* See also:
The Candidacy
Process of Preparation and Discernment
for the Ministries of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
Available from the
Ministry and Church Vocations branch of the
Life and Mission Agency.
The Presbyterian Church in
Canada
50 Wynford Drive, North
York, ON M3C 1J7
1. CERTIFICATION
The first step towards candidacy
for the ministry in the Presbyterian Church in Canada is the request
for a recommendation from the Session of the congregation of which
you must have been a member for at least one year. A positive recommendation
from your Session about suitability for ministry is required before
your Presbytery can consider certification. If after examination
the Presbytery is satisfied with your general fitness for the ministry,
it will certify you to the Senate of the College. If possible, certification
should be completed before entering the College but not later than
the end of the second year of theological studies. It is your responsibility
to see to it that you are certified by a presbytery. Certification
must be renewed annually.
2. GUIDANCE CONFERENCE:
All candidates for the ministry
of The Presbyterian Church in Canada are required to attend a guidance
conference under the direction of the Office of Ministry of Church
Vocations of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and submit to a psychological
examination. This may be done before or at the end of the first
year of theological studies. Information is available from the College
or the Candidates Committee of your presbytery.
3. APPLYING FOR ADMISSION TO
THE COLLEGE:
The normal requirement for admission
is a bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university,
preferably a B.A., with a minimum cumulative grade point average
(CGPA) of 2.5 (65%), although special arrangements can be made for
older candidates [more]. It is
recommended but not mandatory that the bachelor's degree contain
the following subjects: English, French, History, Philosophy, and
the Social Sciences. While some courses in religion may be chosen,
these should not be included at the expense of courses in other
liberal arts areas. Admission is allowed also on the basis of other
bachelor programs, such as Education, Engineering, Management, Music,
Nursing, or Science.
You may download a copy of the College
application form by clicking
here (Adobe
Acrobat Reader required), or it may be obtained through the
College office. Students entering the B.Th./M.Div. programme must
apply also to McGill's Faculty of Religious Studies by completing
the on-line application form at
www.mcgill.ca/applying
(see Undergraduate Admission 1). For the S.T.M. degree, apply on-line
to the Graduate Faculty. The application must be accompanied by
official transcript(s) of post-secondary program(s) in which you
have been enrolled, and two letters of reference. At least one letter
should be from a person who can evaluate your academic ability.
If possible you should arrange an interview with the Principal of
the College. In that case the College will facilitate a visit to
Montreal.
Candidates intending to live in
the College residence should make application as early as possible
to secure a room (see the Residence
section).
4. ADMISSION FOR APPLICANTS WITHOUT
A BACHELOR'S DEGREE
Older candidates for the ministry
who lack a bachelor's degree may apply to the Committee on Education
of the Presbyterian Church in Canada for a shortened program, normally
one year of studies in Arts followed by three years of theological
studies after which they are awarded the General Assembly Certificate
[more]. If such candidates wish
to complete the B.Th. degree they can make use of McGill's special
provisions for mature students. Residents of Canada who will be
27 years of age or older by September 1 (for admission to the Fall
term) or January 1 (for admission to the Winter term) and who lack
the academic background normally required for entry into a bachelor's
program at McGill may apply for entrance as mature students. If
accepted, such students are required to take a qualifying year (30
credits), consisting of Arts courses, before entering the 90 credits
Bachelor of Theology [more] program. If
the candidate attains a grade point average of 3.0, with no mark
lower than 2.6, during the first term of the qualifying year, the
student is eligible to be advanced retroactively to the B.Th. 1
year, and thus is able to finish the B.Th. degree in three years
of full-time studies.
APPLICATIONS
All correspondence should be sent
to the address below:
The Presbyterian College
3495 University Street
Montreal, QC
H3A 2A8
Canada
Phone: (514) 288-5256 or
email
Copyright
The Presbyterian College
at
McGill University
