WATCH DRURY WRITE A BOOK. – THIS IS A TEMPORARY POST Writer’s first draft of a book to be
published by The Wesleyan
Publishing House. as an introduction
to the ministry. This web-posted copy is
an early draft of the manuscript and not intended to be used as a final
document. While the editors will catch minor errors if you see something significantly
wrong or missing drop Keith Drury a note at kdrury@indwes.edu
©
2003 Keith Drury
13
My Ordination Service
When I finish my education
how soon can I be ordained? Where will
they hold my ordination service? Who
will do the ordaining? What if I get
cold feet and want to back out? What
preparation will I need to make for my ordination service? Should I send out
invitations? Can I pick the preacher? What actually will happen in that service?
Most
denominations don’t ordain you right after graduation from college or
seminary. They expect you to get a few
years experience before you are ordained for lifelong service. Ordination should not be taken lightly. Some individuals, upon getting actual
experience in a church decide not to go through with ordination. That is
okay—it would be like a couple who decided to get married, but over time one or
both realized that “this is not right for me.”
Most people would say, “Whew—that was close” and congratulate you on not
moving forward into a marriage you knew was not for you.
The
same is true of ordination. You may be
called, confirmed by the church to pursue studies, graduate from college and
seminary then get a few years experience in actual full time ministry and
realize “this is not right for me.” This
is not a problem (other than your education that now seems to be wasted). Like marriage, until you “tie the knot” in
the public ceremony you can still “get out of it.” This is why most
denominations have you spend several years in actual ministry (some as long as
a decade) before you “tie the knot”
in your ordination service.
The wedding metaphor
The
allusion to marriage here is not accidental—an ordination is very much like a
wedding. It is the public ceremony where
you make a lifelong commitment. Can you
ever “get a divorce?” Yes, it sometimes
happens, but you would never stand up to get marriage (or ordained) with that
possibility in mind. What Christian
would get married thinking, “If it doesn’t work out I can get someone
else?” None. Neither would anyone get ordained thinking
something similar.
Ordination
is a lot like marriage. Marriage started with an inner love, the ministry
starts with an inner call. Like marriage
is two-way (both she and he must
agree) the ministry is also two way—the church and you must both agree
(actually, God too). Both relationships
seek the approval of others: “I
really see the two of you together for life” or “I can really see you as an
effective minister as your life calling.”
People headed for marriage spend
lots of time together getting to know each other. If you are called to the ministry you’ll
spend lots of time at church getting to know God’s work intimately. In a dating relationship sooner or later you
might decide to marry. Same for the ministry—eventually you’ll
decide this is what you will do for your life.
Next you’ll start planning the
wedding. For the minister you’ll plan
toward your ordination service. Finally
there will be the actual ceremony of
your wedding, or in the ministry the ordination ceremony. And, of course both are supposed to lead to a
lifelong relationship.
Ordination
is not a new idea. It is an ancient
custom for a group to set apart its spiritual leaders. Its roots go back to the Old Testament when
God’s prophet was sent to anoint Saul and David with oil as the leader God had
chosen. The priesthood was set apart by
the people. The high priest was installed
in an awe-inspiring ceremony. In the New
Testament Jesus appointed twelve of his followers as apostles. The church at
When
a group of ministers gather around you to lay hands on you to ordain you, you
will be able to imagine that these ministers one day had the hands of other
older minister on them when they were ordained, and those minister were set
apart by still older ministers—indeed you might imagine a long line of
ordination services where ministers laid hands on other ministers who laid hand
on other ministers, who laid hands on still other ministers… who are now laying
hands on you in your ordination. The
ministry has passed down from generation to generation through the laying on of
hands all the way to you—a sort of ministerial succession from the first
century. What a heritage!
Preparing for your
ordination service
Obviously
you will want to prepare your heart for this most important worship service of
your life. If you have doubts about
going through with it, better to call the whole thing off—this is not a trivial
ceremony you can later dismiss. When you
are ordained you may experience an actual power an anointing from God. In fact, people who seriously took ordination
vows then later abandoned the ministry often feel out of place—as if they have
to make an excuse for why they are not in the ministry. Like a person who got married but no longer
lives with their spouse, an ordained minister who leaves the active ministry
often feels like something is missing—like something was amputated from their
life. If you are not called to lifelong
ministry don’t get ordained. Instead, serve the church as a full time lay
worker. Ordination is a serious vow. Prepare your heart carefully as you approach
your ordination day.
