Over the past two years, I’ve had offers to be ordained in 3 different denominations. Past the flattery and amusement, this was a strong motivation for me to study the meaning of ordination and continue in my pursuit to understand true biblical church leadership structure. Books by Strauch, Getz, and Driscoll have proved most helpful in the pursuit (and I highly recommend dedicating the time to reading these books) and it is my hope and prayer that true biblical leadership will be modeled in the current context of the WELL in which I have the joy to pastor.
From what I’ve come to understand, ordination is merely affirmation of the calling upon one’s life. I’m reminded of the movie Cool Runnings. The Jamaican bobsled team greatly desired an Olympic gold medal and their coach reminded them, “If you’re not good enough without the gold medal, you’ll never be good enough with it.” The same is true with ordination- in and of itself, it doesn’t determine one’s legitimacy, it is confirmation of Jesus’ call. The focus must be on the person and work of Christ who calls.
Ironically, I had the privilege of preaching at First Baptist Augusta last night for the ordination of my friend and colleague Jeremy Echols. The ministry staff and congregation was extremely gracious in their reception, and the gathering of friends and family supporting the Echols family is a huge encouragement. Jeremy and I share the same name, same love of ministry, and overlapping circle of ministry relationships as he is moving to Seattle to be a part of the Mars Hill pastor training program.
Having never preached an ordination service before, I was at first unsure the direction to go with the message. After several weeks of prayer and consideration, I used Acts 8:4-8, which follows the martyrdom of Stephen.
4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.
Holy Spirit-led, Christ-focused, Gospel-driven ministry is characterized by scattering, preaching of the word, and resulting joy.
Scattering: The Greek word for “scattered” is the word used to describe seed being spread, like a farmer planting crops. This resonates with Tertullian: “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Preaching of the word is the ongoing proclamation of the gospel: the person and work of Jesus Christ which is indeed good news for the kingdom. In contextualizing the gospel in culture, the word of God goes forth. In a day and age where books on “leadership” and “creative ministry” abound, proclamation of the gospel must be central. Creativity and contextualization is vital, but in the end it’s proclamation, not innovation, has the lasting effect. Proclamation undoubtedly comes in the form of preaching and teaching, but also in the testimony of a Christ-centered, Gospel-driven marriage.
Joy: Proclamation of the gospel, preaching of the word results in great joy. Personal transformation by the gospel results in joy that overflows to the community at large.
My charge to all who are followers of Jesus Christ, whether or not you are “ordained”: proclaim the gospel with your whole life. It’s my charge to you and prayer for you that as God scatters you that you will boldy, faithfully, and obediently proclaim the Gospel with your whole life and that the joy of Jesus Christ will fill you and overflow from you to bless others through you.
Ok, you peaked my curiosity so I’ll bite the hook…
The term “true biblical church leadership structure” kind of scares me a bit. What does that mean to you? Are you thinking about something like the way the Catholic church sees itself as the “true church” in an apostolic succession from Peter?