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Seminary Academics

Call to Ministry

Students planning to serve in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) are invited to participate in the Call to Ministry process to prepare for ministry in ECC churches. The process is a collaboration between North Park Theological Seminary and the Covenant church and begins in the fall semester of your final year of studies. The Seminary and Church will continue to walk with you as you complete your studies and until you find a placement.

Students Who Should Participate

If you will be graduating from North Park Theological Seminary, in the spring or fall semesters, and are interested in finding a position as a pastor, staff minister, missionary, or chaplain in an Evangelical Covenant Church congregation or institution, you should participate in the Call to Ministry process. The following individuals, from both the Seminary and Church will help you along the way:

  • Faculty Advisor: Rev. Debra Auger, dean of students and community life
  • Program Coordinator: Emily Wagner
  • Department of the Ordered Ministry: Staff from this denominational process will be present throughout the Call to Ministry process, and will also assist you in the credentialing process when necessary.
  • Pastoral Relations Commission: The PRC is made up of leaders of the denomination and Seminary who gather lists of churches seeking pastors and those in the Call to Ministry process and make recommendations for potential placements.
  • Conference Superintendents and Associate Superintendents: Superintendents serve as a liaison between churches in their conferences and students seeking placement in churches.

How it Works

  • September: Introductory meetings with the Department of Ordered Ministry will outline the process and give instructions on filling out the profile form, a standard resume used by pastor-candidates in the ECC.
  • November and December: Profiles are due to Deb Auger for review in early November. Final copies are posted online by December 1 for viewing by the conference superintendents.
  • January: Superintendents come to campus to meet with all students in the Call to Ministry process and then confer with the PRC on possible placements.
  • February through summer: Churches begin contacting students for interviews. The PRC and superintendents will continue to work to find appropriate placement for all students.