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Welcome to Holy Orders in the UAC!

In the broader catholic tradition, we speak of being "called" to Holy Orders. We see the ordained life not as a career but as a vocation, a calling or invitation from God to "put on Jesus Christ" in a singular way. Ordained ministry is not something we decide to do, but rather a complex work of the Holy Spirit which cannot be reduced to psychological categories.* It involves a process of discernment -- a discerning the call of God in community. One doesn't just wake up one morning and "decide" to become a priest. That having been said, we are very interested in helping you explore your call to Holy Orders

To be fair to you and the UAC, there are some things you should know:

1. Our clergy are bi-vocational clergy. That is to say that, by and large, they work a secular job during the week and serve as clergy during their off hours from their "day job." While it certainly is possible to engage in ministry in a number of areas in order to become self supporting through ministry, that is the exception to the rule. For more information, please contact the Presiding Bishop.

2. You will be required to provide evidence of psychological stability for ministry and to pass a criminal background check.

3. If you are not currently ordained, it will take at least one year to become ordained in our church. If you are currently ordained in another tradition, it may still take one year to be received in our church depending on the tradition in which you are presently ordained.

4. If you are currently serving as a Bishop in another tradition, you should know that all UAC clergy are required to have active, verifiable ministries - including Bishops. Generally speaking, we do not receive Bishops into this Church unless we have a need for a Bishop. We are very opposed to the notion of being a Church comprised of Bishops without duties! However, if you are a Bishop who feels called to return to active parish or other ministry, we would be delighted to talk with you.

5. All clergy are required to submit annual written reports to the Presiding Bishop.

6. Our clergy are not required to spend a period of time in parish ministry. If you feel called to serve as a chaplain, to lead retreats, to work among the poor, or an other non-parochial ministry please know that you are welcome here!

We have these requirements for several reasons. The first, and most important, reason is that we want to provide our clergy with the best preparation possible and our ministries with the most qualified clergy we can. We are aware that there are places out there where you can be ordained for a fee in no time at all. We also know that such a process does not produce qualified clergy. If you are looking for an "ordination factory", this is not the place for you.

Do you feel called to Holy Orders? We invite you to explore that call in the Universal Anglican Church! To make inquiry regarding ordination, please contact the Presiding Bishop at cbergland@uanglican.org

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* We are indebted to George Weigel for this description of the call to priesthood in his book Witness to Hope.