Presbytery Meeting Procedure to Stand for Ordination

Presbytery Meeting Procedure to Stand for Ordination

  1. Introduction – The chair and/or representatives of CPM will introduce the person being examined and recommended for ordination.
  2. Endorsement – An individual (or individuals), selected by the candidate and CPM, who knows the individual will speak to the candidate’s fitness and readiness for ordained ministry.
  3. Brief Biography and Statement of Faith – The candidate will then briefly introduce themselves, share their faith journey and sense of call, and then read their faith statement.
  4. The moderator will then ask the candidate to briefly expand on a section of their statement of faith.
  5. The moderator will then ask if there are any further questions from the body.  Commissioners’ questions must relate to the candidate’s statement of faith, forms of service, or sense of call.  Questions beyond this scope will be ruled out of order.

TOTAL time allotment: 25 minutes


Sample biographical sketch

(Written by Rev. Brian Wallace, Associate Minister for Pittsburgh Presbytery)

Good afternoon! My name is Brian Wallace. I was born in upstate New York and attended Ogden Presbyterian Church near Rochester, NY. In 1999, I came to Western Pennsylvania to attend Grove City College and it was during my time in college that I began to sense God was calling me to ministry. I completed my Physics and Computer Science degree and continued my studies at Pittsburgh Seminary, where I graduated in 2006. For me, central to my sense of call is to nurture faith in the lives of teenagers, so I am excited today to stand before you, if the way be clear, to serve as an Associate for Youth at Hampton Presbyterian Church.