Frequently Asked Questions
How can a Church or Ministry become a part of the Praise Chapel Family?
We encourage connectivity. We want to partner. We invite and welcome churches and ministries to partner together with us.
All local churches planted, by a Praise Chapel mother church and approved by the leadership of Praise Chapel Fellowship International, are qualified to be a Fellowship church.
What are the requirements of relationship with Praise Chapel?
Relationship is the foundation and strength of Praise Chapel; it is something that cannot be expressed by requirements. Our relationship does, however, involve commitments.
A member church needs to demonstrate a desire to fellowship, by participating in the fellowship activities, such as Bible conferences, area meetings, discipleship rallies and so forth. A member church is encouraged to partner financially with the International Fellowship and World Missions.
What authority does Praise Chapel take with the Local Church?
We do not interfere in the activities of a local church within this Fellowship, unless it becomes necessary for the following reasons:
- For the benefit of the local church.
- For the benefit of the larger body of this Fellowship.
- To preserve the testimony of this Fellowship.
What is the Ministerial License?
Licensing qualifies a person to be recognized as a minister within the local church, under the leadership of a senior pastor. Licensing legally enables a person to serve in jail ministry, hospitals, and other institutional ministries where legal documents are required.
How does someone become a Licensed Minister?
A candidate will complete the Praise Chapel Application for License form. The pastor signs this and submits it to the Praise Chapel international office for processing. The qualifications are written on the application.
- Be a “born-again” believer according to John 3:3-8
- Believe in and display a lifestyle consistent with our Statement of Purpose & Faith.
- Meet the requirements for the office of Bishop, by having your home in order (1 Timothy 3:1-7; and Titus 1:6-9).
- Have their past, personal and moral character examined, by voluntarily submitting to a legal background check of their personal and moral character. A criminal record may be grounds for disqualification for licensing.
- Attend a Praise Chapel church.
- Attend discipleship classes, conferences and other discipleship seminars sponsored by the Fellowship.
- Be engaged in leadership development through discipleship by way of at least one of the following:
conducting and leading home Bible study groups- small groups
- outreach teams
- youth and adult evangelism teams
- concerts and similar activities of the local church
Renewal of License
A renewal form is sent annually to the last known address of licensed ministers. The form is to be completed and signed by both the licensee and their pastor and returned with the appropriate fee to Praise Chapel International. The renewal form will be reviewed to insure that the qualifications for licensing continue to be satisfied. If the licensee is found qualified, a new ministerial license card will be prepared and mailed to the licensee.
What is ordination and what is required to qualify?
Ordination qualifies a minister to pastor a local Praise Chapel church and to perform legal transactions, such as weddings and funerals.
We recognize the authority of the local church to disciple, ordain and send out workers. We also believe in spiritual oversight and accountability. When a mother church is planning to send a couple to pioneer or to pastor a local church, they will meet with the Ordination Committee, set up by the Board of Directors of Praise Chapel International, for confirmation. Once this is done and the ordination is approved, the mother church will ordain the minister and send them out according to Acts 13. The Praise Chapel Fellowship International office will confirm the ordination and then provide the legal documents.
Some of the Qualifications for Ordination
- Believe in, commit to, and display a lifestyle consistent with our purpose and mission statement.
- The mother church must initiate the application process by written request to the Board of Directors.
- This Fellowship will provide an application form to be completed and returned to the Board of Directors for their review and approval.
- Fulfill all the qualifications set forth for licensing.
- Be sent from a Praise Chapel church to pastor or fulfill one or more of the five fold ministries set forth in Ephesians 4:11.
- Believe in and support the objectives of this body (Amos 3:3).
Renewal of Ordination
A renewal form will be sent annually to the last know address of the minister. Upon completion, the minister will return the form with the appropriate fee to the Praise Chapel International office. The renewal form will be reviewed by the Ordination and Licensing Committee, to insure that the qualifications for ordination continue to be satisfied. If the minister is found qualified, a new ministerial credential card will be prepared and mailed.
How does someone become a pastor in Praise Chapel?
The pastor is a ministry gift given to the church. We do not call or pick people to be pastors or ministers. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, active within the church of Jesus Christ. We seek to discover, develop and release the gift of God.
We believe that pastors and all ministries can be raised up from within the local church, through discipleship. As someone is faithful in serving the Lord and the local, church the callings of God become apparent, when the leadership and the church are open to the development and release of leadership ministry.
What if someone is already in the ministry and wants to be ordained through Praise Chapel?
We desire to connect and partner with all like-minded churches and ministries, regardless of denomination affiliation. We are a band of comrades, in fellowship, joined by common goals.
