National Association of Christian Ministers, NACM, christian ordination, ordained minister, nacministers

Table of contents:

Membership & Programs 

What is the cost of membership, ordination, mentor program, etc?

What is the National Association of Christian Ministers (NACM)?

What makes this ministry different?

How many members does the NACM have?

How does the mentor program work?

Do members have to be ordained?

What is ordination?

Who has the authority to ordain people?

What is a minister's license?

What makes ordination legal?

Can ministers officiate marriages?

What is the procedure to be Ordained with the NACM?

Minister Certification -Do I have to go to seminary to be a minister?

Where should ministers go to school, or earn their degrees?

Can women serve as ordained ministers or pastors?

Can ministers apply for tax exemptions?

What is a ministry or church charter?

What is the leadership structure of the NACM?

What is the organization's culture?

What is the purpose for having Elders?

What are Special Ministers?

Terms of Service

None.  These services are offered without cost to our accepted members. This organization exists to advance the gospel.    

Perhaps it is best to first say what we are NOT:

We are not a church. 

We are not a denomination.

However, we are a religious organization and a Christian community. The NACM is a ministerial association, a network and fellowship of Christians who are called of God to minister to the world. We exist in the form of a religious fellowship, united in the spirit and authority of Christ to appoint and equip ministers of the gospel, and to provide spiritual support and accountability to one another.

1) We are specifically a Christian organization, and only partner with other sincere Christian ministries -yet we are interdenominational and not divided over doctrines that do not pertain to salvation.

2) We are both an online, and also an "in-person" ministry. We fellowship with one another in person, through phone calls, emails, and our network discussion board regularly for the purpose of prayer, encouragement, and Bible study.  It is also our goal to appoint elders in every major city in the U.S. for the purpose of holding ordination services and offering local support.   

3) We are believers who sincerely want to advance the cause of Christ.  Therefore, all ordination applications are prayed over by our administration.  We also take careful steps to verify our ministers (for example through interviews, sex offender checks, deep internet searches, and requiring specific confessions of faith). 

As of June 2010, approximately 1,200+ members.

No, our members are not required to be ordained in order to fellowship with us.

Ordination is the acknowledgment and commission by a community of believers that a person has been called to ministry. In our case, people ordained with the NACM are commissioned by a community of ministers.

In general as well as Biblical terms, the word "ordain" comes from the Greek word "diatassō" which means to "appoint".

In general as well as Biblical terms the word "minister" comes from the Greek word "diakoneō" which means to be a servant (in the strictest since it means to wait upon tables).

When the two words are combined, "ordained minister" - we get the definition "to appoint one to serve, or appointed servant".

Why is this important?

For two reasons:

 1) Because Jesus said:

"he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Mat 23:11-12 MKJV).

The minister of our God is a servant and they should lead by serving, even as our Lord did when he washed His disciples feet.

2) There are some who dispute over the qualifications of pastors, such as whether or not women should be allowed to be pastors.  We want only to briefly address this concern. 

Notice that an appointed servant is not qualified by being a pastor, elder, deacon etc.  These positions are expected to be filled by someone who has been "ordained", but being ordained does not necessarily make someone for example a deacon.  For this reason there should be no disagreements over the ordination of men or women as long as they live a life consistent with Christian ethics and there is a call of Christian service on their lives. 

Who would have any objections to men or women being "appointed" as Christian "servants"?  No reasonable person would.  To do so is to deny that God wants all genders to serve Him. 

For this reason we conclude that it is up to the independent churches/ministries to decide what their requirements are for serving them.  It is not the position of the National Association of Christian Ministers to appoint women or men as pastors, deacons, etc.  It is our purpose to recognize ministers with ordination (appointed servants) so that they may legally pursue the convictions that God has placed on their hearts.

Technically speaking, only God can ordain ministers.  It is He who calls, and it is His Spirit that appoints spiritual gifts to whom He wills.  For this reason, we make no claim to ordain people, but rather in granting ordination we recognize the call to Christian service that God has already placed on someone's life.

Jesus said:
 
“All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen” (Mat 28:18-20 MKJV).

“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (Joh 15:16 MKJV)

It is God who calls and ordains people into ministry.  The irony is that man still has to acknowledge this calling to make it "legal". Therefore, from a legal standpoint, religious organizations can ordain; however, not all organizations are reputable.

In many states ordained ministers are deemed “licensed”; however, they are to be in “good standing” with their organization to perform marriages, etc.  For this reason, we make available a yearly “minister’s letter of good standing”, or ID cards for our affiliated ministers.

First amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.

In other words, the government does not have the authority to determine what constitutes an "ordained minister".  This is power is left in the hands of religious organizations, and the government is not permitted to deem one religious organization more respectable than another.  

Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force or influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion….Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups, and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between Church and State." Id., at pages 15, 16 of 330 U.S., at page 511 of 67 S.Ct. The majority in the Everson case, and the minority as shown by quotations from the dissenting views in our notes 6 and 7, agreed that the First Amendment's language, properly interpreted, had erected a wall of separation between Church and State. They disagreed as to the facts shown by the record and as to the proper application of the First Amendment's language to those facts.

(Quote from: http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/397379)

Note: this is not legal advice.

First we would like to make it clear that we do not ordain ministers for the purpose of officiating marriages, we ordain them to spread the gospel.  However, we realize that often ministers are asked to perform weddings.  This is perfectly acceptable in their service to God.

The answer to the question of officiating marriages depends totally upon the state in the U.S. where the marriage takes place.  In many states ordained ministers can marry people; however, the laws vary from state to state. It is the minister's responsibility to know the expectations of the laws in their state. This link will provide general information about each state's expectations, as well as contact information for county clerk's offices. Click here for the link

Additional thoughts about ministers performing marriages:

American history of marriage:

The early American forefathers that settled the Plymouth Colony in the 1600s (now Plymouth, Massachusetts) were faced with the issue of the first marriage.  Not knowing whether marriage was to be administered by our government or a minister, they searched the scriptures and this is what they concluded:

"May 12 was the first marriage in this place which, according to the laudable custom of the Low Countries, in which they had lived, was thought most requisite to be performed by the magistrate, as being a civil thing, upon which many questions about inheritances do depend, with other things most proper to their cognizance and most consonant to the Scriptures (Ruth iv) and nowhere found in the Gospel to be laid on the ministers as a part of their office."

(William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647, ed.)
(Samuel Eliot Morison (New York : Knopf, 1991), p. 86.)

What might be concluded from this?

1.  There is no Biblical example of a minister performing a marriage ceremony.  This does not mean that it is wrong, but simply that the Bible does not seem to support it as a religious practice. Therefore, it is American culture that has made the officiating of marriages a religious matter.

2.  Marriage was governed in Biblical times as well as today by the Government of the land.

In Biblical times the Law of Moses was in fact the governmental laws of the land.  God gave Moses the law, for Israel to obey, in the land of Israel, Deuteronomy 4:5, 14, 5:31, 6:1. Throughout Leviticus, Moses is speaking to the children of Israel, giving instructions for living in the land, under the Law.  Now consider this portion of the Law of Moses regarding divorce:

"When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,  (Deu 24:1)

From verse 1 it is clear that the law had a process for divorce which means that it held the authority of marriage. 

...

1) The candidate must be accepted into membership with our organization (which requires personal ministry goals, vision, and mission statements).

2) The candidate must make a firm confession of the evangelical Christian faith.

3) The candidate must pass a theological evaluation by an Elder.

4) The candidate must demonstrate a call to ministry.

5) The candidate must confirm that they are free from sexual sin.

6) The candidate must confirm that heterosexual intercourse outside of marriage is sin. 

7) The candidate must agree that homosexuality is sin, and that they will never officiate a same sex marriage.

8) The candidate must pass an internet and public background check.

9) The candidate must pass a sex offender registry check.

Please note: we are not "picking" on homosexuals by these statutes, for we will not recognize the ordination of heterosexuals who are practicing sex outside of wedlock -or who are living in any other apparent sin for that matter.  We uphold such behaviors as immoral.  We love all people of all races, and sexual orientations; however, we do not approve of all behavior.  This is our religious right under the 1st amendment of the Constitution of the United States.  We thank you for respecting our beliefs.

The NACM recognizes ordination for the spreading of the gospel.  In accordance with this, the US government may grant certain benefits regarding the ability to officiate marriages, tax exemptions, etc.  These things are beyond our purpose; however, we do recognize that people can benefit from them.   For this reason we do not restrict our affiliated ministers from applying for these benefits.  Although, it should be noted that we make no claims about what the IRS or other governing bodies will or will not recognize for these permissions.  It is the independent minister's responsibility to know the laws and act in accordance with them. 

The NACM, along with quite a few denominations require that candidates for ministry demonstrate the calling of God on their lives, and that they meet their ethical standards for ordination. However, some churches and or denominations require ministerial certification.

There are a number of approaches that various denominations take to "certify" ministers.  However, minister certification and ordination are really one in the same.  For this reason, "ordination" means different things to different groups. Some religious communities require no educational achievements for ministry, while others require anything from a Bible college diploma to a seminary degree.  Arguments for educational requirements are that one cannot teach what they never learned.  Arguments for not requiring educational requirements is that God will call ministers and prepare them as they answer the call.  Both seem to be valid arguments. Entities who have such educational criteria have inevitably made it a prerequisite before one can be considered as a candidate for ministry. 

