Resilient and Beloved: A Theology and Polity of Holy Orders

This is a draft document subject to final Leadership Council approval, to take effect upon approval in January 2027. We welcome feedback from our members on it.

Where do you find yourself in this document? Which facets of Holy Orders (disruptor, companion, keeper of wisdom, builder, seeker) describe the ministry you’re already doing, or the one you feel called toward?

What will it ask of you? As you imagine living out this covenant in your own setting, which commitment will be most life-giving to you, and which one will stretch you the most?

How can the Alliance walk with you? What support, practices, or companionship from the Alliance would help you live into this theology and covenant with integrity?

Send your feedback to christopher @ progressivechristianalliance.org, our denomination’s Minister of Worship and Theology.

Introduction

We recognize that many faithful individuals come to the Progressive Christian Alliance after their identities and callings have been minimized, restricted, or denied by other Christian denominations and institutions. Others come because they are drawn to a denomination whose values and vision resonate deeply with their own theological posture. As such, we are a community shaped both by experiences of exclusion and pilgrimage, and by an enduring commitment to the historic Christian movement. Rooted in part by the sustaining courage of the religiously disenfranchised and others who refused to see the gifts of the marginalized discarded, our Alliance was formed with a clear imperative: to ensure that Holy Orders extend into the margins, even and especially the margins of Christianity.

While we affirm that the call to ministry is not constrained by boundaries of institutional acceptance, ministerial credentialing is not granted simply upon request. We seek to recognize where the Spirit is already at work. Such recognition requires intentional, mutual discovery, because the ministerial vocation and the Christian life itself are never solitary. It involves perceiving gifts that others have overlooked and naming callings that others have refused to acknowledge. Our task is not to manufacture ministers or merely grant ministerial credentials to any who ask for them, but to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit, claiming our place within the historic body of Christ, and empowering individuals to live out their holy vocation in service to the world.

Holy Orders, therefore, are an act of both discernment and justice. To recognize a call is to affirm the dignity, gifting, and leadership of any person who experiences it. The work of mutual discovery of those in whom the Holy Spirit moves to lifelong service of world and Church never happens from a distance. We are always called to root our lives in the margins with Christ: the poor, the exploited, the silenced, the victimized, the oppressed.

These are not people on the margins of God’s concern. They are at the center of God’s love and Christ’s ongoing ministry. Holy Orders empower us to stand in solidarity with them and with one another, bearing witness to God’s justice, compassion, and liberation in the world.

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In the Line of Prophets and Troublemakers

The Holy One grants us the sacred responsibility to become sojourners and advocates with all the marginalized and exploited in this world. We are, therefore, united into Jesus with all the prophets, saints, and holy troublemakers throughout history who have engaged in such struggle, and joined together in the mission of God’s commonwealth of shalom toward which we move.

The cloud of witnesses and line of ancestry that precedes, surrounds, and accompanies us includes those individuals from the biblical stories who came from unlikely places and faced empire with resilience and courage. It includes Moses, who relinquished the safety of position and privilege to lead slaves out of bondage and into freedom; Miriam, who exercised liturgical leadership in a newly freed and celebrating pilgrim people; Amos, who bravely preached God’s call to radical justice for the poor; Elijah, who confronted systems of idolatrous power-mingling between empire and religion; Deborah the judge who governed with wisdom and courage.

It includes the women in the line of Jesus, who were victimized by those in power and yet rose to bear witness to God’s preferential treatment of those on the margins: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. It includes the women of the Gospels who journeyed with Jesus, served alongside him in villages and fields, anointed his body with oil and perfumes, and were the first witnesses of resurrection by the direction of God. It includes our dear Jesus, the peasant-lord of Galilee, born on the fringes of empire among an oppressed and exploited people, teaching the way of love and rebuking those who would minimize human dignity in favor of institutions.

It also includes historic saints who blazed paths of bold resistance, like Julian of Norwich, the mystic who declared hope in the face of turmoil; Martin of Tours, who laid down his sword after meeting the spirit of Jesus and refused to fight again. It includes the slain martyrs of the early Church whom the empire watched with suspicious and fearful gaze, who sacrificed their lives rather than submit to empire’s demands; the monastics and desert fathers and mothers who repeatedly called the church to return to fidelity in justice and charity. It includes the countless people whose names are not remembered by history but are held in the loving embrace of the Holy for simple kindnesses, determination, and resilience in the face of adversity as they quietly modeled the way of Jesus in community.

