Christian Universalist Ordination & Ministerial Education

[EricStetson]

Dear Friends,

Thought I would share this with the forum, as some here may be interested.

Divine blessings,
Eric

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Christian Universalist Association Begins Ordaining Ministers

September 8, 2008

The Christian Universalist Association (CUA) has launched a ministerial education and ordination program, providing legal ordination credentials both for laypersons as well as ministers already ordained by other religious organizations. The CUA is the first explicitly Christian Universalist church association to ordain ministers since 1961, when the Universalist Church of America ceased to exist as an independent Christian denomination.

The Christian Universalist Association is an ecumenical organization for churches, ministries, and individuals who believe in Christian Universalism. Christian Universalism is a spiritual belief system emphasizing the unconditional love of God, the mission of Christ to save all souls, the divine origin of human beings and the destiny of all to be reconciled and transformed in the image of Christ.

The CUA's ordination program requires applicants to go through a study program in Christian Universalist theology and history, pastoral care and ethics, discipleship and church planting. It also includes a mentorship with an experienced minister in the CUA. This program will take the average part-time student one to two years to complete.

This education/ordination program has been developed in response to several dozens of people who have already expressed interest in being ordained through the CUA. "We are excited to offer a credible pathway to ordination for what will surely be hundreds, perhaps ultimately even thousands, of people who will be seeking legal credentials for ministry with the Christian Universalist message," said Rev. Kalen Fristad, Chair of the CUA Board of Directors. "No longer will they have to hide their Universalist beliefs to seek ordination from a denomination that considers Universalism to be heresy, or get ordained by one of various groups that ordain anyone without study or training."

Rev. Lillie Henley, CUA Board member and Ordination Committee Chair, agreed. "The Christian Universalist Association has put together an ordination program that will provide students with a broad knowledge of Christian Universalism and will help prepare them for some of the practical responsibilities of ministry," she said. The program is not intended to be a substitute for a seminary education, but complements the formal academic training provided by seminaries -- most of which teach little or nothing about Christian Universalism.

The Christian Universalist Association sees itself as a resurrection of the Christian Universalist movement of the 1800s, and also traces its spiritual roots to Universalist theologians and saints of the ancient Christian church such as Origen and St. Clement of Alexandria. The last association of churches that explicitly taught Christian Universalism and ordained ministers in this tradition was the Universalist Church of America, which merged in 1961 with the American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association, an interfaith group whose members today are mostly non-Christian.

TO LEARN MORE:
Visit www.christianuniversalist.org for more information about the Christian Universalist Association.
Visit www.christianuniversalist.org/ordination for more information about the CUA's ministerial education and ordination program and to apply.

CONTACT INFO (postal address, telephone, email):
www.christianuniversalist.org/contact.html