Ministry Application Form

Ministry Application Form
Before beginning this form, please ensure that you have obtained permission to provide details for two people who would be willing to supply you with a character reference, and that you have advised them that they will be contacted by the Free Church of Scotland. They must be former or current employers (or other unrelated persons), and one reference must be from an individual outside the church.

If you are married, please be aware that your wife will be required to complete and sign Part G.

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Please select one of the following:*

I am an ordained minister or probationer in another denomination and I wish to serve in the Free Church. (Note: Probationer refers to someone who has been licensed but not yet ordained).I am applying for recognition as a candidate for the ministry
Part A - Personal Details
1. Name*

First Name(s)Surname
2. Email*
e.g. example@example.com
3. Phone Number (mobile)*
4. Phone Number (landline)
5. Correspondence Address*

Address Line 1 (required)

Address Line 2

Town/City (required)Area (required)

Postcode (required)
6. Date of Birth*
(dd/mm/yyyy)
7. Current Congregation*
Name of congregation, denomination if not Free Church of Scotland
8. Nationality*
9. Are you a UK/Irish citizen?*

YesNo
9. a) If no, what is your UK immigration and right to work status?
10. If you speak any languages other than English, please list them and indicate your level of fluency
11. Occupation*
12. Marital Status*
12. a) Date of Marriage
(dd/mm/yyyy)
13. Please provide names and ages of any dependent children
14. Please give details of any medical or additional support needs that may affect you, your spouse or a dependent in relation to your application
15. Please detail your educational qualifications, including any you are currently working towards and your expected date of completion (both degrees at graduate and post graduate level, and pre-university examination results). Please include the examining body, level, subject, grade and date for each qualification.*
16. Please detail your employment history to date. Include the start and end dates, organisation, job title and a brief summary of your roles and responsibilities for each.*
17. Please give details of any professional or vocational qualifications, including date obtained
18. Are you currently studying on a degree programme at Edinburgh Theological Seminary?*

YesNo

Part B - Testimony
1. Please give a brief account of your Christian conversion and testimony (max. 500 words)*

0/500
2. Please give an insight into your ongoing walk with Jesus day-to-day (max. 250 words)*

0/250
3. Please give details of your church membership over the last ten years (including approximate dates, congregation and denomination names, and membership status)*
4. Have you ever been an office-bearer in the Free Church of Scotland or any other denomination?*

YesNo
4. a) Please give details including denomination, congregation, office and dates
5. Have you previously applied for recognition as a student for the ministry of the Free Church of Scotland?

YesNo
5. a) Please give details (including the date/s, which congregation you were a member of, which Presbytery, and with what results)
6. Have you previously applied for recognition as a student for the ministry of any other denomination?

YesNo
6. a) Please give details (including the date/s, which denomination, and with what results)
5. When were you licensed, ordained or otherwise admitted to the ministry, and by which denomination?
6. What are your reasons for leaving your current church?
7. What are your reasons for wanting to be accepted into the Free Church of Scotland?

Part C - Character
1. What is your motive for pursuing pastoral ministry in the Free Church of Scotland?*
2. Have you shared your call to the ministry with your immediate family and, if so, to what extent are they supportive of your application?*
3. How do you envisage balancing ministry, family and leisure time?*
4. What potential impact do you think pursuing ministry might have on your marriage and/or family life?*
5. How might you ensure that you are supported well by others as you pursue this call to ministry?*
References

Please provide names and contact details for TWO current or former employers (or other unrelated persons) who would be willing to supply you with a character reference. One of these references must be from an individual outside the church in order to fulfil the requirement of 1 Timothy 3:7, "he must be well thought of by outsiders" (1Ti 3:7 ESV).
1. Name of Referee 1*

First Name(s)Surname
2. Email of Referee 1*
e.g. example@example.com
3. Phone Number (mobile) of Referee 1*
4. Phone Number (landline) of Referee 1
5. Address of Referee 1

Address Line 1 (required)

Address Line 2

Town/City (required)Area (required)

Postal / Zip Code (required)
1. Name of Referee 2*

First Name(s)Surname
2. Email of Referee 2*
e.g. example@example.com
3. Phone Number (mobile) of Referee 2*
4. Phone Number (landline) of Referee 2
5. Address of Referee 2

Address Line 1 (required)

Address Line 2

Town/City (required)Area (required)

Postal / Zip Code (required)

Part D - Competence
1. Please give a summary of your experience of Christian service and leadership and explain what you have learned from this (max. 500 words)*

0/500
2. Please provide examples of how you have worked alongside others in the church, the workplace or in a volunteer setting (max. 500 words)*

0/500
3. Please supply links to samples of your preaching and teaching ministry*

Part E - Theology
1. Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the infallible and inerrant Word of God?*

YesNo
1. b) Please provide more details
2. Do you accept the teachings of the (1647) Westminster Confession of Faith as being in harmony with the written Word of God and as a statement of your own faith?*

YesNo
2. b) Please provide more details
3. Are there any parts of the Westminster Confession of Faith on which you require further clarification or about which you have questions? If so, please detail these below.
4. What are your views on exclusive or inclusive psalmody in public worship?*
5. The questions put to candidates at their ordination are shown below. Do you understand the content and historical context of these, and could you answer them in the affirmative?*

YesNo
5. b) Please provide more details
6. Do you agree with the Free Church of Scotland's position that only men should be ordained to the office of elder?
Questions to be put to probationers before they are licensed to preach the gospel:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and the only rule of faith and manners?