It includes the contemporary prophets and disruptors who demonstrated how the ideals of Christianity can be embodied in our present reality far removed from ancient times: Gandhi, whose passionate embrace of nonviolent resistance freed his people from imperial bondage; Martin Luther King, Jr., who mobilized an entire generation through his preaching to resist the tyranny of deeply entrenched hatred and violence through active and nonviolent civil disobedience. It includes Gustavo Gutiérrez and other liberation theologians who advocated for the poor in middle and South America, reshaping the theological landscape of the Western world in the process; and individuals like Fred Rogers, who, though an ordained minister, gave up traditional parish work to pursue a ministry of affirmation and love among children in a medium increasingly devoted to violence.

The Holy Orders of the Progressive Christian Alliance are not rooted in the rigidity of apostolic succession, a literal handing of the message of Jesus from the hands of Peter down through an unbroken line of bishops. Rather, we recognize and affirm that the charism of Jesus – love, justice, peace, and mercy from and among the marginalized of the world – is the succession that binds one generation of leaders and servants in the Church to the next.¹

Those so ordered into ministry in the Alliance are called by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s beloved community of apostles that transcends borders, institutions, and ideologies. They agitate what needs to be agitated, disrupt what needs disruption, comfort all who need comforting, lead those who need leading, and strive to embrace and love others and themselves in body, mind, and spirit.

As allies and companions, we bear witness to the new world that the Holy One is diligently building with us as co-creators. This is what it means to receive Holy Orders in the Progressive Christian Alliance: a sacred trust rooted in ancient ways, yet reimagined inclusively for the sake of a diverse and beautiful world.

1. As stewards of the rich liturgical breadth of various Christian traditions, we celebrate the ancient rhythm of gathering, sharing stories and breaking bread, and sending forth in the various ways the church has imagined it without the necessity of hierarchical imposition. We stand in continuity with the historic ways in which the faithful have gathered over centuries, maintaining the sacred weight of Holy Orders as a community-realizing endeavor in its various forms.

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Our Sacred Trust

Though the Progressive Christian Alliance is intentionally non-creedal, our Statement of Faith follows in the creedal tradition’s intentional communalism. It is designed to be a collective affirmation of the relational nature of our work and belonging, drawing us toward each other and toward the divine made manifest in Jesus. It is not doctrinal nor is it a litmus; it is, rather, an aspiration for us all. We can faithfully recite and live into its spirit even when individually there is little or no belief. The ethos of this statement is that we believe and practice these things, never that I am required to believe them.

They constitute the keystone of our work: that which binds us together in inclusive love amid our diversity.

We believe in God…

is both a communal and deeply personal invocation that explicitly recognizes the diversity of theological perspectives across the Alliance. God is that which is Holy: the divine personage and spirit that connects all who follow the way of love. Some follow the example of Jesus in naming God as “Father” or “Mother,” emphasizing either a relational or socio-political understanding of the Holy One amid the world. For others, the divine is transcendent and wholly other. For others still, the divine is mystery, metaphor, or concept. Some may even hold that there is no divine being beyond humanity at all, but only an ethos of charity and goodwill that is known as “God.” This broad understanding of God creates space for diversity of belief while also recognizing the particularity of practice named in the second and third parts of the opening line (“whose love is the source…” and “whose love was given a human face…”).

…whose love is the source of all life and the desire of our lives…

The work of the Alliance is rooted in love and in the interconnectedness of all things: individuals, communities, social and economic systems, ecological realities, and the mysteries that transcend understanding. That interconnectedness flows from God, whose very essence is love.

…whose love was given a human face in Jesus of Nazareth…

The incarnational vision of the Christian tradition recognizes Jesus as teacher, exemplar, victor, and companion, born among the marginalized. He is the primary witness of God’s commonwealth of peace and justice grounded in self-giving and community-building love. Though executed in first-century Palestine by religious and political authorities, Jesus continues to live in communities that embody his spirit of love in practice.

…whose love was crucified by the evil that waits to enslave us all…

The call of Jesus to follow the way of divine love is often met with resistance from the powers of the world. There is a cost to resisting empire in all its forms and to standing with those who are oppressed and exploited. Love chooses to bear that cost rather than perpetuate violence.

