Home > Certification of Pastors and Lay Ministers

The process for ordained pastors and commissioned lay leaders who would like to be certified as leaders in the North American Lutheran Church can be found by clicking on the link below appropriate to their situation. In each case, the applicant for certification shall first contact the General Secretary.

When applicants have met the requirements for their particular situation, the General Secretary will make a recommendation to the NALC Executive Council regarding the minister’s status in the North American Lutheran Church. The Executive Council will act upon the recommendation, and the General Secretary will notify the minister of the Executive Council’s action. If the action is favorable, the minister may inform the appropriate adjudicatory official in the former church.

Ordained ministers of the North American Lutheran Church are expected to follow certain standards for pastoral ministry. Learn more by downloading our Standards for Pastoral Ministry.

Related Documents:

Certification process for ordained pastors

Certification process for Lutheran lay ministers (associate in ministry, diaconal minister, deaconess)