Andy's Notes
Sunday, November 12, 2023
12:12 PM
Does Authorized Ministry begin with the person, the Church, or with God?  The opening question in the traditional Disciples covenant of ordination is, "Do you believe that you are truly called by God and the Church to the life and work of ministry in the name of Jesus Christ?" This is consistent with other liturgical practices.  
Several biblical examples point to a tension between the formalized offices of ordained ministry and the Spirit-guided ministry of a faithful servant operating outside the formal structures.
Samuel's ministry began through the promise his mother Hannah made to God.  His Ministry began with a prophetic word against Eli the Priest and Eli's sons who had abused their offices (1 Samuel 1-3).
Amos reported that he did not have the pedigree of a prophet implying that by Amos's time a guild of prophets had emerged.  Amos prophesied by the call and authority of God (Amos 7:14-15).  
Ministry in the character of the Triune God
God the creator entrusts work into the hands of all humanity.  Through our occupations we participate with God in the sustenance of creation. 
The ministry of the Church emerges from the life, ministry, passion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. 
Ministry is a charismata of the Spirit.  
This question was addressed in the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery, "We will, that candidates for the Gospel ministry henceforth study the Holy Scriptures with fervent prayer, and obtain license from God to preach the simple Gospel, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, without any mixture of philosophy, vain deceit, traditions of men, or the rudiments of the world. And let none henceforth take this honor to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."  
It appears to be a sociological truth that for a community to survive, authority has to be entrusted to someone. Whether the selection of a minister and entrusting that minister with authority is understood as a divine act or as an organizational necessity does not matter as much as does the scrutiny the church should exercise in assigning authority.  
Examination of anti-clergy movements through Church history.
Lollards
Plymouth Brethren 
Waldenes
Anabaptist
Lessons from clergy misconduct--It may seem peculiar or even inapprorpaite to draw information concerning ordination from those who have experienced trauma at the hands of authorized ministers.  However, these traumas are among the more profound evidences that ordination entrusts people with power.  The sense of betrayal people experience after clergy misconduct extends beyond feelings of being betrayed by a trusted person.  It alters the way many people interact with God and with the Church.   
Was a person appointed to an office or to a task?  In the New Testament, the laying on of hands seemed to be more related to the appointment of persons to carryout specific tasks rather than to an office.  Acts 6:1-8 describes the selection and commissioning of the seven for the distribution of the bread, Acts 13;1-3 describes the selection and appointment of Paul and Barnabas to go on a missionary journey.  1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6 suggest a more permanent transition in Timothy's life subsequent to the laying on of hands and that this work was carried out by a body of elders. 
We can just as easily apply a hermeneutic of suspicion to references in the "Apostolic Fathers" concerning the divine appointment to ministerial office.  After all, tyrants and cult leaders also claim divine appointment.  
How is discernment made concerning the call of God.  
The Disciples concept of a "universal" ordination contrasts with the Congregationalist polity assumption of particularity of ordination.  
Discernment within the context of a congregation needs to be a central element pathway toward ordination.  
Part of what makes reflecting on ordination a challenge is our culture's imbalanced reflections around vocation in general.