In terms of our religious society, as a defined entity in the American public domain, all members of the American Pantheist Church have the potential and right to become ordained as messengers and representative of accepted pantheist philosophy and practice; However, it is essential that the church comply with certain legal and governmental formalities in order to deal successful with the rules and regulations imposed by the greater public society in which we live. Those requirements are discussed in the following Overview Section.

In a limited and technical sense, ordination is the ceremony by which a person is set apart to an order or office; but in a broader, and in fact its only important sense, ordination signifies the appointment or designation of a person to a ministerial office, with or without attendant ceremonies. Ordination is not limited to a particular religion or time. Historically, kings, prophets, priests and others have been ordained or appointed under the authority of God.

An "ordained" member of a religious society may have different meanings depending upon the need of the moment. In terms of an individual's personal interest, being ordained is public recognition by one's society or peers that he has received certain educational and professional training and that he has fulfilled a personal goal. In terms of the one's society, being ordained is also public recognition but, the emphasis is that others believe a specific individual has the necessary credentials to serve the common good of that society in a professional and competent manner.

Unlike some other churches, the American Pantheist Church does not authorize it's ministers or bishops to ordain new ministers. This is to keep down confusion and disarray. No applicant for ordination is ever charged for ordination.

As an American Pantheist Minister or Pastor you can officiate one wedding ceremony or you can make weddings, funerals, or personal counseling, etc. your primary occupation. You can even start your own ministry. The fundamental principles of the American Pantheist Church do not change based on one's location or circumstances and can be practiced anywhere and at any time by the true believer.

The most important requirement for a church member to become an ordained minister, pastor or chaplain is to have a sincere inner urge to serve the pantheist philosophy, one's local congregation and the community at large. This is the underlying, definitive marker. The rest are necessary skills and qualities for doing a good job.

Some people may feel that being ordained makes them "set apart" "anointed of God" "special" "possessed of the calling" and aspects of religious belief such as that. All of those attributes are fine to feel and believe, but those are individual matters and you cannot expect others to respect those or even acknowledge those just because you say so or present a wallet ID or ordination credentials from any church.

Religious leaders must be 21 years or older and members in good standing in the American Pantheist Church in order to be considered for ordination.

Second, since we are a Pantheist Church, applicants should be committed Pantheists. That means that in addition to understanding and accepting the common beliefs contained in our underlying philosophy, applicants should have an appreciation for the failures of conventional religions; should believe that we have been chosen by god and nature to impart special knowledge; and should believe in out ability and capacity to guide our fellow man out of the darkness of false convictions to the bright light of truth.

The Third requirement is that this Pantheist person has received and accepted a "call" to the ordained ministry. A desire to be a professional minister, by itself, should not be considered a good reason for ordination beyond the position of Guide as the office of guide is valued highly in the Church.

Those who feel they are being called to ministry must at some point decide if they are being called to ministry as an ordained officer of the church. Just because some religions require one to be a minister or priest in order to do almost anything in the church doesn't mean we have to follow that same practice ... and we don't. Being a good Guide, Deacon or Elder for example, requires education, training, and experience. But it doesn't require one becoming ordained.

There are many wonderful ways for Pantheists to serve our people in unordained ministry. This includes teaching, volunteering at various worthwhile tasks, counseling, and serving as guides to those seeking a caring mentor. While opportunities for serving the common good are greatly expanded by ordination, they exist for other positions as well.

The Fourth requirement is education. In order to fulfill their duties as counselors and officials of Pantheism, ordained members must be highly educated. The normal expectation is that candidates for ordination will have the equivalent of an university Masters of Theology or Divinity degree plus two to four years of field experience. Fortunately, we have great latitude in judging the equivalence of one's education and experience.

The Fifth requirement is sufficient training so that the candidate is equipped to properly perform weddings and funerals, and other official tasks.. This is the one requirement that can be can not be done by correspondence but requires hands on experience in the field under the direction of a qualified mentor.

These then are the basic five requirements for clergy in the American Pantheist Church: (1) They must be Pantheists; (2) They must be Committed; (3) They must be Called to the ordained ministry; (4) They must be highly educated; and (5) They must be adequately trained for their duties in the Church.