…and, whose love, defeating even death, is our glorious promise of freedom.

Life and love ultimately prevail wherever people cultivate solidarity and mutual care. In that spirit, those who are exploited, marginalized, and oppressed discover freedom through shared life, and that freedom gives rise to new life.

Therefore, though we are sometimes fearful and full of doubt, we trust that love.

Ordained ministry does not deny the fear and doubt that accompany faithful living. Rather, it acknowledges these realities as part of human experience and responds in the spirit of Christ with resilience, courage, and hope amid oppressive forces. That response, refusing defeat, is love.

And in the name of Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves in the service of others…

Though the name Christian has often been co-opted by forces far removed from the Galilean peasant of the first century, we seek to reclaim that identity as a foundation for resistance, renewal, and creative solidarity with the oppressed. Service, then, becomes a radical act: neither silent nor conforming, but imaginative, expansive, and transformative.

…to seek justice and to live in peace…

The work of justice is diverse, and the pursuit of peace remains among humanity’s most demanding callings. Neither justice nor peace can be reduced to a universal template, but both can be recognized in their fruits: dignity upheld, life protected, and communities healed. Destruction and violence in all forms, whether political, social, economic, or national, stand in opposition to the way of Jesus.

…to care for the earth and to share the commonwealth of God’s goodness…

Care for the earth recognizes that creation is neither possession nor commodity but inheritance. The Alliance understands ecological responsibility as inseparable from justice, acknowledging that environmental degradation and human suffering are deeply interconnected. To share in the commonwealth of God’s goodness is to resist systems of scarcity, extraction, and accumulation in favor of practices of mutual flourishing.

…to live in the freedom of forgiveness and the power of the Spirit of love…

The freedom of forgiveness releases individuals and communities from cycles of domination and alienation while remaining attentive to accountability and restoration. Love is the defining characteristic that animates this work by empowering courage and renewing imagination.

…and, in the company of all the faithful – past, present, and yet to come – so to be the Church, for the glory of God.

To stand in the company of the faithful is to recognize that no part of Christian vocation is undertaken in isolation. Those who have gone before offer witness and wisdom; those who gather in the present embody love in their own place and time; and those yet to come call communities to imagine a future marked by justice, peace, and hope. To be the Church is therefore an ongoing act of becoming, in which people gather, resist, create, serve, and celebrate together so that divine love may be made visible in the world.

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Our Vocational Responsibilities

Those ordered into the holy work of justice, inclusion, and peacemaking in the Alliance are entrusted with sacred responsibilities to themselves, their peers within the Alliance, the world context in which they minister, and the local and ideological communities of faith and practice that nurture and sustain them.

Those holding Holy Orders are bound to engage in ministerial fidelity in all situations. Such responsibilities include:

Commitment to honor and uphold the constitution and canons of the Alliance through both service to the Alliance and by accepting the accountability of the Alliance through its leadership;
Researching and having a working knowledge of local and state laws regarding the ministerial office in officiating weddings, funerals, and other rites and rituals to be good stewards of the credentials they hold and honest representatives of the Alliance;
Recognizing that, while some jurisdictions may allow for exceptions to mandate reporting when dealing with child abuse and other criminal activity, the Alliance requires those who hold Holy Orders to forgo such exceptions and report incidents as necessary. Reporting abuse is both a civil obligation to maintain a healthy society and a sacred act of protecting human dignity against harm;
Acknowledging that the Alliance does not grant exclusive sacramental privilege or ministerial authority over a community, those holding Holy Orders do not stand above the people with whom they minister, but rather hold a distinct responsibility within the community to nurture mutuality and bind the people together in love. Liturgical and sacramental leadership is authorized by the spirit of relationship present in the gathered assembly, not by ecclesiastical hierarchy. While those holding Holy Orders are encouraged to engage in rites meaningful to their contexts, including and especially acts like Eucharistic presidency, preaching, baptism, and other liturgical acts, all such rites and rituals should be practiced as extensions of mutual care and prophetic justice rather than mechanisms of spiritual authority. The Alliance supports these sacred practices without elevating the minister or restricting the sacred priesthood of all people.

