Nearly 80 United Church ministry personnel have joined together to protest the General Council Executive’s decision to offer testamur, ordination and commissioning to 200 designated lay ministers (DLMs).
The move would elevate DLMs to the same level of ministry as ordained and commissioned ministers, without the same level of education, according to the protest group which has dubbed itself Concerned Clergy.
The United Church’s General Council Executive has responded to the protest letter with a letter of its own, reacting point by point to the clergies’ letter.
The crux of the matter is the clergy group’s belief the move to offer ordination to DLMs is a “work-around” to the remit — a church-wide vote — of 2022 which proposed One Order of Ministry, essentially the same plan to offer ordination to DLMs. The remit was rejected.
The GCE’s letter, penned by Rev. Jennifer Janzen-Ball, executive minister, theology and ministry leadership on behalf of the GCE, says the DLM “proposal was modified from the original proposal that was before Commissioners at the General Council meeting in 2022. Additional background material was prepared for the Commissioners for the October 2023 meeting.”
General Secretary Rev. Michael Blair says the recent move is not a work-around. He says there had been a wide consultation within the church, including consulting the theological colleges, both before and after the remit.
Concerned Clergy first sent a letter to every United Church in Canada, explaining the upcoming changes. Next ministry personnel — including two past principals of Emmanuel College — signed a letter of protest to the church’s judiciary committee — the court of last appeal in the United Church — followed by an appeal to that committee to stop the DLM plan. The appeal was denied.
Hence, another letter of protest was sent to the GCE, outlining the clergies’ concerns and requesting to be added to the agenda of the GCE’s February meeting. The group was not added to the agenda; the GCE dealt with the protest letter as correspondence.
Among other concerns of the clergy is the speed with which the change was adopted.
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“It was done hurriedly and behind closed doors with no time to reflect or respond. The whole process was a fait accompli,” says Rev. Alison Miculan, a group organizer.
Other concerns are that the move “devalued ordered ministry personnel and nullified our credentials. This move is a blatant devaluing of the time, effort, education, curiosity and dedication of Ordered Ministers.”
In her letter, Janzen-Ball says the move does not devalue ordered ministers. “Lifting up one group of people does not diminish another. It enriches the whole,” she writes.
The clergy group also says allowing the General Council Office to grant testamur, as opposed to theological colleges granting it, in such numbers is unprecedented. The testamur is a document traditionally issued by a theological college to certify the candidate has successfully completed their course of study and is fit for ministry.
But Janzen-Ball says, “This applies solely to those who are currently DLMs and who are currently in the process of completing DLM training.” The current cohort in the DLM program will be the last of the graduates. From then on, anyone interested in pursuing ministry will do so through one of the theology schools, she says.
In her letter, Janzen-Ball disagrees that testamur granted by the Office of Vocation would be the equivalent of handing out “unearned degrees,” as the clergies’ letter claims.
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Rev. Ross Bartlett is the United Church formation director at the Atlantic School of Theology. He attached a signed statement to the protest letter.
“The decision regarding DLMs is quite troubling on two fronts. 1) It flies in the face of the clear resolve of the church through remit. 2) It appears to unilaterally redefine the historic meaning of testamur, which has always referred to learning, by now adding the possibility of length of service as a qualification.”
Ann Harbridge is a retired DLM who supports the move to ordain DLMs. “We have to deal with the issues of DLMs’ place in the church,” she says. “The current system is unjust, and DLMs are feeling undervalued and desperately need a pastoral response for these issues.”
Harbridge called the protesting clergies’ objections “a slap in the face. They insinuate that we are not educated, and I would challenge any minister to offer as good a ministry as I have.”
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Rev. Christopher White is a writer and United Church minister in Hamilton.
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Clergy protest United Church’s decision to elevate designated lay ministers’ authority to the same level as ordained ministers
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06.03.2024
Nearly 80 United Church ministry personnel have joined together to protest the General Council Executive’s decision to offer testamur, ordination and commissioning to 200 designated lay ministers (DLMs).
The move would elevate DLMs to the same level of ministry as ordained and commissioned ministers, without the same level of education, according to the protest group which has dubbed itself Concerned Clergy.
The United Church’s General Council Executive has responded to the protest letter with a letter of its own, reacting point by point to the clergies’ letter.
The crux of the matter is the clergy group’s belief the move to offer ordination to DLMs is a “work-around” to the remit — a church-wide vote — of 2022 which proposed One Order of Ministry, essentially the same plan to offer ordination to DLMs. The remit was rejected.
The GCE’s letter, penned by Rev. Jennifer Janzen-Ball, executive minister, theology and ministry leadership on behalf of the GCE, says the DLM “proposal was modified from the original proposal that was before Commissioners at the General Council meeting in 2022. Additional background material was prepared for the Commissioners for the October 2023 meeting.”
General Secretary Rev. Michael Blair says the recent move is not a........
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