Article 12 — Call to an extraordinary task

If a minister accepts a call or an appointment to an extraordinary task the nature of the relationship between him and the church to which he is bound must be arranged with the consent of the classis. Some ministers may be appointed for the training of students for the ministry, others may be called for mission work.

The underlying principle of this article is that no minister can serve without a “lawful calling” extended to him by a local church. Consequently he has to be bound to such a local church.
This is even so when he accepts an appointment as, e.g., a professor at the

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theological seminary of the churches, or an army chaplain or a hospital chaplain.
It may be clear that such “an extraordinary task” cannot be accepted without the permission of the consistory.
The classis shall see to it that satisfactory arrangements are made regarding the relationship between the minister in question and the local congregation.
“With the consent of the classis” means that classis is informed about these arrangements, and that its opinion must run in tandem with that of the consistory. “Consent” in this case really means “consensus”.