Role of Presbyteries in Electing Readers

In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), presbyteries have the joy and the responsibility of preparing candidates for ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. These responsibilities include support, guidance, prayer, evaluation and discernment for Inquirers and Candidates under their care.

Presbyteries also play a vital role in the preparation process by electing members of their bodies to serve as readers for the Ordination Examinations. Readers MUST BE ELECTED through an approved process in their individual Presbyteries. The term (length) of service is determined by the Presbytery.

Elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament are eligible to serve as readers. Presbyteries are urged to consider the PCUSA's commitment to the principles of inclusiveness and representation in electing readers.

Ordination exams may be written in Spanish and Korean as well as in English. It is important to the process for Presbyteries to elect readers who are bilingual (Spanish/English or Korean/English).

It is appropriate for Presbyteries to elect individuals who have served effectively as readers in the past, yet also to consider the potential of other Presbyters to serve in this area of ministry. Presbyteries may choose to elect members of their Committees on Preparation for Ministry to serve as readers. This is not required, but it does provide the CPMs with hands-on experience in the examination process. Presbyters who have previously served as members of CPMs often have the knowledge and experience to serve well as readers.

For the sake of the integrity of the process, Presbyteries are asked NOT to elect elders who have been enrolled as inquirers and candidates under their care to serve as readers. Newly ordained ministers will be familiar with the exams and the exam process, but may not yet have enough practical experience to serve the reading process well.

Serving as a Reader for ordination exams is both a demanding and a rewarding task, Readers need to be in good physical and mental health. They must be able to function effectively through a long workday - generally from 8:30A.M. until 9:30 p.m. (or later!) - with breaks for meals. Some of the reading groups meet in sites where participants have to walk or cover ground for up to a half-mile for accommodations and/or meals.

It is important for individuals who are elected to serve as readers to be open to a wide spectrum of theological perspectives, and to be able to assess examinations on their own merit, rather than evaluating the exams based on personal theological perspective.

Qualifications and Responsibilities of Readers

Reading Groups meet twice a year (in March and in October) in various geographical areas of the United States to read the four standard ordination exams (which are currently offered in August and in January). Participants are expected to give time in preparation for the task of reading, generally between ten and twenty hours.

It is important for readers to have strong backgrounds in the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition, so that they will be able to evaluate how well the exams demonstrate a Reformed understanding and practice of theology, worship, and polity.

Readers need not be familiar with Greek and Hebrew, but part of the task includes assessing a candidate's ability to use the original language of a Biblical text. Convener8 of the reading groups and other readers provide assistance for those who have little or no knowledge of Greek and Hebrew.

Readers must be able to read and evaluate a number of exams each day. They must also be able to write clear, thorough, constructive and pastorally sensitive comments in response to the exams that they grade.

Reading Groups elect representatives of those groups to serve as members of the Presbyteries Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates, which prepares the examinations and facilitates the reading process. Readers who are elected to serve on the PCC are expected to have some expertise in one or more of the areas of examination (Bible Content and Exegesis, Reformed Theology, Worship and Sacraments, and Church Polity). They are also expected to lead training sessions for their reading groups and to write resource papers as background materials for the readers, Members of the PCC serve four-year terms.
 

THANK YOU!!

The quality and integrity of the examination and grading process is determined, m large part, by the quality and effectiveness of those who read the exams. The people whom you elect as readers will work hard to provide a vital service to the church as a whole and to the future leadership of the church. Most if them, if not all, will find this to be a rich and rewarding experience as well.

Thank you for your commitment to this process.