All applicants for the ministry must have _____.

• A. salvation experience
• B. baptism of water
• C. the baptism of the Holy Spirit
• D. church membership

Answer: (C)

In this tradition, ministry is empowered by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This experience is seen as the divine endowment that equips and authorizes a person to serve in leadership and preaching roles. It goes beyond being saved or even being water-baptized; it’s the supernatural enabling that enables gifts for teaching, shepherding, and guiding the church.

Salvation experience marks conversion, and water baptism follows as obedience, but neither by itself guarantees the authority or power for ministry the church recognizes. Church membership is about belonging and accountability, not the specific empowering for ministry. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, however, is viewed as the decisive empowerment necessary for ministry, making it the best fit for who may serve.