The Ministerial Committee makes decisions on ministry credentials and policies that promote the support, health, and training of credentialed leaders and safe church practices for congregations. They meet quarterly to act on recommendations from the credentials committee, review and revise current policies around credentialed leaders, and provide leadership in cases of misconduct.
Report from the Sept. 2026 Ministerial Committee Meeting:
Licenses Approved
License Toward Ordination (LTO) – grants the person all the privileges and responsibilities accorded to an ordained person, except to ordain someone else. This license is issued for a three-year period with the purpose of testing the inner and outer call to ministry, further discerning of ministerial gifts, abilities and aptitude and may or may not lead to ordination.
- Joeven Mesadieu – College Hill Mennonite/North Tampa Christian Fellowship (FL)
- Dody Atmajaya – Bethany Elevation (NY)
Ordination – grants the person the full range of ministerial privileges and responsibilities. This is a long-term, leadership ministry credential appropriate for all pastors, area conference ministry staff, chaplains, missionaries, evangelists, and those determined by the church to have a continuing ministerial-leadership role in, and on behalf of, the church.
- Sheri Samuel – College Hill Mennonite/North Tampa Christian Fellowship (FL)
- Andrew Zetts – Salford (PA) Mennonite
Reactivation of credentials that were inactive.
- Maribeth Benner – Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite
- Nicolás Sandoval – Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Oración y Adoración (Philadelphia, PA)
Withdrawn
- Carlos Sanchez (Medellín, Colombia)
Other Updates
- Manuel Garcia (LTO) is working on a new church plant called Esencia
- Karen Bergey (LTO) began a part-time pastoral role at Perkasie (PA) Mennonite. She is co-pastoring with Samantha Lioi (credentials held by Allegheny Conference)
Committee Updates and Discussions
- Mosaic Institute courses: The committee agreed that the courses are valuable to all entering the conference and would like to continue to strongly encourage (but not require) leaders who transfer in or have their licenses reactivated to take at least two of the four courses.
- Discussion around asking newly licensed leaders to sign/affirm documents that are currently in place, e.g. Giving and Receiving Counsel.
- Credentialing Profile – (Form that candidating pastors fill out, and the corresponding reference forms): Discussion on how to revise the profile to encourage thorough responses from candidates that show theological maturity rather than doctrinal conformity.
- Credentialing Procedure – (Internal working policy for credentialing process for licenses and renewals): Discussion around including pastoral assessment for transfer candidates. All affirmed to continue to include pastoral assessment for transfer candidates, and to adjust to use the Credentialing Profile instead of or in combination with the Transfer Questionnaire.
- Abuse and Misconduct Policy and Procedure – (Policy and procedure for response to allegations of abuse): Discussion framing the revisions and input from various leaders within Mosaic, including the intercultural team. The committee will review and send comments.
- Board Update:
- Michael Howes will serve as Credentialing Committee chair through the end of 2026.
- Wayne Nitzsche has agreed to serve as committee chair, pending board approval, beginning in 2027.
Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.