Paperwork BOOM!

Daddy's BOOM work is done! The BOOM is conference short-hand for the Board of Ordained Ministry and on Friday we emailed off the last pieces of Daddy's application to be a fully ordained elder in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church! He started writing this packet back in the spring.

Here's what Daddy submitted:
* Photograph
* 8 page completed Application Form
* 10 page completed Personal Data Inventory Form
* 4 page Criminal Records Release Form (background check)
* 5 page Financial Disclosure Form and Credit Inquiry Release (credit check)
* 7 page Medical Form (physical including lab results)
* Final seminary transcript
* 29 typewritten pages reflecting on a case study and answering 11 Leadership Questions (1. How do you understand your vocation as an ordained elder?; 2. How has serving as a commissioned minister effected your understanding of ordained ministry, and the expectations and obligations of the itinerant system?; 3. Do you offer yourself without reserve to be appointed and to serve as the appointive authority may determine?; 4. Are you willing to relate yourself to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, social status or disabilities?; 5. Will you regard all ministerial conversations of a confessional nature as a trust between the person and God?; 6. Provide evidence of experience in peace and justice ministries; 7. How has your practice of leadership been shaped by your experience as a commissioned minister?; 8. How has full-time ministry affected your practice of the spiritual disciplines?; 9.How has your understanding of your spiritual gifts been informed or reshaped during your residency in ministry?; 10. The church is called to live out the Great Commission. What opportunities have you had for nurturing a passion and strategy for evangelism?; 11. Relate an experience of ministry. How was God's vision discerned? How did the community come to embrace the vision? How did you discern and equip people to implement the vision? How did you provide leadership to ensure the health and vitality of the vision?)
* 49 typewritten pages answering 11 Theology Questions (1.What changes has the practice of ministry had on your understanding of (a) the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and (b) the work of the Holy Spirit?; 2. How has the practice of ministry affected your experience and understanding of God?; 3. What effect has the practice of ministry had on your understanding of humanity and the need for divine grace?; 4. How do the claims that you make in the first three questions shape your interaction with a person of another religion?; 5. How has the practice of ministry affected your understanding of suffering and evil in the world?; 6. How is the Bible true?; 7. The United Methodist Church holds that Scripture, tradition, experience and reason are sources and norms for belief and practice, but that the Bible is primary among them. What is your understanding of this theological position of the church? Using the Wesleyan quadrilateral, reflect on a moral issue that has arisen in your practice of ministry.; 8. How do you understand the following traditional evangelical doctrines: a) repentance; b) justification; c) regeneration; d) sanctification, including personal and social holiness; e) what are the marks of a Christian life?; 9. What is the meaning and significance of the sacraments?; 10. Describe the nature and mission of the church. What are its primary tasks today?; 11.What is your understanding of: (a) the Kingdom of God (b) the resurrection (c) eternal life?)
* 9 typewritten pages answering 5 Personal Growth Questions (1. How are you caring for yourself? Please address each of the following areas: Health concerns, boundaries, time management, nurturing connections (including accountability group) and spiritual disciplines (including Sabbath time). Show us how you have embraced and pursued your own growth issues and/or even initiated self-examination and implementation of a constructive plan; 2. Our experience has shown that in order to live a healthy lifestyle in ministry starting at or near minimum salary, short term debt (credit card) should not exceed $5000 and long term debt (educational debt) should not exceed $30,000....ii. Do you have a plan to become debt free?; iii. What is your plan for debt reduction and how long have you been working this plan?; iv. Are you currently working with a financial advisor?; v. Please include financial details and demonstrate the effectiveness of your plan over the last few years.; 3. Report on EVERY contingency you have ever received from your District Committee on Ordained Ministry and from previous appearances before the Florida Board of Ordained Ministry (if applicable). Please give details of the contingency, the leader (if any) who was assigned to facilitate the fulfillment of the contingency, what process you followed, a detailed description of what you learned about yourself from the contingency and how those learnings impact your ministry.)
* Manuscript of his sermon (4 pages) plus 4 pages of exegetical work and reflection questions about sermon
* 3 DVDs of his sermon plus a bulletin from the service where it was preached

Whew! That's 129 pages of application forms and answers. Here's the next steps:
1. The review teams from the BOOM will meet in Leesburg the first week of November to review all candidate materials and decide whether or not candidates will be granted an interview
2. Daddy will get a phone call from the conference office sometime after that letting him know if he has been granted an interview.
3. Interviews will be held in Leesburg during the last week of January.

For now, all we can do is trust and pray!