Certificates issued to persons in various categories of denominational employment by a mission, a conference, a union, or the General Conference or its divisions. The most frequently issued certificates are: (1) ministerial credentials for ordained ministers; (2) ministerial licenses for unordained ministers; (3) commissioned minister credentials to employees with not less than five years’ experience (divisions are free to bestow such a credential if they choose) for associates in pastoral care, Bible workers, treasurers, uncredentialed departmental directors, institutional chaplains, presidents or vice presidents of major institutions, auditors, and field directors of Christian Record Services (employees with less than five years’ experience in these categories are issued commissioned minister licenses); (4) missionary credentials for unordained experienced employees, including elementary or secondary teachers; (5) missionary licenses for field medical, educational, and office workers, which may also be granted to miscellaneous office, institutional, and industrial workers who have been in denominational employ more than five years, who do not qualify for missionary credentials; (6) literature evangelist credentials for permanent colporteurs; and (7) literature evangelist licenses for beginning colporteurs with three months’ experience. Some divisions also offer (8) teaching-ministry credentials for teachers having more than five years’ experience (teaching-ministry licenses for those with less than five years); (9) ministerial internship certificates to college ministerial graduates during their ministerial internship years. All credentials and licenses are granted for a specified period and may be withdrawn in harmony with the constitutional provisions of the issuing organization.
Before the development of formal organization in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, cards signed by “the leading brethren” were issued to the church’s ministers. When the first conference (Michigan) was organized, in 1861, it voted to issue its ministers certificates of ordination and annual “credentials to be signed by the chairman and clerk of the conference” ( Review and Herald 18:148, Oct. 8, 1861). An individual desiring to preach was, after thorough examination, granted a license to preach, and after a year or more of acceptable ministry, was ordained. A clear distinction was made in the Church Manual articles of 1883 (Review and Herald 60:586, Sept. 11, 1883) between ministerial credentials and licenses, the former being for ordained persons only.