 Carter, who signed the Dedham Covenant, was considered for the post of the initial minister of the First Church and Parish in Dedham.Carter preached in Woburn for the first time on December 4, 1641, which was the second service of public worship ever held in the new town.Having demonstrated spiritual gifts during his time as an elder, on November 22, 1642, Carter was ordained at Woburn, Massachusetts, becoming the first pastor of the Woburn congregation and the first religious ordination in the Americas.