Baptist Accreditation and Pastoral Training

BAPTIST ACCREDITATION & PASTORAL TRAINING

Morling College is the theological college of pastoral and related ministries for accreditation in NSW and ACT Baptist churches.

ACCREDITATION DETAILS

At the April Baptist Assembly, 2015 new Baptist Accreditation guidelines were accepted. These new guidelines are being reflected in new processes surrounding Baptist Accreditation and training.

ACCREDITATION STUDY REQUIREMENTS

Requirements and further details surrounding Baptist accreditation training and formation will be supplied when contact has been made with the Accreditation Adviser. To get in touch, please email enquiries@morling.edu.au and you will be contacted about what pursuing Accreditation involves in study requirements.

PRE-APPLICATION INFORMATION SESSIONS surrounding Baptist Accreditation take place twice in a year and are hosted at the College, with the first session usually held Week 4 of each semester. This is a meeting hosted by the College but conducted in liaison with Ministry Support and Development (MSD) whom represent the Baptist Association.

You must have attended the Pre-Application Information Session to be able to move ahead with accreditation and then be part of a Pre-Accreditation interview. For students who are unable to make this session, due to distance, contact Jenny Case – jcasey@nswactbaptists.org.au. Remedial arrangements may be possible, or a Skype connection established.

The next Pre-Application information sessions are being held on:

Thursday 14th March 4.15pm to 5.45pm at Morling College (Room 1 or 2)

Thursday, 15th August 2019 - 4.30pm to 6.00pm at Morling College (Room TBC)

PRE-APPLICATION INTERVIEWS

If you have attended a Pre-Application Information Session and received the appropriate forms, and are still interested in continuing forward towards Accreditation candidacy then ensure you lodge these completed forms and Pastor's reference as soon as possible so that a time slot can be allocated on a Pre-application interview day. This is the next step in moving forward to receive Baptist Accreditation.

The next set of Pre-Application Interviews is being held at the Baptist Ministry Centre, Epping on:

Wednesday 17^th April - time slot between 9am and 5pm

Tuesday 8^th or Wednesday 9^th October - time slot between 9am and 5pm

BAPTIST ASSEMBLY AND BAPTIST MINISTER'S ACCREDITATION SERVICE:

Being an accepted Accreditation Candidate means supporting both the Association and other Baptist pastors, so it is important to be part of Association events. If you are an accepted Accreditation Candidate then it would be expected that you attend the May and September Baptist Assemblies, Events and Accreditation Service. This will take place:

May Assembly - 1 May and and 'The Gathering' - 2 May held at Le Montage, Lilyfield

September Assembly and Accreditation Service - Saturday, 15 September, 9.30am till 2.30pm (Venue TBA)

For further details and registration for these events refer to the Baptist Association web-site and search in events: https://nswactbaptists.org.au/

OTHER RELATED ACCREDITATION EVENTS:

Refer to the Full Accreditation Guidelines for whether some of these events are mandatory or not as an accepted Accreditation Candidate:

Creating Safe Spaces– 2 days (Advanced) - Monday 12th August and Monday, 26th August 2019 9am to 5pm (Morling Room TBC). It is preferred that you have been accepted as an Accreditation Candidate to attend this event but any paid pastoral position would be expected to attend these workshops. This event is conducted by the Ministry Standards Unit of the Baptist Association.
Marriage Workshop - Friday, 20th September, 9am to 1pm (Morling College - Room tbc). You must be accepted as an Accreditation Candidate to attend this event. This event is conducted by the Baptist Association.
Prepare-Enrich Facilitator Trainer – Monday 5th August. Contact Keith Mitchell (KeithM@morling.edu.au). The Association states that this must be completed to attain a Marriage license as a Baptist Celebrant and is usually offered in June each year at a reduced rate for College students.
Annual Accreditation Progress Review - Tuesday 12th or Wednesday 13th June (Morling). This is for accepted Baptist Accreditation Candidates who have not yet had their final interview and approved to progress towards Accreditation. A time slot will be allocated on one of these days for a review of your study progression and current ministry placement. Ensure that you have a developed plan of completing your studies for this meeting.
Annual Accreditation Luncheon – Friday 11th October 12.30pm to 1.30pm (Morling). This is a lunch provided by the College for Accreditation candidates so as to both take opportunity to pray and thank those who will be completing Accreditation studies this year, and to build on networking with other Accreditation candidates for ongoing support and relationship.

STEPS TO ACCREDITATION

STEP ONE: DECIDE

The first step is to speak with our Accreditation Adviser Keith Mitchell who will assist you through the Accreditation process. Please contact Keith to arrange a suitable time discuss further: keithm@morling.edu.au

Before beginning the Accreditation for Ministry process, you must be enrolled in a course at Morling.

If you are not already a student with us, you can find out more about applying to study at Morling here.
STEP TWO: GETTING READY
Pre-Application (Preliminary Registration for Interest)

This step is designed to help assess if you should continue with a formal application. You are required to attend a pre-application information session. Morling will host a meeting each semester on campus.

During the information session you will be provided with documentation outlining the requirements for the accreditation process. You will need to complete the following documents before step 3:
1. Preliminary registration of interest for Baptist Accreditation
2. Confidential Questionnaire and Statutory Declaration regarding personal character and history.
3. A referral from your pastor, indicating their support.
Once all documentation has been received by the Committee for the Ministry, representatives will meet with you to discuss the next step.
STEP THREE: FORMAL APPLICATION
You will need to complete and submit the following through an Online Application:
1. An account of your call to ministry
2. An account of your early religious training, conversion & spiritual journey
3. 500+ words regarding your convictions on Baptist doctrine and practice of ministry
4. 500+ words regarding your understanding of Baptist practice of ministry
5. An account of your ministry experience, including preaching
6. References: Names of three persons who know you well – any Employer (current or previous) or colleague/acquaintance/friend; Plus, your Current Senior/Lead Pastor and/or any Previous Senior/Lead Pastor (< 5 years previous); The name of the Church Secretary (or senior office bearer) of your current church for them to organise a formal letter from the church supporting your application for accreditation.
7. A list of theological & general reading, identifying books read during the last two years
8. An up-to-date medical report
9. A digital recording or online reference/link of a recent sermon you have preached in English; or a written transcript of an English translation of a sermon preached in another language
10. Your stance on the Statement of Beliefs in the Constitution.
11. Signed Statement of Principle
You are also required to undergo a psychological assessment with an approved Clinical Psychologist. A report will be requested from Morling College (if applicable). Participation in brief training and evaluation workshops will also be required.
STEP FOUR: ACCEPTANCE
Interview

Over the course of one day, you and (if applicable) your spouse/fiancee will be interviewed. You will be required to:
1. Share your story of why you believe you are called and why you are applying for accreditation.
2. Meet with three interview panels:
  1. Doctrine and Denominationalism
  2. Personality and Relational Capacity
  3. Gifts and Experience for Ministry
After this you will be free to leave to allow the Committee for the Ministry to decide your application.

Candidacy and Probation

If accepted as a candidate for accreditation you will meet with the Committee for the Ministry again to develop your Ministry and Leadership Development Plan and checklist. This will be used to assess your progress through the probation period. Probation will conclude when the Committee for the Ministry meets with you to consider final reports from your Church, Morling College and others as required by the committee.
STEP FIVE: ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
Accreditation is an ongoing process requiring demonstration of continued growth over a three year cycle in areas of spiritual life, professional skills and connection.

In the first three years following accreditation you will be required to:
1. Complete any remaining ministry training require by the Committee for the Ministry
2. Attend required post-accreditation events conducted by Ministry Support & Development (MSD)
3. Undertake Clinical Mentoring with an approved mentor for a minimum of four hours per year.
During your first year as an Accredited Minister it is expected that you will server under the direction of MSD, Global InterAction, or such other body approved by the Committee for the Ministry. During this period you will need to consult with MSD if considering a change in your ministry placement.

BAPTIST ACCREDITATION & PASTORAL TRAINING

STEPS TO ACCREDITATION

STEP ONE: DECIDE

STEP TWO: GETTING READY

STEP THREE: FORMAL APPLICATION

STEP FOUR: ACCEPTANCE

STEP FIVE: ONGOING DEVELOPMENT