Ordination Process

In my meanderings through old writings, I found my Entrance Essay, Endorsement Essay, and Approval Essay from my preparation for ordination as pastor in the ELCA. They are kind of interesting to me, since I wrote each one about a year apart between 1997 and 1999. The Entrance Essay and Endorsement Essay are quite biographical, while the Approval Essay is more of a case study, theology-in-practice kind of document. It is interesting to read these again after all these years, and an instructive reminder of why I entered ordained ministry in the first place.