Office of Vocation

The Office of Vocation is the body in the United Church’s structure that supports the accreditation of ministry personnel. Through the Office, these functions previously performed by presbyteries and Conferences have become a permanent part of the General Council.

Purpose

The Office of Vocation supports the processes for the discernment and training of ministry personnel, the determination of their fitness/readiness for accreditation, the fulfillment of continuing education standards, and the formal processes for oversight and discipline of ministry personnel.

The Office of Vocation is responsible for establishing standards for ministry personnel (The Manual E.2.2). The Standards for Accreditation Committee oversees this responsibility. These standards are to contribute to the effectiveness of ministry personnel in their leadership in communities of faith and beyond, responding to God’s call. The committee has spent time reviewing and approving standards for training and accreditation for admission of ministers from other denominations and learning outcomes for the professional development of ministry personnel, including mandatory training on racial justice and boundaries for church leaders. Often the standard is an outline of the learning outcomes for an education program. The approved standards are found under Downloads below.