# Local Licenses
A **local minister's license** is the first step toward ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. It is granted by your local church board, is valid for **one year**, and is renewed annually by the board. The Local Licenses tool walks your church through the whole process and then keeps track of who your local ministers are and when their licenses expire.
This tool is provided through your district — your church does not need its own NazTrack subscription to use it.
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## The Steps at a Glance
1. **The candidate applies** — the candidate fills out the local license application.
2. **Background check** — the church runs a criminal background check on the candidate.
3. **Pastor recommends** — if the background check clears, the pastor recommends the candidate to the church board.
4. **Board approves** — the church board votes to approve the local license.
5. **Verification request goes to the district** — NazTrack sends the request (with the background check on file) to your district office.
6. **District verifies credentials** — the district sends a Request for Verification of Credential History to the General Secretary's Office. This is a required safeguard for every first-time local license.
7. **Verification passes** — the district records the result. You'll get an email, and the district Board of Ministry is made aware of the new candidate.
8. **Request the certificate** — the pastor orders the physical license from the USA/Canada Region website. NazTrack gives you the link and records that it was requested.
9. **Present the license** — when the certificate arrives and is presented to the candidate, record it in NazTrack. The license is now active for one year.
Steps 1–5, 8, and 9 happen at the church. Steps 6 and 7 happen at the district — while you wait, the workflow shows "Waiting on district."
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## The Three Tabs
- **Local Ministers** — your roster of active local ministers: license number, issue date, expiration date, and standing. This is where you record annual renewals.
- **In Progress** — candidates still moving through the steps above. Each row shows where the candidate is, the state of their application, and what the next step is.
- **Add Candidate** — start a new workflow. Only **active members** of your church can be added.
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## Getting the Application
When you add a candidate you choose how they'll complete the official Application for Local Minister's License:
- **Email the candidate a link (recommended).** NazTrack emails the candidate a secure, personal link to fill out the full official application online. When they submit it, it comes straight back to you — no scanning, and NazTrack files a PDF copy automatically. If the member has an email on file it's filled in for you; you can change it. If you don't have an email yet, you can add the candidate now and send the link later.
- **Upload a completed paper application.** The exception path: if the candidate filled out a paper application, upload the scan or photo instead.
On the **In Progress** tab, the **Application** column shows where things stand:
- **Not started** — no application yet. Use **Send application link** to email one.
- **Link sent** — the candidate has been emailed the link and hasn't submitted yet. **Resend link** emails it again.
- **Submitted** / **Uploaded** — the application is on file. Click it in the Documents column to view the PDF.
The application link expires after about six weeks; resend it if needed.
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## Requesting Verification
Before NazTrack lets you send a verification request to the district, three things must be true:
- The candidate is an **active member** of your church.
- A **background check** is on file (uploaded to the workflow).
- The **church board approval date** is recorded.
Once requested, your district office takes over. They generate the official verification form, send it to the General Secretary's Office, and record the result. You can follow along on the In Progress tab — you'll see when the form was sent and when the result comes back.
If a verification comes back **flagged**, the workflow stops and the page will say to contact your district office. The district superintendent will follow up with you personally.
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## Recording the License
When verification passes, you'll receive an email. Then:
1. Click **Request certificate** to open the USA/Canada Region order page, and use **Mark requested** so the workflow remembers.
2. When the certificate arrives and is presented to the candidate, click **Record license presented**. Enter the date, the license number (optional), and the board approval date.
The candidate moves to the **Local Ministers** tab with an active license good for one year from the presented date.
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## Renewals and Expiration
Local licenses expire one year after they are issued. On the Local Ministers tab:
- **Active** (green) — the license is current.
- **Expires soon** (amber) — the license expires within 60 days. Time to put the renewal on the board agenda.
- **Expired** (red) — the expiration date has passed.
To record a renewal, click **Record renewal** and enter the board approval date. NazTrack starts the new license year the day after the old one ends and sets the new expiration a year out (you can adjust both). It's fine to record a renewal after the expiration date — the history stays accurate.
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## Who Can Do What
- **View Local Licenses** — see the roster and workflows.
- **Manage Local Licenses** — add candidates, upload documents, advance steps, request verification, and record renewals. Pastors and church admins have this automatically.
The district processes verification requests; churches never email the General Secretary's Office directly.