We desire to service the Body of Christ in any way we can. We welcome those who desire to work together. If a pastor or minister desires to link with Praise Chapel, we recommend they first begin to build relationship with us. If there is a Praise Chapel nearby, they can begin building relationship with that pastor.
What do you mean by Pioneer Church?
A pioneer church is a new church that has never before existed, and that has been established under the direction of this Family of Fellowships, or one or more member churches within this Family of Fellowships. A church shall continue to be recognized as a pioneer church until a level of spiritual, administrative, and financial maturity is reached.
How do you replace a Pastor?
Sometimes, a pastor may feel called of God to another place of ministry and the local church will need a new pastor. The mother church, along with the Harvesters Homecoming pastor, of the Fellowship the church is apart of, will appoint the new pastor following all of the guidelines for ordination.
What if a spiritual leader fails in some scriptural way?
If a pastor in this Fellowship is proven to have engaged in fraudulent acts, immoral, unethical, unbiblical behavior or violates the spirit of the fundamentals of this Fellowship, then the mother church leadership, with counsel from the spiritual leadership of the family of Fellowship they are associated with, may remove that pastor.
What is Praise Chapel Missions ?
World missions require the partnership of many churches and individuals, to send and sustain international workers. Praise Chapel Missions provides the structure for this partnership in missions.
How does the support for Praise Chapel Missions work?
Funds sent to Praise Chapel Missions may be designated for a particular mission field (not an individual). Those funds will be directed according to the request of the donor. Most funds are sent “Where most needed” allowing the leadership to prayerfully distribute the funds so that everyone is adequately serviced.
How is the Fellowship supported financially?
Each church agrees to give a monthly offering, based upon the average attendance of the church, to Praise Chapel International.
What is the support used for?
These funds are used to support the office, staffing, and servicing ministry for the overall Family of Fellowships.
How is a church legally and financially accountable?
Each Praise Chapel church is to submit a monthly report to their mother church and to the international office.
What is the relationship between this Family of Fellowships and the pioneer church?
A pioneer church is a member of this Family of Fellowships under a charter issued by Praise Chapel International.
The pioneer church has bylaws approved by the directors of this Family of Fellowships, which will govern the activities and business of the pioneer church. The pioneer pastor is accountable to his mother church pastor and the directors of this Family of Fellowships. In the event of conflict between the planting church and the pioneer church, final authority comes from the President and Board of Directors of this Family of Fellowships.
What are the responsibilities of a pioneer church and pastor?
When a pioneer church is established, it is the responsibility of the pioneer pastor to secure all necessary leases, insurances, conditional use permits and any other documents, permits, licenses or other instruments, that may be necessary, to establish the new church in the respective city. This shall be done in the name of the pioneer church.
The pioneer pastor establishes and maintains bank accounts, as may be necessary to properly conduct the financial business of the pioneer church, in the name of the pioneer church.
The pioneer church submits a monthly written report, showing the state of the church. This includes, a record of attendance (in number not in name), a report of the church’s financial activities and a description of ministry activities, as specified by the Board of Directors. This report is sent to the mother church and the international office.
What is the future vision beyond?
Our vision is to continue multiplying and reproducing local churches around the world. By the grace of God, we will continue to pioneer churches and see Fellowships of churches continue to be fruitful and multiply.
Since January 2000, we have been preparing to multiply Praise Chapel Fellowship into a “Family of Fellowships.” In July 2010, we changed the centralized World Bible Conference. Our Fellowship has grown too large for us to meet in any one location. We will gather in our Harvesters Homecoming Bible Conferences through the year. We will also provide smaller venues for “Continued in-service leadership training” and other activities for the entire fellowship.
This is the way we currently view the manner in which Praise Chapel can continue to multiply and service all the multitudes of people, who are continuing to be a part of our Praise Chapel family. This will enable more people to attend the conferences and activities in more locations in the future.
What about a conference for the international workers?
Missionaries will return home to their mother church for conference. At times missionaries will be invited to attend other Harvesters Homecomings as a guest or speaker. This will be coordinated at the Harvesters Leadership Summits.
Don’t you think the Fellowship may lose its connectivity if we do not have one central conference?
When we first started conferences, we had them every six months. Then, as Praise Chapel grew, we moved them to once a year. In 2000, we moved them to every two years. We have not experienced less fellowship or connectivity. We have experienced more growth and connectivity, as we have focused on the Family of Fellowships and the Harvesters Homecoming Conferences. Churches and workers receive more leadership support. More pastors and congregations are actively involved with those they have a natural relationship with.
How will the entire Fellowship know what is going on around the world?
We will continue to enlarge our publishing base providing printed and media materials to keep the Fellowship informed.
