I wasn't sure I was supposed to go ahead with ordination. I was in the "I don't know what I want to do with my life" phase that most young adults go through. But I can't deny the calling on my life and in my heart. I'm not sure how God is going to use me, but He's smarter than I am...I'm sure He has some sort of plan. I just hope I'm smart enough to follow it.