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Our Shared Accountability

Because ministry is an exercise of relational power, Holy Orders in the Alliance carry an uncompromising obligation to safety, integrity, and ethical transparency. We refuse to allow the language of grace to cover up systemic harm, nor will we permit sacred trust to be weaponized against the vulnerable. Accountability is the holy boundary that keeps our communities safe, equitable, and whole.

To hold Holy Orders within the Alliance is to enter into a covenant of shared accountability, structured around four non-negotiable commitments:

Protection of the Community and Safeguarding the Vulnerable. We affirm that every person who seeks community, healing, or spiritual sanctuary among us has an absolute right to physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. Therefore, the Alliance requires comprehensive background checks and screening for all candidates for Holy Orders.² We view these administrative safeguards as fundamental acts of justice and care. Where institutions have historically protected abusers to shield their own reputations, the Alliance chooses unyielding transparency and the protection of the vulnerable over institutional self-preservation.
Ethics and the Prevention of Sexual Abuse. Those who hold Holy Orders pledge unequivocal commitment to the Alliance Ethics Statement and Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy. Power imbalances are inherent in ministerial relationships, and abusing that power, whether through sexual misconduct, emotional manipulation, financial exploitation, or spiritual abuse, is a violation of the way of Jesus. Those holding Holy Orders in the Alliance hold themselves to a zero-tolerance standard regarding sexual boundary violations and abuse, committing to clear boundaries, continuous self-awareness, and immediate compliance with all protective reporting measures.
Learning and Growth. Ministry within a changing, hurting world requires clergy who refuse to remain static. Those ordained in the Alliance commit to a lifelong pledge of continued learning. This includes ongoing education in pastoral care, trauma-informed leadership, anti-oppression practices, theology and biblical studies, history, liturgy and ritual, and self-care. We recognize that humility is the prerequisite of wise leadership; therefore, our ministers actively seek peer relationships, personal accountability, and continued intellectual and spiritual formation throughout their ministerial lives.
Fidelity to Core Principles. Holy Orders are maintained through active alignment with the guiding commitments of the Alliance:
- Commitment to Social Justice. Ministry that does not actively work to undo systemic oppression, economic inequality, racism, queerphobia, and environmental destruction abandons the Galilean gospel. Those holding Holy Orders are expected to embody justice in public and private life.
- Respect for Theological Diversity. We honor the multi-faceted landscape of faith and practice. Those holding Holy Orders must cultivate spaces where theological skepticism and open conversation is welcomed, refusing to enforce rigid dogmas or exclude those whose spiritual journeys take unconventional paths.
- Affirmation of the Full Dignity of All God’s Children. We assert without reservation the sacred worth, authority, and agency of all people across every spectrum of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, ability, and socioeconomic status. To hold Holy Orders is to be an active guardian of that dignity in every context.

In accepting Holy Orders within the Progressive Christian Alliance, we offer our lives, our gifts, and our leadership to this shared covenant. We walk together as partners and companions in the struggle and stewards of a sacred trust. We are accountable to God, to one another, and to the world we are called to serve.

2. Individuals and their ministry contexts should share the financial cost of background checks. If local mutual support is unable to fully finance the cost, the Alliance’s general fund may be used to assist in these costs at the discretion of the Leadership Council.

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A Note on the Language for

“Those Holding Holy Orders”

Rather than adopting specific language to define the group of ordained or credentialed clergy within the Alliance as other denominational bodies do (e.g., priests, ministers of word and sacrament, ministers of the gospel), we refer to our clergy simply as “those who hold Holy Orders.” This respects the diversity of calling while also signifying our intentional stewardship of the ministerial office. Within this language, individuals are granted the privilege and responsibility of the honorific “the reverend” to precede their name.³

Individuals may choose their own monikers within their context: pastor, minister, chaplain, mother/father/parent, brother/sister/sibling, companion, and so on. When referencing the Alliance as their sending and affirming body, individuals should say, “I hold Holy Orders with the Progressive Christian Alliance.”

Those who have initiated the discernment process but who have not yet been granted Holy Orders are called “ordinands.”

3. Those holding Holy Orders in the Alliance may wear standard clerical vesture, including the clerical collared shirt (of any color) and liturgical vestments (mindful of season or celebration), as appropriate within their setting and context as they feel comfortable. Such vesture is recognized as a tool for public witness and ministerial accessibility rather than a mark of hierarchical authority.

