From the Office of Ministerial Training

Process to Become First Level Minister

A person first joins the church as a member. They must read Pathway to the Stars and agree with the CoIC's Statement of Faith and CoIC Mission statement. The church will send a membership record.

A person must be a member for at least 30 days before they can apply to ministerial training. They will need to fill out an application, write an essay (average five paragraphs) about their calling and why they want to be a minister and send the completed application and essay with a copy of their photo ID (driver's license or passport preferred for security reasons), a background check done by the local authorities in their area  (Simply contact theState department in your area who does background checks.  We need a minimal background check such as that  done for parents volunteering in a school.) and a $50 non-refundable donation. (While we need help with handling and postage fees, we want to keep requested donations minimal but collect enough to cover the cost of our supplies and postage. Applicants can apply for scholarships if needed.  We do not charge for ordination. Ordination is by God and freely given.)

Once everything listed above has been sent in and all is in order, then the applicants first essay (along with acknowledgement of Headquarters having received all of the above and that all is in order) is submitted to the Board of Directors and the applicant is introduced to the board as a new student. We send the new student electronic or paper copies of our ‘CoIC Minister Training Manual’ along with necessary tests that must be answered and returned to us. (Students can take as long as they need to complete course and are allowed alternate test retakes in order to pass.) Once the tests are returned and the ministerial student has passed the course, assuming all else is in order, we ask the student to write and submit one more essay and to sign our CoIC Minister's Code of Ethics and return the signature page (last page) to headquarters.

This essay should be about what it means to the applicant to be a CoIC Minister and what they plan to do in their ministry once they have started. Headquarters will submit the student’s test results, their second essay, and acknowledgement that the Minister's Code of Ethics ws signed to the Board of Directors and a vote to approve their ordination will be held at the next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting.  (Meetings are held in January, April, July and October.)  Once approved, a CoIC minister will do an actual ordination in person or on the phone.   This is a very special occasion and one that should be witnessed, recognised and memorialized.  (The date of ordination in the CoIC's records is recorded as the actual date of approval by the Board of Directors although the actual ordination ceremony may follow days or even weeks after the approval date.)

Then CoIC Headquarters will mail out an Ordination Packet which will contain:

CoIC Letter of ordination (can be replaced in two years with a Letter of Gooid Standing)

CoIC Certificate of Ordination

CoIC Minister Training Academy Course Completion Certificate

Simple laminatedCoIC  ID card (no photo)

ACoIC  Clergy  vehicle placard to place on the dash

A page of printed temporary business cards (if requested we can also send a pdf file by email for new minister to print more.)

Copies of blank certificates to use in personal Ministry (2 Marriage, 2 Baptism, 1 Renewal of Vows, 1 Christening, 1 House Blessing.)

A set of CoIC graphics the new minister can use on their website and printed materials will be provided electronically by email.

Hardcopies of manuals, replacementcertificates and other personalized and useful minister items will be available through the church store for those that wish to have them.