Licensing/Polity

The following excerpt from our Foursquare Licensing Process Guide provides an introduction to the Foursquare licensing process. For more information, please contact the appropriate Foursquare District Office or Administrative Resource Center.

Foursquare Ministerial License: First-Time Applicant Overview

Welcome to the Foursquare Licensing process!

This is a guide that will walk you through the Foursquare license application procedure and introduce you to the licensing interview process. Please take time to read through this overview and the following instructions thoroughly. In the coming weeks, you will become increasingly familiar with the Foursquare family, and how we prepare and release ministers. Here are the steps that will take you toward being credentialed as a licensed Foursquare minister. Please understand that licensing and appointment are interdependent processes, as explained below.

1. Application
   The process begins when the applicant requests an application form (MP-1) from the Administrative Resource Center (ARC).
   
   a. The application form (MP-1) provides the personal information which will assist the district supervisor, candidate coach and district interview panel with the necessary information to evaluate each applicant’s qualifications for licensing and appointment to a Foursquare church. Completion of the application and interview process does not guarantee licensing or appointment but are necessary steps to determine the applicant’s readiness for Foursquare ministry.
   
   b. The application form (MP-1) is accompanied by an instruction sheet which has a checklist of all the documents which you will need to complete or supply in order to make application for a Foursquare license. The instruction sheet also contains the phone number and e-mail address of your Administrative Resource Center. Your application package will not be completed and ready for review by your district supervisor until all of these items have been received by the ARC. Applicants have up to six months to submit all of the required documents. Applications and supporting documents will be returned to the applicant at the end of six months if the package is not completed by that time.
   
   
2. Acceptance Decision
   Upon receipt of a completed application, the district supervisor will decide whether or not to accept the applicant as a candidate.
   
   a. If the applicant is accepted as a candidate, the district licensing point person will assign a coach and notify the ARC accordingly. The ARC will notify the coach of this assignment and will send either a letter or an e-mail informing the candidate of the identity of the coach. The ARC will also send to the candidate the “Foursquare Licensing Process Guide,” which contains 35 discussion guides.
   
   b. If the applicant is not accepted as a candidate, the district supervisor will notify the applicant.
   
   
3. Coaching
   The coach will arrange a schedule of meetings to help the candidate prepare for the interview; this preparation will include using the discussion guides and interview questions contained in the "Foursquare Licensing Process Guide." There are 35 discussion guides, 23 for doctrine and 12 for polity. The coach does not necessarily have to go through every discussion guide with every candidate; however, the coach must ensure that every candidate is adequately prepared for licensing. Throughout the series of meetings, the coach will ask all the interview questions contained in the doctrinal, practical and polity sections; help the candidate understand the questions; guide the candidate into further study where needed; and assess the suitability of the candidate’s answers. The time-span needed for coaching will vary, depending on the candidate’s level of advance preparation. Some candidates will adequately answer the questions in just a few meetings, while others may need to read further on particular subjects.
   
   
4. Polity Self-Study
   While the candidate is being coached in preparation for the licensing interview, the candidate should enroll in and pass an online polity course. If the candidate does not have online access, study materials will be sent to the candidate. A certificate of completion will be issued to the candidate upon passing the course, and the fulfillment of this requirement will be noted in the candidate’s file as a pre-requisite for scheduling an interview panel. The 12 discussion guides included in the polity section of the manual will be part of the candidate’s coaching sessions, and those guides will provide potential questions for the interview. The majority of the polity information will be learned through and certified by participation in the online course.
   
   
5. Interview
   When the coach is satisfied that the candidate is ready, the coach will notify the ARC, which will notify the district licensing point person to arrange the interview. The point person will form the interview panel and will inform the candidate, coach, interview panel and ARC of the location and time. The point person will also designate an interview host, usually the point person or a member of the interview panel. The point person will inform the ARC of the identities of the host and the members of the panel; the ARC will then provide the host with licensing interview worksheets. In some cases, the supervisor may allow the coach to invite ministers to serve on the panel; in other cases the supervisor may choose to appoint the panel.
   
   
6. Approval
   Upon completion of the interview, the host will direct the panel members to complete the licensing interview sheets, assessing the candidate’s suitability for licensing; the host will mail or e-mail these evaluations to the ARC, which will forward them to the district supervisor. It is important for all parties to remember that it is the supervisor, not the interview panel or coach, who will make the final decision to issue a district license or to make a recommendation to the board for a candidate to receive an international license. The host will also collect and shred all copies of the license application and recommendation forms from the interview panel.
   
   
7. Notification
   If the candidate is approved, the ARC will notify the candidate by letter or e-mail, and will send an invoice for the annual license fee. If the candidate is not approved, the district supervisor will notify the candidate. If the reason for not gaining approval is lack of maturity or weakness on a minor issue, the district supervisor should coach the candidate in areas of possible improvement and advise the candidate regarding pursuing licensing in the future.
   
   
8. Appointment
   Before being issued a license, a person must first have an appointment to a ministry position. In Foursquare, licensing and appointment are concurrent. A Foursquare license requires a Foursquare appointment, and a Foursquare appointment requires a Foursquare license. In the case of a candidate who has successfully completed his or her application and interview, but still has not received an appointment, the issuing of a license will be postponed until an appointment has been made.

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