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Covenant of Holy Orders

As a member holding or seeking Holy Orders within the Progressive Christian Alliance, I recognize that Christian ministry is a sacred trust grounded in the way of Jesus. Called by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s beloved community, I stand in the line of the prophets, saints, and holy troublemakers who proclaim and advocate justice, comfort the brokenhearted, and bear witness to God’s commonwealth of shalom.

Acknowledging that Holy Orders are an exercise of relational power, I covenant before the Holy One, the Alliance, and the various communities I serve to embody the following ethics, boundaries, and commitments in all aspects of my life and leadership.

Personal Integrity and Holistic Stewardship

I commit to actively caring for my physical, mental, and emotional health. I recognize that self-care is an essential practice of sustainable and responsible ministry and personhood.

I commit to guarding, preserving, and enriching my personal relationships. I will recognize and attend to the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of my family, friends, and partner(s), ensuring that my public ministry does not neglect my private covenants.

I commit to holistic stewardship and justice. I will live and minister in ways that resist any degradation of others by working toward the mutual flourishing of all life.

Radical Inclusivity and Prophetic Justice

I commit to treating no one with partiality or discrimination. I affirm without reservation the full dignity, divine image, autonomy, and agency of all people across every spectrum of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, body size, physical and cognitive ability, legal status, and theological posture. I receive these diverse identities as sacred blessings.

I commit to continuously examining my own prejudice and privilege against the unfolding revelation of divine love. I will refrain from disparaging comments, microaggressions, or harassment, specifically sexist, racist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, or elitist language, and will actively work to undo systemic oppression in the Church and society.

I commit to use my position to advocate with and serve alongside those who are vulnerable, exploited, marginalized, or silenced. I will constructively challenge, agitate, and resist oppressive systems, institutions, and structures that degrade human dignity or deny basic human rights.

Mutuality and Ethical Use of Power

I acknowledge that Holy Orders do not elevate me above the community or grant me inherent spiritual superiority. I commit to practicing non-hierarchical, collaborative leadership, recognizing that all authority flows from the Spirit present within the gathered assembly rather than from ecclesiastical status.

I commit to maintaining transparency, mutuality, and humility in all ministerial relationships. I will never weaponize spiritual authority or sacred texts, or manipulate theological language to coerce, control, intimidate, or exploit others.

In times of interpersonal or organizational conflict, I will follow the example of Jesus by seeking understanding, constructive reconciliation, and the good of all people involved. I will take personal responsibility for my words and actions to ensure the credibility of Christ’s ministry is maintained.

Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Boundary Violations

Recognizing that ministerial, pastoral, chaplaincy, and instructional relationships carry inherent power imbalances, I acknowledge that the misuse of pastoral authority for sexual, romantic, or emotional gratification is a fundamental violation of the Gospel, human dignity, and ministerial trust. I pledge my unequivocal commitment to a zero-tolerance policy regarding all forms of sexual misconduct, sexual boundary violations, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse.

I commit to upholding clear, unambiguous boundaries across all physical, digital, and interpersonal interactions. I understand that within a ministerial context, sexual misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

Any non-consensual sexual contact, physical touch, or coerced sexual activity.
Utilizing pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, or authority to initiate, invite, or solicit sexualized conversation, physical intimacy, or romantic relationships.
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, suggestive or sexually explicit remarks, inappropriate physical contact, or the creation of a sexually hostile environment in church, ministry, or digital spaces.
Unprofessional physical touch, inappropriate disclosures of personal/sexual details by the minister, secretive meetings in isolated settings, or grooming behaviors toward any individual.

I recognize that due to the psychological, spiritual, and structural power inherent in Holy Orders, true and free consent cannot be given by a parishioner, counselee, direct report, mentee, student, or vulnerable individual to a person in a position of pastoral trust. Therefore, I commit to never initiating or engaging in romantic or sexual relationships with parishioners, counselees, direct reports, mentees, or any person over whom I exercise ministerial responsibility, spiritual oversight, or institutional influence. I acknowledge that “mutual consent” or “initiation by the parishioner/counselee” is never a valid defense against allegations of ministerial sexual misconduct. The ethical burden to establish, maintain, and enforce healthy boundaries rests entirely on me as the person holding Holy Orders.