2. Do you sincerely own and believe the whole doctrine of the Confession of Faith, approven by the General Assemblies of this Church, to be the truths of God, contained in Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; and do you own the whole doctrine therein contained as the confession of your faith?

3. Do you sincerely own the purity of worship presently authorised and practised in this Church, and also own the Presbyterian government and discipline; and are you persuaded that the said doctrine, worship, and discipline, and Church government, are founded upon the Holy Scriptures, and agreeable thereto?

4. Do you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, as King and Head of the Church, has therein appointed a government In the hands of the Church officers, distinct from, and not subordinate In its own province to, civil government, and that the Civil magistrate does not possess jurisdiction or authoritative control over the regulation of the affairs of Christ’s Church?

5. And do you approve of the general principles embodied in the Claim, Declaration and Protest, adopted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1842, and in the Protest of Ministers and Elders, commissioners from Presbyteries to the General Assembly, read in the presence of the Royal Commissioner on 18th May 1843, as declaring the views that are sanctioned by the Word of God, and as the standards of this Church, with respect to the spirituality and freedom of the Church of Christ, and her subjection to Him as her only Head, and to His Word as her only standard?

6. Do you promise that, through the grace of God, you will firmly and constantly adhere to, and in your station, to the utmost of your power, assert, maintain, and defend the said doctrine, worship and discipline, and the government of this Church by Kirk Sessions, Presbyteries, Provincial Synods, and General Assemblies?

7. Do you promise that in your practice you will conform yourself to the said worship, and submit yourself to the said discipline and government of this Church, and not endeavour, directly or indirectly, the prejudice or subversion of the same?

8. Do you promise that you shall follow no divisive courses from the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government of this Church?

9. Do you renounce all doctrines, tenets, or opinions whatsoever, contrary to, or inconsistent with, the said doctrine, worship, discipline, and government of this Church?

10. Do you promise that you shall submit yourself to the several judicatories of this Church?

Part F - Ministry
1. What is your vision of Christian ministry? (max. 500 words)*
2. What do you think are the characteristics of a spiritually healthy local church? (max. 500 words)*

0/500
3. In what ways would you involve women in the ministry of the church? (max. 500 words)*

0/500

Part G - To be completed by the applicant's wife

This section should be completed and signed by the applicant's wife. The applicant should then complete the final section of the form before submitting.
1. Name

First Name(s)Surname
2. Date of Birth
(dd/mm/yyyy)
3. Email Address
example@example.com
4. Phone Number
5. Occupation
6. The Board of Ministry has established a Candidates' Wives Support Team (CWST) to support the wives of candidates throughout the journey into ministry. The CWST also offers support to the wives of applicants for ministry. Do you consent to allowing the CWST to contact you?

YesNo
7. Do you support your husband's application for ministry?

YesNoUnsure
8. a) Please provide further information
9. What do you look forward to in terms of your husband pursuing a call to ministry?
10. What reservations do you have about the prospect of your husband pursuing a call to ministry?
11. What potential impact might this path to ministry have on your own career/vocation?
12. What potential impact might pursuing ministry have on your marriage and family life?
13. How do you feel about the prospect of moving house in order for your husband to pursue a call to ministry?
14. What is your vision for your own future role alongside your husband in ministry?
15. Wife's Signature

Clear
16. Date
(dd/mm/yyyy)
Please ensure that the applicant completes the remaining sections before submitting the form.

Part H - Safeguarding
The position of Minister involves regulated work with children and vulnerable adults, therefore the Free Church of Scotland will require you to complete a Self-disclosure form and Identification Verification form and to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scotland scheme prior to appointing you to this position. You will also be required to attend Free Church of Scotland safeguarding training every three years.
Are you willing to meet these requirements?*

YesNo
Please explain your answer

Privacy Notice
In terms of the Data Protection Act 2018 we are required to ensure that any personal data held is processed (stored, used etc.) in an appropriate manner. The information you provide in this form will be used for the purposes of administering the application process. It will be stored securely and will be shared only with authorised personnel within the Free Church of Scotland. The Free Church of Scotland full Privacy Notice can be seen here.

Declaration
I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge all the particulars given above are correct and in the knowledge that I must, if accepted, pursue my studies under the supervision of the Board of Ministry of the Free Church of Scotland. I hereby make application for Recognition as a student for the Ministry of the Free Church of Scotland.
Applicant's Signature*

Clear
Applicant's Name*

First Name(s)Surname
Date*
(dd/mm/yyyy)
Please verify that you are human*
Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish Charity, SC012925, regulated by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
Should be Empty:

Ministry Application Form

Part A - Personal Details

Part B - Testimony

Part C - Character

References

Part D - Competence

Part E - Theology

Part F - Ministry

Part G - To be completed by the applicant's wife

Part H - Safeguarding

Privacy Notice

Declaration