Progress on PC(USA) Ordination Exams
I’ve blogged — or at least commented on other blogs — about the benefits and downfalls of PC(USA) Ordination Exams. While they were a relatively minor annoyance for me, they continue to be a huge stumbling block for many of my colleagues and surely are not organized in a pastoral (or even humane?) way. That said, I wanted to publicly praise the Office of Vocation for now offering the Bible Content Exam online.
I took the BCE in 2005, I think, and was struck even then that the last scantron test I took was four years before in high school. I’m very glad that we’ve moved to an online format for the BCE, and I wish the office the best as they continue to adjust to new technology and the multiple challenges of the test takers. I hope, sooner or later, the BCE might even be offered many times a year — say once a month — to ease the scheduling challenges of seminary and the ordination process.
Here’s the Presbyterian News Service article from last month with a fuller report: First online administration of Bible Content examination declared a success
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You’re right… they are a stumbling block to many people. And frankly, I don’t see the necessity for them… if someone has graduated from an accredited seminary — where, as I recall, you already take tests to show that you know things.
I’m PCUSA, BTW. Took the ords… but I’ve seen how much of a problem they can be. An unneeded problem to my thinking.
Peace to you.
I concur with Chris. If we’re requiring a degree from an accredited seminary, and requiring coursework in particular areas (Greek/Hebrew), then that should count, dagflabbit. Stop duplicating effort, because it’s a waste of precious life.
The human energy the church puts into the ords should be put into other, relational aspects of our ordination process. We need it there.