"A Welcoming Community of Faith Rooted in the Catholic Tradition"

Safeguarding God's Children

The Pastoral Policy of the Evangelical Catholic Church

Screening Vocation Applications

 

The Evangelical Catholic Church is committed to accepting gifted and qualified candidates to serve the Church as her ministers. 

Our first step in the prevention of any possible misconduct is to identify within all of our potential candidates for formation qualities and characteristics lead to healthy ministry.  We believe that future behaviors can be predicted by past behaviors.  Thus all candidates for formation undergoes a vigorous background check prior to their acceptance into any of our formation programs.

In considering the application of any candidate for any of our formational programs, the Church seeks the following qualifications of our candidates:

Holiness:  Is there a authentic presence of Christ in the life of a candidate?  What are the gifts which this candidate may bring to their ministry?  Does this person practice safe boundaries in their life?  What strategies does a candidate have in their lives to support and maintain their healthy boundaries?

Competence:  Public ministry requires many levels of competency.  The People of God deserves to be served by ministers with the highest level of academic and spiritual formation.  Does a candidate possess the necessary competencies to serve in public ministry?  Will this person have the ability to build up their ministry?  Does the leadership style of this person help or hinder their ability to lead a parish or mission?

Maturity and Stability in Life:  Does this person demonstrate personal and professional maturity which points towards a successful ministry?

All candidates for formation and/or incardination are required to undergo the battery of psychological testing as prescribed by our policies.  Should the results from the psychological testing indicate strong propensities and indicators of abusive behaviors, the Church will decline such applications to enter formation or for incardination.

National Church Office
Post Office Box 178388  Chicago Illinois  60617-8388
(T)  773-721-5383   (F)  773-721-2581
evcathchurch@evangelicalcatholicchurch.org
©2013