What is a Rostered Leader Portfolio?
Rostered leaders create a “portfolio” in the MDS. Each portfolio is a collection of relevant information. The Rostered Leader Portfolio includes:

• The Rostered Leader Profile – all the basic information that you provide about your background, your interests and your sense of calling. The form is required.
• The Reference Recommendation – completed by someone who knows you and your gifts well. The form is required.
• The Twelve Reflections form – gives you twelve questions that you might choose to write about in order to expand your portfolio. This form is optional.
• The Authorization and Release form (which is page 12 of the RLP) – must be signed and mailed, faxed or scanned as an email attachment and sent to your synod office. The form is required.

Who can use the RLP?
The RLP is designed for rostered leaders in the ELCA (associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers, ordained ministers and candidates for these rosters). It is not for use by authorized lay ministers, lay professionals and other church workers nor by non-ELCA rostered leaders (e.g. full communion partners). The RLP can be used by rostered leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada provided that they have a Leader Key (by virtue of a previous membership in the ELCA) or provided that they request a Leader Key through the ELCA Office of Secretary.

Do Assignment candidates use the RLP?
Yes. Information on the RLP is used by bishops as they prepare for Assignment and is used by call committees as a part of their interviews for first call. Instructions about all aspects of Assignment will be sent in a timely way from the appropriate churchwide office. When completing the RLP, you are reminded:

• to enter your Leader Key and last name as it is carried in the ELCA computer system. If you need help with this, your synod office can help.
• to answer the question about “ELCA Roster” on p.1 of the RLP by picking one of the four options for “Candidate for…”,
• to select “Awaiting Assignment & Call” for the question “Current Roster Status” on p.1 of the RLP,
• to designate the preferences you have for “Synods of Interest” on p.13 of the RLP, and
• to send a copy of the Authorization and Release (RLP p.12) to your synod of candidacy and, later, to your synod of assignment.
• Reinstatement candidates and those coming from Another Christian Tradition also follow these same steps.

Is there a schema behind the RLP?
Yes, the RLP seeks to have you reflect on three things: passions and commitments, gifts and talents, and context and preferences. Wherever these three converge or overlap, you are likely to be truly living out your calling. The various questions on the RLP seek to encourage you to show this clarity of self understanding and vocational calling.

How do I open a RLP?

• Go to “Call Process Forms”.
• Notice that a sample of the form is available for your review (found at the bottom of this web page).
• The RLP is a Formatta form; the option to download the Formatta program is in the right-hand column.
• To download the RLP, right click on “Rostered Leader Profile”.
• Save this copy to your computer – somewhere where you can find it again as you work on it in the future.
• As you work on the RLP, be sure to periodically save your work.

What is the Leader Key?
The Leader Key is a unique identifying number used by the Office of Secretary for each rostered leader. The Leader Key is found on the ID card that you receive. On page 1 of the RLP you can have the RLP itself look up your Leader Key for you, provided that you have already entered onto the form your full name (on p.1) , last four numbers of your Social Security number (on p.1) and birthdate (on p.13).

Isn’t it redundant for the RLP to ask for so many identifiers?
The RLP asks for birthname, birthdate, SSN4 and the Leader Key in order to cross-reference and validate your authenticity and to be absolutely certain that the various forms don’t get all tangled up in the wrong portfolios. It’s all about security – which is a higher priority in this instance than convenience would be.

My educational degree isn’t on the list.
If you have a degree which is not on the dropdown menu of options (e.g. “Masters of American Studies”), you can use the menus to choose “Masters” as the degree and “American Studies” as the field. If needed, use the “Commentary” section to explain.

What is the “Personal Ministry Statement”?
When bishops and CPAs review your mobility information online, your personal ministry statement is displayed prominently along with other key information that has been pulled off of your RLP. Use the statement to explain your passions and dreams for your ministry.

How do I submit my RLP?
See “How do I submit a form?” above.

What is the RLP “Status” page?
When you have submitted your RLP, go to the web site and click on “Access Account” and then “Rostered Leader”. Log in by giving your Leader Key, birthdate, and SSN4. The “Status” page shows the date that the RLP was submitted, whether or not it has been approved for posting to the system by the CPA, and the date that the Reference form and Twelve Reflections forms arrived. Use the page to request a copy of your RLP (which is sent to the email address within the form), to download a copy of the Reference form, or to request that your RLP be archived.

How does the Reference form work?
Once you have successfully submitted your RLP, you can go to “Access Account” to view your “Status Page” and to select the option to download a reference form.

• Download the form and save it on your computer.
• Contact your reference to see if they are willing to write a reference for you.
• Then send the form to your reference as an email attachment.
• At the same time send them a signed copy of your Authorization and Release.
• This is a PDF form, making it easier for your reference to use.
• When complete, your reference simply connects to the Internet and clicks on the form’s “submit” button.
• Your reference should save a copy of the completed form on their computer.
• What was written on the form can only be shared with you by the reference him/herself.

How does the Twelve Reflections form work?
Once you have successfully submitted your RLP, you can go to your “Status Page” and select the option to download the reflections form. Download the form and save it on your computer. Answer as many questions as would be helpful (choosing six is the suggestion). The form submits to the database in the same way that the RLP did. Twelve Reflections is an optional form designed to help you expand your profile by giving it greater breadth and depth.

How does the Authorization and Release form work?
The Authorization and Release form (a.k.a., “signature page”, RLP p.12)

• must be on file in the synod office,
• must be a “wet” (not electronic) signature,
• must be given to the reference who will complete the Reference form,
• must be given to the call committee as they go about their work, and
• must be resubmitted with each updated version of the RLP.

A “wet” signature can be submitted as a hard copy, a faxed copy, or a scanned copy sent as a PDF attachment to an email. Assignment/First Call candidates submit the signature page to their synod of origin as they seek Approval, and submit it later also to their synod of assignment.

How do I print a copy just of the Authorization and Release page?

• Open your RLP and go to page 15 (last page).
• At the bottom, click on “print”.
• In the printer dialog box that appears, ask that it print from page 12 to page 12.
• You may also want to have it print in greyscale, rather than color.

I submitted my RLP, but now I want to change something. What do I do?
Simply locate the copy of your RLP on your computer, edit it and resubmit it. Resubmitting a RLP, however, does mean that two versions of the form will be in the system. You can request that the older version be archived by going to your “Status Page”. Archiving is something only a CPA can do. If you are resubmitting a RLP, the Reference and Twelve Reflections do not need to be resubmitted (they will stay active in the system), but a new Authorization and Release will have to be submitted.

And if a supporting form is resubmitted?
If the Twelve Reflections or Reference forms are resubmitted, they will automatically replace the previous versions in the portfolio.

What if I can’t find my RLP on my computer?
Two possibilities: (1) go to “Access Account” in the MDS and request a copy. The system will send a copy to the email address that is on page 1 of the RLP. Or (2) ask your CPA to locate a copy within the system and send it to you.

Can an old RLP that has been moved to the archives be retrieved?
Yes. Your CPA can retrieve your old RLP, but it would be better practice to always have a copy on your own computer to use whenever it is time to update it.

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