Step 1 - Applying

If you are still in school and are not yet ready for service, you should download and complete the Applicant Portion of our questionnaire (PDF or Word Doc ). Email your application to Andy Crossgrove at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . When this portion of the questionnaire is received and approved, you will be classified as an Applicant. Being an Applicant expresses your interest in ministry in the Bible Fellowship Church. Your name will be placed on the list of men under the care of the Ministerial Candidate Committee until you are ready to consider ministry in the Bible Fellowship Church.

When you are near the end of your theological education or available for ministry, you will need to fill out the Candidate Portion. This questionnaire is more extensive and requires you to supply information and references which the Committee will consider as it begins the process of interviewing you. As before, download this questionnaire (PDF or Word Doc ). Attach it as a file and email it to Andy Crossgrove at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

When your Candidate Portion has been completed and all references are received, you will be scheduled for an interview. One of the members of the Committee will meet with you and your wife (if you are married) for a preliminary interview. If this interview shows that you should proceed, you will be asked to complete an Open Book Examination and scheduled to meet with the entire Committee.

You must also submit an official transcript of your grades from your college and, if you attended, your seminary. An official transcript is one issued by your school. Copies are not acceptable. Transcripts are to be sent to Andrew Crossgrove, 140 Harleysville Pike, Harleysville, PA 19438.

Step 2 - Interview and Examination

Your first examination, called the Open Book Examination, 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.

When you have been approved as a Candidate, you will be scheduled for an interview. 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. 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 in a Bible Fellowship Church.

Step 3 - Serving

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.

When you are licensed, you are classified as a probationer. You must now serve 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.

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.

The Ministerial Candidate Committee holds an Orientation Seminar for men who are under their care. You are required to attend and complete this Seminar before you may be recommended for Ordination Examination. We recommend that you complete this requirement as soon as possible.

If you did not find the answer to your questions here, you can ask more by emailing Andy Crossgrove at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .