Ordination

This last Friday evening, I was ordained.  It was the final formal milestone on a journey that started in 1998 when I finally figured out that I had a call to pastor and preach and teach the Bible. 14 years of lapsed time.  It was a wonderful, significant evening.

What was it like?  What does it meant to me?

My wife Linda, along with 5 other ordinands and their spouses (well, one was a single guy) listened to a steady stream of ordained elders read to us various charges and commitments that would be expected of us. Some of these were straight from Scripture, some of them based on Scripture but codified in the 'rule book' for my particular church - The Manual of The Church of the Nazarene.  When our moment came, we stood and ascended the 5 steps to platform in front of a few hundred onlookers.  We both knelt at a short altar rail that had been positioned on the platform for this purpose. I placed on the altar rail a beautiful new Bible that my mother had bought me for the occasion, held my wife's hand and placed our hands on the Bible.  Rev. Dr. Eugenio Duarte, one of the six General Superintendents of the Church of the Nazarene (our equivalent of an Arch Bishop) stood on the other side of the rail and laid his hands on my head.  Our local District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Ken Stanford (our equivalent of a Bishop) laid his hands on my wife and I.  Approximately 100 ordained elders of the church then gathered around them, laying their hands on us, if they were in reach, or laying their lands on the shoulders of those around us.  The visual effect is that of a huge scrum with Linda and I kneeling at the center.

The  Manual describes what ordination is thus: "While affirming the scriptural  tenet  of  the  universal  priesthood  and  ministry  of  all believers,  ordination  reflects  the  biblical  belief  that  God calls  out  and  gifts  certain  men  and  women  for  ministerial leadership in His Church. Ordination is the authenticating,
authorizing  act  of  the  Church,  which  recognizes  and  confirms  God’s  call  to  ministerial  leadership  as  stewards  and proclaimers  of  both  the  gospel  and  the  Church  of  Jesus Christ.  Consequently,  ordination  bears  witness  to  the Church universal and the world at large that this candidate evidences an exemplary life of holiness, possesses gifts and graces for public ministry, has a thirst for knowledge, specially for the Word of God, and has the capacity to communicate clearly sound doctrine."

Dr. Duarte then spoke the words of ordination over us: "Edward D J Frost, I charge thee before God and our Lord Jesus Christ, preach the Word, ...in all things, endure afflictions  do the work an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry, take ... authority to administer the sacraments, take charge of the Church of God.  Now by the authority invested in me as a General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene, I ordain you and Elder in the Church of God, in the Name of the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, Amen."

My friend Rev. Geoff DeFranca then prayed over us both, we stood up hugged and shaked hands with a few people, were handed a certificate and then stood aside to watch others be ordained after us.  We scanned the congregation, making eye contact with relatives and friends.

So I am now 'authenticated and authorized'!

When I was kneeling I simply prayed to God 'thank You, thank You, thank You..'  Only God understands the depth and the origin of that payer.  Of all the words said over me, the words that struck deep into my mind, my heart were 'take charge over the Church of God'.  Those are weighty words to have said over you.  They will form me in the time to come.

Each of us who have given ourselves to Christ and trust on Him, and in Him - we are all ordained to ministry.  My ordination is specifically that of an elder.  It is a weighty thing to be ordained by God.  On Friday this inward ordination was enacted in the outward ordination ritual of the Church - the congregation of those who call God Father, in Christ.