The Shared Ministry Program provides dues subsidies for benefits when two or more congregations desire to work together to call full-time pastoral leadership. A departure from the traditional ministry model, this program helps ministry flourish and sustains it for the long term.
Presbyteries, congregations, and their Board of Pensions Church Consultant can follow this sample model in discerning and establishing a shared ministry.
| Step 1 | Review the following to familiarize yourself with the process:
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| Step 2 | Identify congregations in the presbytery that are possible candidates for the Shared Ministry Program. |
| Step 3 | Reach out to your
Church Consultant to discuss the program. |
| Step 4 | Create a process that leaders of potential partnering congregations can review, so they can separately decide if they’d like to consider a shared ministry. |
| Step 5 | Reach out to the pastor and the sessions of the proposed congregations to start the conversation. |
| Step 6 | If the congregations would like to continue, have the leaders of both meet and facilitate a discussion using this list of considerations. |
| Step 7 | Review the
Shared Ministry Covenant and
Shared Ministry Registration Form with the congregational leaders. |
| Step 8 | Each congregation decides on the terms of call for their portion of the partnership. |
| Step 9 | Each session will approve their terms of call in collaboration with the Committee on Ministry from their presbytery. |
| Step 10 |
Each congregation signs the covenant and the registration form and sends them to the Board of Pensions. |
| Step 11 |
Celebrate this shared ministry and its promise of a vital and flourishing ministry. |