The Monday Muse: Ordination
My old roommates from college were in town this weekend and we had a lot of challenging discussions about faith, church, politics, and life. One topic we landed on for an extended period was the need for ordination. Since I don’t have a lot of time to post specifics right now, I will simply extend the question to get the ball rolling on some thoughts here. It’s a simple question.
Is ordination important or necessary?
The question pertains to individuals who are considering vocational ministry. What do you think? Do they need to be recognized by a local congregation of some sorts? Why or why not?
2 Comments
Mindy
Yes, I do think there needs to be some kind of recognition from a local body of believers that this person is ready for the work of a minister. As I think over the instances in scripture, I see a pattern of either the Lord directly anointing the individual or the Lord sending someone to commission him/her. The group of believers in Jerusalem commissioned many of the early evangelists and missionaries.
Jeff Lash
But is ordination necessary for service in vocational ministry? Can a person be called but not ordained or do the two have a direct connection?
I agree that the ordination process (however that looks) is a good opportunity to see if someone is not only prepared for vocational ministry but also called in the first place. Paul was affirmed by Peter and the church in Jerusalem. Of course the apostles were commissioned by Jesus himself. But I think it can be hard to tell whether or not you are called to ministry in today’s world. There are so many choices available to folks today that it only seems like a matter of choice…whether or not you feel like or desire to do something. However, I think the local congregation can help a person sift through emotions and sometimes selfish desires in order to help confirm a true calling.