The Committee on Holy Orders (COHO) uses the General Ordination Examination (GOE) as its primary tool to evaluate a candidate’s proficiency in the seven canonical areas. COHO may and does, however, use other sources of information (including but not limited to seminary transcripts, papers, evaluations, and other materials) in particular cases where the GOE results raise questions about a candidate’s proficiency.

A candidate’s readiness for ordination, of course, depends on many matters beyond the scope of the GOEs, such as general academic performance, spiritual health, and readiness to live into the ordination vows. COHO, the Standing Committee, and the Bishop will continue to use all available resources for discernment of this sort of readiness. This document does not address that broader continuing discernment.

Policy:

1. Expense

The Committee on Holy Orders will pay the registration fee for General Ordination Examinations for any person who is formally in the ordination process (i.e. who is a Postulant or Candidate). People not in the process for ordination will assume this cost on their own.

2. Proficiency

1. Any Candidate who receives an "unsatisfactory" rating in any canonical area will be deemed to have failed to demonstrate proficiency in the canonical area. A Candidate whose answers are declared "unsatisfactory" by the General Board of Examining Chaplains (GBEC) may petition to have those answers reviewed by the Diocesan Examining Chaplains (DEC) subcommittee. Such a petition shall take the form of a letter addressed to the Bishop and the chair of COHO within two weeks of the date the Candidate receives the GOE results, requesting review and explaining why the Candidate believes the answers for which review is requested demonstrate proficiency.COHO will forward this explanation to the DEC subcommittee along with the answers for which review has been requested.
2. A Candidate whose answers are declared "problematic" (that is, neither "satisfactory" nor unsatisfactory") by the GBEC in any canonical area will have his or her answers automatically reviewed by a subcommittee of the DEC.
3. The DEC subcommittee shall, in all cases where it reviews GOE answers, report to COHO whether it finds the answers in question proficient in the applicable canonical area.

3. Remediation

1. Candidates who, after taking account of the results of any review under the previous paragraph, have failed to demonstrate proficiency in only one or two canonical areas will confer with the DEC Subcommittee. These Candidates may then be required to answer the applicable questions in the GOE again or to take such other examination as the DEC Subcommittee deems appropriate. Any such examination will be reviewed by the DEC Subcommittee in order to determine if the Candidate has demonstrated proficiency. Candidates who still fail to demonstrate proficiency will be required to undertake a program of remedial study as the DEC Subcommittee and COHO shall determine.
2. Candidates who have failed to demonstrate proficiency in three or more canonical areas will be required to retake the GOEs the next time they are offered. If, on reexamination, the Candidate still fails to demonstrate proficiency in the seven canonical areas, the Candidate will be required to undertake a program of remedial study as the DEC Subcommittee and COHO shall determine.
3. Upon completion of the remediation program the DEC Subcommittee will determine if the Candidate has demonstrated proficiency in all seven canonical areas. If the DEC Subcommittee determines that the Candidate has not demonstrated such proficiency, then COHO shall advise the Standing Committee that it cannot certify proficiency as required by the Canons. The Candidate, at the Candidate’s election, may retake the GOE examination but at the Candidate’s expense.