A CV means Curriculum Vitae and is a document that is an outline of a persons education and professional history, as apposed to a Resume which is a short descriptive summary of employment. (Collins English Dictionary).  The following information is relevant to both church ministry and secular employment.

 

The first step in getting employment, and yes applying for church ministry is not much  different than applying for   secular employment in as much as you usually need to apply in writing and have a CV.  So the CV, as well as your written application, are the first things the employing body will see.  And as you will not always be the only person applying for the position, having a good and professional CV is important, and they are not hard to put together.

 

If you have a good document or publisher program on your computer, they will often have a range of CV templates and wizards that you can use.  Click here to see a copy of my CV.  A CV needs to be concise, i.e. not too long and to the point, but detailed enough that they will know exactly what your qualifications and experience are in relation to the position you are applying for.  I have also found it very useful to have a small photo of myself at the top of the CV, that way the employing body will have a face to see and are more likely to remember you, it also makes you a person, not just a sheet of paper.

 

Also buy a nice and professional folder with enough plastic sleeves inside to place your CV and any references and certificates.  It is a very good idea if you have a couple of referees at the bottom of your CV, make sure you ask them first if they are happy for you to do that.

 

Add some colour to the CV as well as making the layout easy to read, but eye catching as well.  If it is too hard to read, they will likely put it at the bottom of the pile.  I have also included in mine a statement of my objectives and a summary of my qualifications.  It is a good idea, if at all possible, that it fits onto one page, no one likes to sit there for hours and read through pages and pages.

 

Make sure for each previous employment position and ministry position you have held, you state exactly what your responsibilities were and any relevant projects you were involved in.

 

 

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