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Ordination FragenI attended the ordination service for my dear friend, Andy, a couple of weeks ago and I have been thinking about my experiences there ever since. As one involved in postmodern modes of ministry and committed to the historic Baptist principle of the priesthood of the believer, I am curious about the whole ordination process. My friend was ordained to "the ministry of word and sacrament." That means that he is now able to officiate the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. In my friend's denomination, he MUST be ordained in order to be the pastor he is called to be. However, in my denomination I can already offer the Lord's Supper and Baptism due to our less-stringent polity regulations. So, should I seek ordination? Is ordination the equivalent of passing the bar exam for lawyers or gaining LPC credentials for counselors? Is it just another way to let other people know that we are official? Is it a furtive checks-and-balances program for denominational bureaucracy?Furthermore, in ministering to folks who pooh on institutionalism and decorum in general, does ordination serve any purpose other than making it harder for would be ministers to fulfill their calling? For the record, I deeply respect all of the work that Andy went through to receive his ordination. It is a tribute to his fortitude and resolve to Gospel ministry. I am asking these questions more for myself--as one who is called to a non-traditional ministry to the un-churched and over-churched. Any thoughts? posted by Jake at 7/29/2005 10:06:00 AM  
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I am so glad you asked this because it may very well be THE ecclesiological question, in that all the most important issues touch the ground here. I sympathize with your personal struggle as Mandy and I both are experiencing delays in our ordination while we continue to minister without. I myself am constantly tossed in the wind by the issue, so I am not much help. The New Testament certainly has some kind of authority structure. But does it parallel anything found in the church today? Is it something "professional" in any sense? Does an emergent church abolish the lay/clergy distinction? Or do emergent shifts require 'strong leadership' to push them through? Just joining with some questions!
While I am quite sympathetic to the notion of the "priesthood of all believers" (I am not Baptist.) and the notion that true authority comes from a calling from God (not of men), I also value the notion of ordination. If someone comes into my church claiming a title like "Reverend," "Pastor," "Bishop," etc. and the authority that goes with those titles, I want to know who gave them the title and authority. The person can merely claim, "God called me," but anyone can "claim" that. It is the duty of the church to investigate and recognize those claims. When we know by whom someone was ordained we have a chain, not so much of authority as the Catholics claim, but of credibility. The authority comes from God, not from any "magical" ordination, but the church needs to sort out the true voices from the false.
I have been pondering recently what I think the "ideal" church government might look like. I think perhaps we should extend the concept of ordination beyond the clergy/laity distinction. It's the "priesthood" of all believers, not the "non-priesthood" of all believers. I think we ought to consider receiving someone into membership an ordination of sorts, ordaining them into the work of fulfilling the Great Commission by recognizing that they have received God's call as a believer. This would lessen the clergy/laity distinction without losing the benefits of ordination I cited above.
--Greg Jones
I think that ordination is largely practical. Contrary to many pomo/emergent sensibilities, ordination is about order. In the PCUSA, we ordain to function, not form. As such, you can't be ordained until you have a particular call.
In the PCUSA, we also only let ordained clergy celebrate the sacraments. When you think about it, it's kind of ironic that a non-ordained person can preach but not celebrate sacraments. I think that this is b/c it can be hard to identify what is and isn't preaching, but sacraments are easier to control.
Why would you want to control the sacraments? Maybe to protect the clergy. If you can identify who is and isn't clergy, then you can more easily identify what is and what isn't The Word.
When it all is said and done, ordination is a practical way of protecting the Gospel--not in the sense of shielding the people from it, but in the sense of shielding the people from false teachings about the Gospel.
Anyone can walk into a church or stand on a corner and claim anything. If you're really called to ministry, then you won't mind humbling yourself before a group of your fellow Christians for a few years while your call is confirmed and you are equipped for that call.
When I was called to ministry, nothing else had to happen for me to be called. It was between God and me. After that, God used the church and my education to equip me for that calling. Now, even though I'm only 26, the people in the church don't doubt that I am called by God. Sometimes, it's incredible to me how much they respect my call.
To answer your questions: yes, ordination is a bar exam and a checks-and-balances program--and it's also a confirmation of something deeply spiritual between God and called person. And it's also about the community of believers and their understanding of how God is working amongst them. And it does make it harder for would be ministers to fulfill their calling--but a calling is not supposed to be easy (see Moses, Jonah, et al). I love how difficult my calling has been. It's been a big part of my worship for years.
If people pooh on institutionalism and decorum, they can easily remove that from ordination. But I think that the order of ordination is a must is we want to maintain integrity in our communication of the Gospel.