To prevent boundary drift and protect the integrity of pastoral care, I will conduct pastoral counseling and care in safe, professional, and accessible environments with clear visibility. I will maintain intentional limits on the duration, frequency, and timing of pastoral counseling sessions. When an individual’s needs exceed my pastoral competency or require long-term therapeutic care, I will promptly provide referrals to qualified, licensed mental health professionals.

I will maintain professional boundaries across all communication channels (phone, text, email, and social media platforms).

I recognize that protecting the vulnerable and maintaining institutional integrity requires proactive accountability. If I witness, become aware of, or receive credible allegations of sexual misconduct or boundary violations committed by another individual holding Holy Orders or leader within the Alliance, I commit to reporting the matter promptly to Alliance Leadership Council and appropriate civil authorities. I will never attempt to conceal, silence, coerce, or retaliate against any victim, survivor, or whistleblower who reports sexual misconduct or boundary violations. I affirm that the safety of persons and the protection of the vulnerable will always take precedence over institutional reputation or peer loyalty.

Lifelong Learning and Shared Accountability

Acknowledging that healthy leadership requires constant growth, I commit to a lifelong journey of learning. I will actively pursue ongoing education in healthy leadership, anti-oppression practices, pastoral care, theology, liturgy, self-care, and other pertinent ministerial areas.

I accept that my Holy Orders are held within a covenant of mutual accountability with the Progressive Christian Alliance. I will actively cultivate authentic peer support, participate in denominational life, and seek grounded ethical counsel during complex crises.

I will complete a new national criminal background check every two years with an Alliance-approved agency, and recognize that refusal to do so will result in the revocation of Holy Orders.

I recognize that failure to abide by this covenant, or engaging in acts that cause harm to vulnerable individuals and communities, violates the core values of the Progressive Christian Alliance and may result in the suspension or revocation of my Holy Orders.

Covenant Signature

By signing below, I affirm that I have read, understood, and resonate with the Theology of Holy Orders and this Covenant. I freely commit my life and ministry to living out these promises in reliance upon the Spirit of Love and with accountability within the Progressive Christian Alliance.

OrdinandDateDenominational Minister of Pastoral LeadershipDate

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The Process of Holy Ordering

The Progressive Christian Alliance affirms that the call to ministry is driven by the Holy Spirit and is not constrained by institutional boundaries. However, ministerial credentialing is neither granted simply upon request. Rather, Holy Orders within the Alliance are an act of both discernment and justice, a process of mutual discovery wherein the Church recognizes, affirms, and empowers the gifts of those called to stand in solidarity with the marginalized.

All persons seeking Holy Orders must be members in good standing of the Progressive Christian Alliance prior to entering formal discernment.

Phase IInquiry and Mutual Exploration

An individual who senses a divine call to ministry shall submit a formal Inquiry for Holy Orders to the Minister of Pastoral Leadership (or a designated representative from the Leadership Council).

Upon receipt of the inquiry, the Minister of Pastoral Leadership (or a designated representative from the Leadership Council) will assign an experienced mentor to the inquirer. The mentor acts as a companion, advocate, and sounding board through a period of mutual exploration, helping the inquirer reflect on their sense of call, vocational persona(e), and alignment with Alliance values. This step can be as lengthy or abbreviated as determined by the mentor based on the inquirer’s education and/or experience.

The inquirer is required to complete a national criminal background check from an Alliance-approved agency during this phase before proceeding.

Once the inquirer and mentor agree that the individual is prepared to move forward, the inquirer is formally designated as an ordinand and begins compiling their portfolio.

Phase IIThe Ordinand Portfolio and Assessment

To be evaluated for Holy Orders, the ordinand must complete and submit a comprehensive portfolio consisting of:

A completed application detailing vocational goals, ministry context, and history.
A current resume highlighting past and present work experience, educational history, professional training, degrees obtained, and community involvement.
A minimum of three character and ministry references.
A personal faith narrative detailing the ordinand’s spiritual journey and sense of call.
A written reflection on the document Resilient and Beloved: A Theology and Polity of Holy Orders in the Progressive Christian Alliance.
Signature of the Alliance Covenant of Holy Orders, signifying an unequivocal commitment to the Alliance’s ethical standards, radical inclusivity, non-hierarchical leadership, and zero-tolerance policies regarding sexual misconduct, exploitation, and abuse.
Record of the successful completion of a national criminal background check from an Alliance-approved agency.

