All Christians are called to serve Christ's kingdom. But the Church of the Nazarene recognizes that some are especially called to serve as pastors of local churches. The church offers specialized training for these pastors. A credentialing process exists for recognizing those who have been called to serve as local church pastors, beginning with a local preacher's license and culminating with ordination.

This chart shows the ratio of ministers with district-recognized credentials over the past two decades. The blue line indicates the international percentage over the period. In the late 1980s, over 80 percent of Nazarene pastors were ordained as elders or deacons, or had been licensed by their district. By 2008, the amount had dropped to 67 percent.

But the change has not been even throughout the denomination. In Canada and the U.S., more than 90 percent of pastors are credentialed by their districts. In World Mission areas, that number has dropped to 59 percent. The increase in new churches worldwide has outpaced our ability to provide credentialed pastors.

Many congregations are now led by gifted laity or by those just beginning the pastoral training process. This too is biblical. But such leaders need to be trained, and those with a pastoral calling are encouraged to move into the licensing and ordination process. The church encourages prayer for those charged with training our pastoral leaders. This includes our educational institutions, our regional and national leaders, and our districts. And each local church can encourage its pastor to continue his or her education and to pursue ordination as God leads. —Compiled by Dale Jones.