Offices and Supervision of Doctrine

Article
4

Eligibility for the Ministry

A. Eligibility

Only those shall be called to the office of minister of the Word who
1. have been declared eligible for call by the churches;
2. are already serving in that capacity in one of the churches; or
3. have been declared eligible in, or are serving in, one of the churches with which the Canadian Reformed Churches maintain a sister-church relationship.

B. Declared eligible

Only those shall be declared eligible for call within the churches who
1. have passed a preparatory examination by the classis in which they live, which examination shall not take place unless those presenting themselves for it submit the documents necessary to prove that they are members in good standing of one of the churches and have successfully completed a course of study as required by the churches;
2. have served in churches with which the Canadian Reformed Churches do not maintain a sister-church relationship, and have been examined by the classis in which they live, with due observance of the general ecclesiastical regulations adopted for that purpose; or
3. have been examined according to the rule described in Article 8.

C. Calling twice

The approval of classis shall be required for a second call to the same minister regarding the same vacancy.

D. Counsellor

When a vacant church extends a call, the advice of the counsellor shall be sought.