Steps to Becoming a Pastor in the BFC – The Bible Fellowship Church

The Bible Fellowship Church is always looking for men who are called to serve the Lord in pastoral ministry. If you have not already done so, review our doctrinal statements in the Articles of Faith.

Please note that the Bible Fellowship Church holds to:

believer’s baptism by immersion
church rule by elders
the doctrines of grace including election
premillennial eschatology

If you are in alignment, you are ready to proceed through the four steps of the credentialing process: Application, Examination, Probation, and Ordination.

1. Application

The Application Questionnaire takes only about 45 minutes to complete and asks for basic contact information, brief salvation testimony, educational background, job history, and more.

There are three ways to fill out the Application Questionnaire.

online form
fillable PDF
paper form by mail

Mail completed application to Pastor Andy Barnes at Grace Bible Fellowship Church, 1250 Colonial Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112.

2. Examination

When your application questionnaire and all references are received, you will have a preliminary interview with one of the members of the Ministerial Candidate Committee.

Next, you will complete your first examination called the Open Book Examination which requires that you research and answer several questions. As the title implies, you may use any material to help you complete this exam. The purpose of this examination is to allow you to tell us what you believe in several critical areas.

Then you will schedule an interview with the entire Ministerial Candidate Committee. The first part of that interview will allow the Committee to review your life and ministry. The second part of that interview will be an oral examination based on the Articles of Faith of the Bible Fellowship Church. Through this examination, the Committee will evaluate you on how well you know these articles, how well you can support and defend these articles from the Bible, and the extent to which you are committed to or embrace them as an expression of your own convictions.

3. Probation

When you have satisfactorily completed your interviews and examinations, you will be classified as a Probationer Eligible to Receive a Call. That means you are permitted to serve as a pastor in a Bible Fellowship Church. When you receive a call to serve in a Bible Fellowship Church, you will receive a license. A license is a temporary recognition that you may serve as a minister in a Bible Fellowship Church.

You must serve as a licensed probationer for a minimum of two years or, if you were previously ordained, a minimum of one year. This time of service is called probationary because it allows us to observe you and come to a conclusion as to whether we believe God has called you to the gospel ministry.

4. Ordination

When you have completed your probationary period, the Ministerial Candidate Committee will interview you again to determine whether you will be recommended for ordination or not. If the Ministerial Candidate Committee concludes that you have been called of God and have served acceptably, they will recommend you to the Credentials Committee for Ordination Examination. The Credentials Committee has the final responsibility to recommend you to the Annual Conference of the Bible Fellowship Church for Ordination. If the Annual Conference accepts the recommendation of the Credentials Committee, you will be ordained at a session of the Annual Conference.

If this process seems cumbersome to you, we want to remind you of the importance of the work you are called to do. We are convinced that great care and concern are to be shown for men who are called to the gospel ministry.

If you did not find the answer to your questions here, you can ask more by emailing Applications Secretary Andy Barnes or emailing Communications@bfc.org.