Commission on Ministry

Commission on Ministry

The Commission on Ministry (COM) assists the bishop in developing, recruiting, forming, and assessing those called to ministry in the church. Their work encompasses those called to lay or ordained ministry.

The role and functions of the Commission on Ministry are described in the Canons of The Episcopal Church in North Texas.

There are 12 members appointed by the bishop to staggered three-year terms; the chair is appointed by the Bishop. The COM meets monthly. Based upon the canons of the church and best practices, the COM has developed a process to help individuals discern their call to ministry, lay and ordained. Documents have been created to explain this process. The COM trains parish discernment groups and sponsoring priests in their roles in the process. Members work as a team and as individuals in relating with people exploring the ordination process. The COM provides recommendations to the bishop. If an individual has been discerned to have a call to ordained ministry, a member is assigned as a liaison to that person during his or her formation.

The COM helps to empower people to live out their own baptismal ministry. They strive to remind people that one does not need ordination to do ministry and raise more awareness of the varied opportunities for ministry within the diocese.

For more information, take a look at some of these resources:

Lay Ministry

Resources for people considering discernment regarding ordinationCOM-basic process illustrated-02252015

 

Resources for vestries and sponsoring congregation

Commission Members