Application to be a Bishop- Requirements

• You must be at least 18 years of age;
• You must have been ordained in the Church for at least three months;
• If you are applying to be a Bishop in a jurisdiction which has a Patriarch / Matriarch, then your application will be sent to the incumbent for review and recommendation, and in some cases approval. Additional substantiation may be requested by that Patriarch / Matriarch;
• Be aware the application form asks you what you have contributed to the Church, and how you plan to further contribute if appointed to a Diocese. Consider how you intend to respond before you go to the form.

Ordination as a Bishop

As far as the UCTAA is concerned, ordination as a Bishop is for life. As in basic ordination, there is no process to revoke an ordination. However, appointment to a Diocese is an administrative process, and the appointment may be revoked by the Patriarch of the applicable See or by a majority vote of the Council of Elders.

Revocation of an appointment will normally be as a result of an extended period of no apparent performance of responsibilities. Actions which would bring the Church into disrepute may also result in revocation of appointment.

Functions of Bishops

Bishops have the same functions as Clergy. They are expected to take a more active role in introducing others to the teachings of the Church, and in addition to those ceremonies which may be conducted by clergy, they may ordain others into the church at the basic level.

Further, bishops should be prepared to provide guidance to ordained clergy in their Diocese. To this end, all Bishops must have contact information (usually an active e-mail address).

Bishops may also be requested to seek recognition of the Church in their State / Province where there is no Patriarch actively seeking such recognition.

If the See in which their Diocese is located has a Synod then Bishops are ex-officio members of that body.

Ordination of Others

Bishops may ordain others online. Such a process should not be fully automated, and the Bishop should be personally involved in the approval of ordination documentation prior to issue. A similar process can be used through regular mail.

Alternatively a Bishop may chose to conduct ordinations in person. In this case, Bishops may design their own Ceremony of Ordination. The Ceremony should confirm that the ordainee understands the Articles of Faith; and confirm the willingness of the ordainee to pass the teachings of the Church on to others.

It is suggested the ceremony conclude with: "By the powers vested in me by the Elders of the Apathetic Agnostic Church, I, [your name], Bishop of [Diocese] hereby ordain you, [ordainee's name], as a [minister, rabbi, priest, etc.] in the Church. Go forth and preach the word of Agnosticism.'

You may model the ordination certificate on the one you initially received from the Church. (You may request a document outline from the Patriarch of the Church.) Substitute your name and position where applicable as approving authority. Also, provide a real address for yourself on the certificate so that you can confirm the validity of the ordination to others as necessary.

Your personal responsibility to confirm validity of ordinations remains even if you subsequently leave the Church. In this case, you may be able to find another active Bishop to assume this responsibility on your behalf and your concluding responsibilities would be to advise all those you have ordained of the new contact information, and to turn your records over to your replacement.