Phase IIILeadership Discernment and Determination

The mentor submits a formal recommendation along with a summary to the Minister for Pastoral Leadership (or designated representative). The Minister for Pastoral Leadership will submit their recommendation to the Leadership Council.

(The Leadership Council may enter a period of discernment, which may include an interview with the ordinand to explore their portfolio, theology, and commitment to shared accountability.)

By a majority vote, the Leadership Council may affirm the ordinand for Holy Orders. If Holy Orders are not granted, the Council will provide clear, constructive feedback and outline a recommended pathway for further growth, formation, or healing before re-application can occur.

Phase IVOrdering Liturgy

Upon affirmation by the Leadership Council, the ordinand shall be ordered in sacred ministry according to the Liturgy for Holy Ordering. Wherever possible, this ordering shall take place within a gathered assembly of Christ’s beloved community, marked by the traditional laying on of hands, anointing with oil or water, and communal promises of support and accountability. Where physical distance necessitates, hybrid or digital adaptations of the liturgy that preserve the integrity of mutual trust and communal affirmation are encouraged. Other individuals holding Holy Orders in the Alliance, especially members of the Leadership Council, are encouraged to participate.

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Appendix E

A Rite for Holy Ordering

Introduction

This liturgy for the entrusting of Holy Orders in the Progressive Christian Alliance is designed to be used within the context of the traditional framework of all communal liturgy. When used in that structure, it concludes the Liturgy of the Story (Word) and should be immediately followed by the Liturgy of the Table. It can also be used as a stand-alone liturgy or in concert with other prayers or communal activities. There are two roles within the assembly: the presider, who is a representative of the Progressive Christian Alliance, or a valued member of the faith community, or a fellow minister authorized to represent the Alliance; and a mentor or elder who presents the ordinand for the entrusting of Holy Orders.

The assembly should gather in a space of sacred importance and around a baptismal font, a candle (to represent the light of the divine), a peace lamp (to represent the dedication to peace), a communion table (to represent the commitment to inclusion and solidarity), or another symbol of justice meaningful to the community.

Presentation

The assembly gathers at a baptismal font, candle, peace lamp, communion table, or other symbol of justice, inclusion, and peace. An Alliance representative, fellow minister, or other valued member of the faith community addresses the gathered assembly with these or similar words.

PresiderThe Holy One, whose light shines brightest when we are together, gives us the sacred responsibility to be sojourners and advocates with all the marginalized and exploited in this world. Together, through the power of the Holy One’s Spirit, we are united with all the prophets, saints, and holy troublemakers throughout time into our brother, Jesus, and brought into the Commonwealth of Shalom toward which we journey. Today, we remember that Name passed through the waters in baptism, dying to the lies of domination that diminish the human family and the earth we share, and rising into this Commonwealth of Shalom. The entrusting of Holy Orders is not a new belonging, but a deepening of the one Christ’s beloved community has already pledged.

A mentor or elder in the community presents the ordinand.

PresenterI present to this community and to the Alliance that gathers with us in spirit Name, for ordering into sacred ministry with the Progressive Christian Alliance.

The presider addresses the ordinand.

PresiderName, called by the Holy Spirit into the sacred ministry of leadership and service among Christ’s beloved community, and remembering the commitments once made over you at the font, do you accept these Holy Orders?

OrdinandI do.

The presider addresses the assembly.

PresiderCalled by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s beloved community, do you affirm them for the ordering in sacred ministry in the Progressive Christian Alliance?

AssemblyWe do.

PresiderAs you affirm this individual for ordering in sacred ministry, you are entrusting them with the responsibility of leadership and service in Christ’s beloved community, supported by the entire Progressive Christian Alliance. As they seek to focus on social justice, respect theological diversity, and affirm the dignity of all God’s children, will you support them in their work, just as you have held them since the waters first named them beloved?

AssemblyWe will.

The presider addresses the presenter.

PresiderWill you nurture this person in the ministries of justice, love, and learning as you are empowered by God’s Spirit, and help them as they seek to fulfill their call as they continue to discover and live into it within community?

PresenterI will.

Declaration of Trust

The presider addresses the ordinand.

