Ministry and Church Vocations (MCV) helps the church to discern, prepare and support leaders serving in ministry. Our partners include the sessions, presbyteries and synods that are in covenant relationship with their leaders, as well as the theological colleges. Below are a variety of resources for download.

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Students and Colleges Sunday
Women’s Perspective Newsletters

Becoming a Minister

Finding a Minister

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Continuing Education Fund

Why pursue continuing learning? To seek spiritual renewal and growth, reflect on my calling, develop fresh ideas for worship and new leadership skills, assist my congregation through a period of transition.

The purpose of the Continuing Education Fund is to provide financial assistance for continuing education to help professional church workers of The Presbyterian Church in Canada to increase their effectiveness in ministerial service.

  • This fund makes financial assistance available to church workers for their professional development.
  • The program – workshop, course, conference – must have a minimum number of contact hours and be offered by a recognized organization.
  • Applicants must be approved by their presbytery or a church board or agency.
  • This fund supplements the allowance provided by the congregation or employer.
  • It is expected that the individual applying and their congregation or employer will contribute to the costs of the program
  • The maximum that an individual may receive in any five-year period is $1,500.

The new online application form helps makes this process easier. Use the Continuing Education Grant Application or, for further information, please email Liz Brewer. You can also read the Continuing Education Regulations.

Colleague Covenant Group Grants

Funds are available to provide incentive grants to help ministers, diaconal ministers or lay ministers employed in The Presbyterian Church in Canada to begin new colleague covenant groups. These funds are accessible by PCC ministers and professional church workers wishing to form new groups.

Learn more about Colleague Covenant Group Grants and complete the online application.

Louisville Institute Sabbatical Grant Opportunities

The Louisville Institute ecumenical institution hosts an annual competition for Sabbatical Grants for Pastoral Leaders (application deadline, November 1) and for Pastoral Study Project Grants (application deadline, September 1).

The Institute offers grants to support both pastoral sabbaticals and research by scholar/pastors and scholar/educators that strengthen the religious life of North American Christians and their institutions while simultaneously advancing religious and theological scholarship. These grant programs aim to serve three strategic constituencies whose competence and well-being are essential to the future of the church: pastors, younger scholars, and researchers and scholars for the broader church. In doing so, they also seek to advance our understanding of three issues of importance to both church and academy: Christian faith and life, pastoral leadership, and religious institutions.

Specialized Ministries

Knox College in TorontoStudent and Colleges Sunday: October 20, 2019

Students and Colleges Sunday is an opportunity for congregations to encourage those whom Christ is calling to the ministry.

Individuals discern Christ’s call within Christian community. This is true of the primary Christian vocation—to be in relationship with God through Christ—as it is of the secondary Christian vocation—the exercise of our God-given gifts in service to God.

Many Christians exercise their Christian vocation “in the world,” while serving as volunteers within the church’s ministries. Still others are called to exercise their Christian vocation in full-time or part-time employed service within the church’s ministries.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada assigns special responsibility to sessions and presbyteries “to make diligent and careful inquiry” whether any men and women should be directed to Christ’s claims upon them with respect to the church’s ministry, and to aid, encourage and guide them (Book of Forms, 202).

To assist the church with these responsibilities, the General Assembly in 2008 designated the third Sunday of October as Students and Colleges Sunday. A special bulletin prepared by one of the church’s theological colleges is available through the Resource Centre, as is a brochure “Am I Being Called?” Also, the colleges may be contacted directly to request a guest speaker or worship leader.

Women’s Perspectives Newsletter

In 2012, after thirty years of service, the Women in Ministry Committee dissolved and discontinued its publication, Women’s Perspectives. The committee and newsletter were directed towards supporting women working professionally in the church by helping them forge connections and giving them a voice in our church. For past issues of Women’s Perspectives please contact Liz Brewer.

Links

Visit the Order of Diaconal Ministries web page

Contact

For more information, contact Tim Purvis at 1-800-619-7301 ext. 264.