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PROCEDURE FOR AWARDING COLLEGE LEAVING CERTIFICATES/COMPLETION OF STUDY CERTIFICATES 

On completion of an agreed course of ministerial training, students are granted a Leaving Certificate by those colleges designated by General Assembly as Resource Centres for Learning.  For the time being those studying at Mansfield College or The Queen's Foundation will be granted a leaving certificate by those institutions and,  students on part-time Courses will be granted a leaving certificate by the Course and a certificate of completed study by the Education and Learning Committee's Studies Panel.

Those who are training for the ministry remain under the care of a Synod. That Synod should usually and provisionally in light of the penultimate report of the training institution, declare a student ready for ordination.  This needs to be done prior to introduction to a pastorate and ordination. Following completion of training the Synod which had the care of the ordinand during training should, if the ordinand no longer resides within the boundary of that Synod consider commending the ordinand to the care of the Synod within which he or she now resides.

• A College Leaving/Completion of Study Certificate and declaration of readiness for ordination shall, in the first instance, be valid for three years from the date of issue.

• Those who have been granted Certificates who are not ordained in the initial three-year period may apply for an extension of the Certificate

The procedure which will applied from Assembly 1997 regardless of when the certificates were issued will be as follows:-

1. Applications shall be made through the Moderator of the Synod within which the person resides.

2. The appropriate Synod committee shall consult with the following:-

(i) the ordinand,

(ii) the Moderator of the Synod which accepted the candidate for training (the sending province) if it is different from the one in which the applicant now resides;

(iii) the college/Resource Centre for Learning  in which he/she trained or, in the case of  those trained through a course, with the Studies Panel of the Training Committee,

(iv) the Secretary for Ministries, who shall, if appropriate consult with the Secretary for Training.

3. The purpose of these consultations shall be: -

(i) to determine whether or not to recommend that it is still appropriate for the candidate in question to proceed to ordination,

(ii) to determine whether or not to recommend that any additional training shall be required.

(If it is the view that additional training is required, the candidate may be asked to meet the costs, particularly if the reason for additional training is entirely due to the ordinand's decision not to proceed to ordination at the time when the College Leaving Certificate/Completion of Study Certificate was issued)

4. A report, together with a statement from the ordinand and references from all who have been consulted, shall be forwarded to the Accreditation Sub-Committee which will decide whether the candidate may still be introduced to a pastorate, or whether any additional training is required. If appropriate it may renew the certificate for a further period of three years. It will report decision to the Moderator who, if and when appropriate, will take the name to the meeting of the Moderators for introduction to a pastorate.

General Assembly 1997

Amended June 2007 following 2006 General Assembly's transfer of District Council functions to the Synods