Application Process

Thank you for your interest in Convergence. If you want to apply to be admitted to the Convergence program, do the following:

Requirements for Admission

To be admitted into the Convergence program, the following ten requirements must be met by and for the person applying.

1. Current involvement in ministry within the local church providing endorsement.

   A key component of the Convergence program is the apprentice’s active involvement in a local church, preferably at a “leadership” level. The apprentice does not have to be a vocational pastor, but he does have to be actively participating in ministry in the local church and have regular input by the leadership within that local church. During the three years of Convergence, it is expected that he will have opportunity to lead and oversee a specific area of ministry within a local church.

2. A commitment to be involved in ministry for the three years of Convergence.

   It is important that the apprentice stay actively engaged in the leadership of a local church throughout the entire Convergence program, ideally within the same local church. The apprentice’s role and responsibilities may change during these three years, but his involvement at the same place should not.

3. A Mentor within the local church environment

   A key component of the Convergence program is having a mentor working with the apprentice who can interact with the apprentice about his ministry involvement and character development. The mentor can be a pastor or an elder level leader in the local church.

4. Completed Apprentice Application for Admission

   This form enables us to get to know important information about the apprentice and his aspirations and expectations.

5. Completed Church Application for Admission

   Because the local church plays a vital role in the Convergence training process (providing the apprentice with a mentor and a ministry environment in which to serve), it is important that we confirm the church's commitment to be actively involved in its part of the Convergence program. Therefore, the church leadership, on behalf of the church, must "apply" to the Convergence program so that we can determine their readiness for their involvement alongside the apprentice.

6. Completed Church Affirmation of the Apprentice

   This is to make sure that the church leadership is convinced that the apprentice is ready for the demands of the Convergence program, as well as their determination of the apprentice’s readiness to be trained for pastoral ministry.

7. Completed Recommendation Forms

   To help determine your call and readiness for ministry and the Convergence program, it is important that we hear from people who know you well. Therefore, we have four recommendation forms that need to be completed.

   1. Pastor / Elder
   2. Mentor
   3. Wife
   4. Fellow Ministry Worker
8. Interviews of apprentice applicant, church leadership, and mentor by the Director of Convergence.

   After all of the required forms have been received, the Director of Convergence may contact the apprentice applicant, the church leadership (pastor), and the mentor for separate phone interviews. Royce may also contact any or all of the people who provided recommendations with follow up questions.

9. Established finances for Convergence expenses.

   There is a financial cost to participating in the Convergence program (see Financial Summary for specific information). It is important that you think through these expenses and determine how these will be accounted for. We do expect the local church to contribute to the financial obligation and expenses of the apprentice throughout the Convergence program.

10. Payment of non-refundable $75 application fee.

    Make checks payable to CBNW and mail to Convergence / CBNW, PO Box 30029, Portland, OR 97294-3029. Make sure you indicate the person the application fee is for.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Director of Convergence, Royce Curtis at roycec[at]cbnw.org or 503.405.1553

 

NOTE – When all the above material has been received by Convegence, it will be reviewed and the apprentice applicant will be notified of his acceptance (or not). Sometimes, we may decide to ask for additional information or to have additional conversations with the apprentice or someone else involved in the application process.

Application Process

1. Make sure you read all of the content on the Convergence website to make sure you understand the key concepts, requirements, and expectations.
2. Read the Requirements for Admission.
3. Download the required admission forms. (Note: The forms below are PDF fill-in forms that require the free Adobe Reader version 8 or above. Mac users: Do not use Preview to open these pdfs. In order to fill them out properly you must use Adobe Reader.)
   • Complete Application Packet (includes all forms, application process and admission requirements in zip file - 337 K)
   • Apprentice Application for Admission
   • Church Application for Admission
   • Church Affirmation of the Apprentice
   • Recommendation by Pastor / Elder
   • Recommendation by Mentor
   • Recommendation by Wife
   • Recommendation by Fellow Ministry Worker
4. Distribute the forms to the people who need to complete them. This person is identified in the instructions in each form.
5. Make sure that all the required forms have been emailed directly to the Director of Convergence, Royce Curtis at roycec[at]cbnw.org

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Director of Convergence, Royce Curtis at roycec[at]cbnw.org or 503.405.1553