Bible College

The term "Bible College" is very general, but usually speaks of a 1-2 year course of study focused mainly on the Bible and core theology.  Upon completion, graduates are usually awarded a Diploma of Biblical Studies, or a Diploma of General Bible.  The credibility of such a course of study resides in the credibility of the school.  There are some major Christian Universities who offer this training, and also many unaccredited diploma mills.  At any rate, what will be most important to the ministry candidate is that their ordination council recognizes the school.

Seminary

The most popular educational requirement for ordination in mainline denominations is the Master of Divinity degree granted by an accredited seminary.  Depending on the denomination, irrespective of whether or not the school is accredited, they may only recognize certain schools for ordination within their organizations.   This degree is approximately 7 years of education (total).  Technically the MDiv. is a 3 year degree program, but one must have earned an undergraduate degree (in generally any subject) to enter seminary -an undergraduate degree usually takes 4 years to accomplish.  Therefore, when one refers to "seminary", they are technically referencing a graduate school. Once again, what will be most important to the ministry candidate is that their ordination council recognizes the school. 

The biggest question is: What you plan to do with your education?  

If you plan to use your education for a career, the best results are likely to follow those who seek a school that has been approved by an accrediting body recognized by the US Board of Education.  If you are ever in question, this link will verify it for you: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/   

When it comes to accreditation, do not take people’s word for it –check the above link for verification. If it is not there, the schools accreditation is meaningless to most US employers.  There are tons of diploma mills on the internet who claim to be “accredited”.  Here you can find more information on this fraudulent practice: http://ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills/index.html

“In the United States, unaccredited degrees may not be acceptable for state or federal civil service or other employment; in certain cases and circumstances; criminal penalties may even apply should such a degree be presented in lieu of a degree from an accredited institution."                                                                                 (http://en.allexperts.com/e/l/li/list_of_unaccredited_institutions_of_higher_learning.htm).

Washington RCW 9A.60.070 False academic credentials: (a) "False academic credential" means a document that provides evidence or demonstrates completion of an academic or professional course of instruction beyond the secondary level that results in the attainment of an academic certificate, degree, or rank, and that is not issued by a person or entity that: (i) Is an entity accredited by an agency recognized as such by rule of the higher education coordinating board or has the international equivalents of such accreditation....Such documents include, but are not limited to, academic certificates, degrees, coursework, degree credits, transcripts, or certification of completion of a degree."

                                                     (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.60.070)

Wisconsin Senate Bill 431 signed by Governor Doyle: "addresses the problems related to the use of false academic credentials created by 'diploma mills' by prohibiting the use of the terms college, university, state and Wisconsin in the name of schools that are not certified as such by the Educational Approval Board. In addition, the bill creates a penalty for issuing and using a false academic credential and/or the false use of a legitimate academic credential. The bill upholds the integrity of degrees granted by the Wisconsin Technical College System, the UW System and other
institutions of higher education and prevents against fraudulent institutions and degrees."                                              (http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/may10/may12/0512govsign3.pdf)                             

Additional Issues

Sometimes Christians argue that churches can grant degrees.  However, Christians should not confuse the roles of Churches and Universities.  Churches do play an educational role; however, the Bible never instructs them to grant educational degrees. 

In the end, what is most important is that students follow the paths that they feel called to follow. If that means an unaccredited school, so be it. But in so doing, they must also realize the limitations of such a decision. In the end the question is: What does the student wish to do with their degree, and will it pave the way for them to accomplish their goals?

This response by Elder Michael Mooney

* The book is really a letter

* Scholars believe that Cor 1 and 2 are actually a work of 3 letters, therefore we must be missing a letter. This is not an accident because the Bible is divinely inspired.

* In communication today it is still very common to continue a conversation from a previous one in a letter, email, etc.

* We know that Paul is continuing a previous conversation in Cor 1 because he says, "Now concerning what you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman."(1Co 7:1 MKJV)

* The above verse makes two things obvious. 1) Paul is shifting his letter to address their previously written questions, and 2) they must have had questions regarding the roles of women.

* Then he gets to chapter 12 and speaks of spiritual gifts

* Then he gets to chapter 13 and contrasts the gifts with love

* Then he gets to chapter 14 and contrasts tongues with prophecy

* Here we know something is suspicious because the "Torah" makes no command of women being silent in church. Therefore, we must conclude that he is referencing cultural law. This is fortified by the fact that Paul always taught Christians to obey the government and laws of the land.

