Pastoral Formation

Coram Deo offers five equipping tracks in fulfilling our mission of multiplying leaders and multiplying churches, including equipping for pastors, commissioned pastors and lay ministers:

Who

The Pastoral Formation and certification track is designed to develop recognized leaders in churches into equipped, credentialed and certified pastoral leaders who will become ordained or commissioned into their roles by their church or denomination.

 

What

The Pastoral Formation track is an education and certification process that is designed to equip the candidate in recognized areas of competency for pastoral leadership within the church or denomination, including:
 
  • Spiritual Formation
  • Bible
  • Theology
  • Church History
  • Sacraments
  • Pastoral Care
  • Preaching and Communication
  • Leadership
  • Mission and Multiplication

 

How It Works

Candidates in the program are recommended by the church and engage the process at their own pace and can do so while working a full-time job.  Total time commitments range from 550 to 600 hours and are commonly completed in a 2- or 3-year time period.  A distinctive of our approach is that we use a combination of online (and often free) content, live courses, and individual and group-based mentoring.  Along the way each candidate is mentored by a leader in the local church and fulfills the requirements for pastoral certification.

 

When It Meets

Individuals can go at their own pace and can onboard into the courses when they are ready.  Some courses are engaged online, others are in-person or via Zoom.  Mentoring happens either via Zoom or in person at times of the candidate’s choosing.

 

Customization

The Pastoral Formation track is often customized to include competencies or requirements that a local church or particular network or denomination require.

 

Approach and Outcome

Our Pastoral Formation process follows a competency-based approach and is grounded in Jesus’ teaching on the summary of the law – balancing the formation of the leader in four areas:
 
  1. The Heart and Soul of the Leader – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul”
  2. The Mind of the Leader – “Love the Lord your God with all your mind”
  3. The Strength, or Practical Gifts and Energies, of the Leader – “Love the Lord your God with all your strength”
  4. The Servant Leadership of the Candidate – “And love your neighbor as yourself”
 
We believe pastoral leaders are formed in the same way that God tells us we are to love the Lord.
 
Competency credit may be given for those who have demonstrated competency in approved areas by the church.