PresiderI ask you to affirm the statement of faith of the Progressive Christian Alliance, recognizing that each individual brings to the Alliance their own understanding and interpretation of the Divine.

The presider addresses the assembly.

PresiderAs Name affirms the statement of faith of the Progressive Christian Alliance, I ask you to remember that all faith is held in a common trust. No one individual believes all, nor must any individual believe any of it to be part of Christ’s beloved community.

The presider addresses the ordinand.

PresiderWill you affirm this statement of faith, held in trust by the Alliance?

We believe in God, whose love is the source of all life and the desire of our lives; whose love was given a human face in Jesus of Nazareth; whose love was crucified by the evil that waits to enslave us all; and, whose love, defeating even death, is our glorious promise of freedom. Therefore, though we are sometimes fearful and full of doubt, we trust that love. And in the name of Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves in the service of others: to seek justice and to live in peace; to care for the earth and to share the commonwealth of God’s goodness; to live in the freedom of forgiveness and in the power of the Spirit of Love; and in the company of all the faithful — past, present, and yet to come — so to be the Church, for the glory of God.

OrdinandI will affirm.

PresiderWill you dedicate your life and ministry to social justice, renouncing all ways of violence and domination in your leadership among us?

OrdinandI will.

PresiderWill you respect the theological diversity of humanity?

OrdinandI will.

PresiderWill you affirm the dignity of all God’s children?

OrdinandI will.

Thanksgiving

The presider addresses the assembly, including the ordinand.

PresiderThe Holy One be with you!

AssemblyAnd also with you!

PresiderLet us give thanks for life and breath.

AllIt is right to give thanks and praise.

The presider, with hands in a posture of blessing:

PresiderHoly One, whose Spirit beckons us in the teachings and example of Jesus, empower your beloved child Name. May they embody the courage and resilience of all the prophets, saints, and holy troublemakers who have preceded them. May they agitate what needs to be agitated, disrupt what needs disruption, comfort all who need comforting, lead all who need leading, and strive to embrace and love others and themselves in body, mind, and spirit. Burst upon this assembly with joy and hope as we bear witness to the new world you are diligently building with us, your co-creators.

Holy Ordering

The presider marks with the sign of the cross, or another symbol or gesture of tenderness, the head and/or hands of the ordinand.

PresiderAs once the holy waters of baptism marked your dying to the lies of domination that diminish the human family and the earth we share, and your rising into the Commonwealth of Shalom, so now this oil marks you again, sealed into a particular calling within the belonging you already carry. On behalf of all those allied in the work of love, and in the name of the Holy One, who is Womb and Witness and Wind (or other Trinitarian formula), we join with our siblings throughout time to entrust to you these Holy Orders, to pursue a ministry of social justice, theological diversity, and dignity for all God’s children. We do this with the support of and with accountability to the Progressive Christian Alliance and to this beloved community who holds you.

AssemblyAlleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

An appropriate doxological refrain may be sung here, such as:

Praise God, the Womb of life and breath.
Praise Christ, the Witness over death.
Praise Holy Spirit, Wind set free.
Loving and loved, eternally.
Amen.

The presider, with hands in a posture of blessing over the newly Holy Ordered:

PresiderHoly One, may your wisdom and light permeate and shine through our sibling, the Reverend Name, and this entire community, that they may know the great joy of service and leadership among your beloved community, and that in the hardships that are to come, they may find strength and resolve in the sharing of our life in Christ.

AssemblyAmen.

PresiderThe peace of Christ be always with you.

AllAnd also with you.

The assembly offers signs of peace and love to the new minister.

Back to contents

an inclusive community ministering in a diverse world

Resilient and Beloved: A Theology and Polity of Holy Orders

Introduction

In the Line of Prophets and Troublemakers

Facets of Holy Orders

Our Sacred Trust

Our Vocational Responsibilities

Our Shared Accountability

“Those Holding Holy Orders”

Covenant of Holy Orders

Personal Integrity and Holistic Stewardship

Radical Inclusivity and Prophetic Justice

Mutuality and Ethical Use of Power

Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Boundary Violations

Lifelong Learning and Shared Accountability

Covenant Signature

The Process of Holy Ordering

A Rite for Holy Ordering

Introduction

Presentation

Declaration of Trust

Thanksgiving

Holy Ordering