* The above two verses are Paul repeating that they had originally written to him in a previous letter. Then he proceeds to address the statement with a rhetorical question:

________________________________________________________________________________________

This response is authored by Elder Jamie Strickler

In defense of the ordination of women:

Key verses against women’s leadership: 1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-14;

1 Cor. 14:34-35: in the oldest manuscripts in the world these two passages are written in the margins of the text and are not a part of the original letter.  They were added to the regular letter centuries later most likely for neatness.  
It is clear that in 1 Cor. Paul is addressing false teachings.  The contextual evidence of this time points to the fact that women with uncovered heads in the city of Corinth were either pagan priestesses (possibly the source of false teaching) or prostitutes.  It is reasonable to surmise given the historical and contextual evidence that these verses we not a part of the original letter but were added later to address a particular situation in that city at that time.  There is no further reference to these verses anywhere else in 1 Cor. And if you remove theses verses there is no break in the flow of the letter.

1 Timothy 2:11-14: Again this letter is addressing a particular cultural situation in a certain time.  This letter is addressing false teaching and most likely the same false teaching that 1 Cor. is addressing because it was written after 1 Cor. and to the same geographical area.  1 Timothy is also concerned with preserving tradition; tradition for the sake of order not tradition that was passed down as God’s law.

Evidence for women’s leadership in the Bible: Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Phoebe, Pricilla, and Acts 2:17; Galatians 3:28

Miriam: Moses and Aaron’s sister referred to as a prophetess in Ex. 15:20. Sings praises and worship to the Lord.

Deborah: Judge of Israel

Ruth: Uses her influence to save her people; speaks openly to an authority figure that no one else could speak to.

Phoebe: Romans 16:1 referred to as a deacon delivered the letter from Paul to the church in Rome.

Pricilla: Wife of Aquila. Paul’s friends a married couple that he met in Ephesus and most likely started the church in

Rome. Pricilla is always mentioned first showing that she was the dominant authority figure in the marriage. This was most likely a second marriage in which Priscilla was wealthy from her first husband whom must have died because she was able to re-marry.

Galatians 3:28: Paul says that we are one in Christ.  There is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free.

Paul seems to contradict himself in Romans and Galatians in comparison to 1 Cor. and 1 Timothy at first glance concerning the role of women.  However when a discerning person brings into the conversation historical context, the difference in his approaches is clear.  The leadership of women was not forbidden in the church at large but was discouraged in Corinth due to the cultural context of women in that city.

Some have tried to use cultural context in the defense of homosexual ordination comparing it to the ordination of woman.  But these are two separate issues.  There are no positive examples of homosexual unions anywhere in the Bible.  Homosexual unions were prevalent in Hellenistic society and Paul was aware of same sex relationships and condemned them in Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Cor. 6:9 etc… Gay rights activists will try to claim that Paul didn’t have our modern understanding of homosexuality but that is false.

A church or ministry charter is simply a recognition of one spiritual body by another spiritual body.  In essence, a charter is to a ministry like ordination is to a minister.  In other words a charter is the ordination of a ministry.  It is the recognition that there is a spiritual need that the recognized ministry provides for humanity in the name of Jesus.  The charter says to the public that another group of believers validates the existence of the chartered ministry.

 «  ←   «     ↓      »   →  » 

               Membership ↔ Elders ↔ President ↔ Special Ministers ↔ Membership

All leadership will always be approachable by any member of the NACM.  No member is required to pass through channels in order to communicate with any leader. Jesus said, “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mat 23:11, KJV).

The culture of the NACM is warm and diverse. We have believers from all sorts of denominational backgrounds who are quite accepting and appreciative of one another.  Most people immediately make friends and welcome one another to fellowship from all around the world. 

Paul once said to Titus, "you should set in order the things that are lacking and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you" (Tit 1:5 MKJV).

We are continuing this pattern by recognizing elders around the globe.

An Elder is a spiritual calling much like that of a minister; however, unlike a minister we believe that the calling of an elder is not necessarily lifelong.  We believe that at times and seasons God calls people to serve in roles necessary to build His Kingdom.  The Elder is one who has been called to a time and season to impart the spiritual blessing of ordination by the "laying on of hands", and the serve as an encouragement to the Body of Christ around them.

What is an Elder's relationship to the NACM?

As stated above, the position of Elder is the NACM's recognition of a calling to serve.  Therefore, Elders recognized by the NACM are independent ministers volunteering to serve people in a spiritual capacity in their local areas.  They are Christian representatives of Jesus serving on His behalf and higher authority.

Special Ministers voluntarily serve the NACM in an administrative way. Each has their own special ministries within our organization. They are separate leadership from the Elders. 

There is no way to apply for one of these positions. Appointments are made as administrative needs arise. 

Ways in which members may position themselves to be noticed for one of these positions:

1) Maintain an active participation within the network.

2) Complete the Mentor or the Leadership Development Program.

Site Map