Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Dear Asbury Family,

 You may not know it, but this is an important week for the Florida Annual Conference. This week, the Board of Ordained Ministry, or BOM (pronounced boom), is meeting all week long. This only happens once a year in the Florida Annual Conference. It is the time when those seeking full ordination in the United Methodist Church are interviewed to find out whether they will be recommended for the status for which each of them is applying. In other words, the BOM is the final say on whether or not you become ordained. I’ll get into some of the details to help explain.
Before a candidate comes before the BOM, they submit paperwork that focuses on four sections of ministry — proclamation, personal growth, leadership, and theology — to which there is a respective team that focuses on the different sections. Our very own, Pastor Chris Jones, sits on the theology team. Candidates are then given either a morning or an afternoon interview time and are expected to come prepared to discuss the paperwork that they submitted. The candidate will then be interviewed by a group of BOM members who will ask questions specific to their team. For example, Pastor Chris will ask questions specific to theology. This will give the candidate a chance to further clarify any details that the group feels necessary. The interview typically lasts about an hour, and once it concludes, the candidate is excused so the group can discuss their findings and will vote whether to recommend the candidate for the status they are applying for or not. The group will then take their vote to the other groups and convey the results of the interview. If all goes well, the candidate will be approved and their day will be a joyful one. If things don’t go well, the candidate will receive feedback on areas that need refining to which they can return the following year and re-apply for the status they are desiring. I know that’s a lot, but that’s probably the short (maybe even too short) version of it all.
As I write this Tuesday afternoon, I am scheduled to interview tomorrow, Wednesday, afternoon. I currently hold the status of a Licensed Local Pastor but am applying to become a Provisional Elder. If all goes well, I will be a happy camper when you are reading this! Hopefully, this will be a happy week for all those applying and journeying on this path of ordination toward becoming an Elder or a Deacon in the United Methodist Church. If it isn’t a happy week, hopefully, it is a chance to see opportunities and areas for growth and to better ourselves for ministry. 
Speaking of all this ordination talk! Our very own candidate for ministry, Alina Saucedo, will be preaching this Sunday. She will be looking at the question, “Are We Allowed to Question God?" We are excited to hear from Alina as she explores and wrestles with this question. We hope you will join us for services on Sunday, 9:30 am or 11:00 am, online or in-person! Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you on Sunday!

Blessings,

Pastor Will