But
you will want to make other preparations as well. You’ll want to invite the same people you’d
invited to your wedding. Invite people
who know you; people who care for you.
This is the high day in your ministry—so you’ll want to send invitations
to all your friends to be there. And
you’ll want to consider planning a reception or luncheon if your ordination
council doesn’t do that. It is a grand
day and you’ll want to make it so.
Your actual ordination
service
The
order and style of your ordination service will vary depending on your
denomination. But most ordination services have lots in common, for this rite
is an ancient one. The service will
usually begin with an invitation to
worship and then worship through singing.
A minister will offer an invocation
of God’s presence and assistance in the service. There will be a message delivered, almost always by a denominational or church
representative with years of experience. Sometimes they will have you (and a
spouse, if you are married) sit in the front and sometimes they will preach
that sermon directly to you with the others listening in (again, very much like
a wedding).
After
the sermon you may be presented to an
important denominational or church representative who is presiding (sometimes
there will be others ordained along with you—then all the candidates are
presented together). The minister
presiding then might give the acceptance—announcing
that you have been examined and are called and qualified for the ministry. There will usually be Scripture reading—from the Old Testament, the Epistles and the
Gospels following that ancient practice.
Publicly
you’ll hear a charge to you something
like the charge or challenge given at a wedding, about the ministry to which
you are being ordained. Then you’ll
probably face a public examination
where the denominational official or church representative will ask you
publicly to answer a series of questions confirming that you are called, on
your beliefs in the core Christian doctrines and the articles of faith of that
particular denomination and asking you to make a vow to preach the word, live
as a minister above reproach and submit to the church’s authority. These vows are not frivolous words made to
fill up the service, but are serious promises you make—so you should consider
them beforehand and approach them at least as seriously as you would your
wedding vows. Some denominations invite
the spouse of the person ordained to make a spouse’s
covenant since the ministry is a unique job and requires family
support.
Finally
he bishop or presiding minister will lay hands on you, (or have some or all the
ministers present gather around and lay hands on you) then the actual act of ordination and the prayer of enduement. This is an actual
prayer seriously asking God to fill, empower and gift you for this
ministry. It is based on the Apostle
Paul’s reminder to Timothy that when elders laid their hands on him something
actually happened—it was not merely a ritual (1 Timothy
Following
the prayer, they might give you a gift of an ordination Bible to remember the
occasion as they will practice the custom of extending the right hand of fellowship which means all those who laid hands
on you will now shake your hand in a congratulatory atmosphere as they welcome
you into the ordained ministry. All
these rites are natural ways of other ordained ministers welcoming you into the
community of the ordained. After a benediction
there will likely be a receiving line
where all your friends will greet you and offer their congratulations and
prayers. Following the greeting line
there may be a reception sponsored by
the ordination council or you might plan and sponsor a dinner or reception on
your own for your family and friends.
Of
course ordination services vary a lot between regions and denominations but you
get the general idea here. Ordination is a solemn rite where you are set apart
for a lifetime of ministry. It is a high
day of your ministry and you’ll want to have photos taken to remember this day
the rest of your life. On that day you
will have joined a long line of priests and ministers through thousands of
years of history who gave their lives to lifelong service to God’s people. It is a day for celebration! It is such an extraordinary event for some
ministers that they celebrate its anniversary each year by preaching a special
sermon on the Sunday closest to the date.
Follow up study
and application
To Share:
1. Tell about any
ordination service you have attended—describe it and how it was different from
the one described in this chapter.
2. Tell others who you’d would invite for sure to your
ordination—who you would really want to be there, and who you’d be disappointed
if they missed it.
To Discuss:
2. Talk about the
parallels between a wedding ceremony and an ordination—and extend those through
the rest of a ministry life. While there
are always limits to such parallels or metaphors, what are the primary ones you
want to keep in mind?
4. The more important the event the greater use of tradition (e.g.
a wedding, coronation, or inauguration).
List the traditions in an ordination that you think should be kept in
the future—and those you’d be willing to adapt or drop—how would you make an
ordination service “contemporary” without losing the long tradition associated
with important rituals.
To Do:
5. Ask a minister to
describe their own ordination service and find out how they think the service
should have been done better—to reflect the significance of the event.
6. Do a bible study in the Old and New Testaments on “laying on of
hands” and “anointing with oil.” Show
your findings to another.