Pastoral Care Committee

Chairman, TE Sam Brown

PLEASE NOTE: The Theological Examining Committee no longer processes applications for coming under care. The Pastoral Care Committee now examines men who desire to come under care of the Tennessee Valley Presbytery.

To become a Candidate for the Gospel Ministry, an applicant must follow BCO 18, which requires membership in a local TVP church for at least six months before being recommended to the Presbytery.

Candidates coming under care will be examined by the TVP Pastoral Care Committee. In addition to appearing before the Pastoral Care Committee, applicants for candidacy must also appear before the TVP to give their testimony, their call to the ministry, and answer any questions the Elders put to them.

Those interested in becoming candidates should contact the chair of the Pastoral Care Committee, TE Sam Brown, sam@trinityprescleveland.com.

DEADLINES FOR PAPERWORK Forms need to be submitted approximately one month prior to each TVP meeting.

You will need to provide:

a Candidate Information Form (NOTE: this is a fillable form. Please fill out electronically, save, and attach to an email.)
a Session Recommendation Form, endorsed and signed by the moderator and clerk of the session at the church where you have been a member for at least six months. Please read through the form carefully, ask someone on your Session who knows you well to fill it out and sign it. The Session of your church then needs to approve your coming under care of the Session, and recommend you to the TVP. The moderator and the clerk of the Session must sign the form as well. You are responsible for following these steps before applying to the TVP to come under care.

TVP Standing Rules Concerning the PCC

The Theological Examining Committee is responsible:

To review and recommend compensation guidelines.
To have an active pastoral concern for Teaching Elders
To meet with churches and pastors at their request or with consent to discuss any problems between the minister and Session or congregation; to counsel both parties and make recommendations to ministers, Sessions, and Presbytery where appropriate.
To act as a commission of Presbytery to approve the transfers of teaching elders within the Presbytery, to approve changes in the calls of teaching elders, to designate teaching elders as honorable retired, and to dissolve pastoral relations in cases where the pastor and congregation formally concur.
To secure annual reports from TVP Licentiates and those laboring out of bounds.
To monitor Presbytery attendance of Teaching Elders and churches.
To examine and present to Presbytery prospective candidates coming under care and to oversee their preparation for the Gospel Ministry through periodic communication and annual reports to Presbytery.

(Standing Rules of TVP, chapter 5)