DBMD Process
Let’s Do This Together!
The DBMD Process is a 3-way partnership between the pastor, the ministerial candidate, and the District Board of Ministerial Development (DBMD) — each have a pivotal role to play in helping the candidate step into their God-given calling with The Wesleyan Church (TWC).
Pastor, It Starts With YOU
When someone in your congregation senses God’s call to pursue ministerial education, first, CELEBRATE! God is moving! You are making disciples!
Here are a few simple steps for YOU, the PASTOR, to take in the discipleship process with the DBMD:
Review the Guide To Exploring The Call with your potential ministerial student. Ask them to complete the Student Application for Recommendation found on the last few pages of the packet. (To go a little deeper, first have them read Keith Drury’s book, The Call of a LifeTime, and report back to you.)
Review their completed form with them.
Schedule their entrance interview with your Local Board of Administration (LBA). Here are some questions to ask and a simple form your LBA can use in that 15-20 minute interview.
If your LBA approves the ministerial applicant, email a letter on church letterhead to the district office (office@chesapeakewesleyan.com) recommending they pursue ministerial credentials with TWC.
Note: Please include the ministerial candidate’s email address on the Letter of Recommendation.Once the district office receives a Letter of Recommendation, the ministerial candidate will receive a welcome email outlining the steps they need to take to keep moving forward in the process.
Note: If you do not have an LBA, and the District Board of Administration (DBA) is your governing board, please replace LBA with LAC (your Local Advisory Council).
Ministerial Candidate, Let’s Roll … And Enroll
Now that your pastor and your church board said, “Yes, let’s do this together,” you’ve got some work to do before you are considered for ministerial student status. In the welcome email, there are action items with clear instructions on what you need to do next. Below is a list of those action items. More detail will be in your welcome email.
ACTION ITEMS:
Complete the Ministerial Candidate Information Form.
Complete the form called DBMD #1.
Complete a Background Check.
Enroll with Education and Clergy Development (ECD).
Once these forms are completed, and you have completed your background check and enrolled with ECD, you will then be considered for ministerial student status by the DBMD. The DBMD will recommend you to the DBA, and at the subsequent DBA meeting, you will officially be approved as a ministerial student in the Chesapeake District.
The 3-Way Call Continues
The pastor continues to encourage and work with the student in their calling and progress, including helping and overseeing the completion and accuracy of the DBMD forms.
The student continues serving in the church and taking educational courses. Make sure your transcripts are emailed to ECD (education@wesleyan.org) so that your student record stays up to date with your completed courses. Below are some more resources to help you along your journey.
The DBMD continues to encourage accountability and progress (through DBMD forms and interviews on the journey).
Click above for the Ministerial Journey Summary. The DBMD will guide you through the process and will be available to you for counsel, advice, prayer, and encouragement, but YOU must do the work. This document is to assist you with understanding the major steps toward ordination.
The Constitution of the North American General Conference of The Wesleyan Church includes the Articles of Religion and is available in the Discipline or on TWC website (click above on Articles of Religion). It is expected that as one seeking ordination in the Wesleyan denomination that you would understand and agree with these statements.
