Ordination Service

THE ORDINATION SERVICE

The word "Ordination" comes from a Latin word which means ‘to arrange', or ‘to regulate’. The Greek equivalent means ‘to appoint’ or ‘to put on charge’. So an Ordination Service is the means whereby the church seeks to order its life by appointing people to do particular jobs. Since ordination is a single sacrament, although there are various grades, namely Deacons, Priests and Bishops, the same form of service is used for all three appointments.

The earliest record we have of some form of appointment by the Church is to be found in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. There we read that it became necessary for the Apostles to appoint seven deacons to care for the day to day life of the early Christian community so that they could devote their time to preaching and teaching. We are told by the author, St Luke, that the members of the Christian community selected seven suitable people “and presented them to the apostles, who prayed and laid hands upon them”. (Acts 6.6)

The same threefold form of appointing, namely presenting, praying and laying on of hands, is also to be found in the earliest evidence of an Ordination Service. It is contained in the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolitus, written in the third century and reflecting the local practice in Rome at that time.

This threefold form of appointing soon became the universally accepted practice of all ordination services. Over the years additional ceremonies have been added to enrich the basic service, and these have been modified, especially at the time of the Reformation in the West.

Nevertheless, the same threefold form can still be clearly seen in the Ordination of Deacons, Priests and Bishops in the Alternative Service Book of today.

So let us look at these three parts of the ordination service, which takes place in the context of the Eucharist, and see their particular significance.

1. THE PRESENTATION

Obviously, before a person is ordained, they must feel personally called by God. Unfortunately this is not always easy to discern with accuracy and has often led to people setting themselves up as self-appointed ministers. This is nothing new. In fact there are several warnings in the New Testament about true and false prophets and the consequent dangers of leading people astray.

So a person needs to have their vocation tested and approved by a wider body of people who eventually appoint them. However, even this can be divisive if it is left only to members of the local church. We see this also in the New Testament where the Christian community in Corinth became split between the followers of Cephas, Apostle Paul and Christ. Hence the Anglican Church, in common with the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, has always resisted attempts to make the church purely congregational.

That is why the person who presides over an Ordination Service is not the leader of the local congregation but rather the Bishop of the Diocese who, as the successor of the apostles, represents the church universal. After all, a person is ordained not into the ministry of the local church but of the universal Church of God.

So the Presentation starts with the candidate, having previously been examined and suitability confirmed by the universal church, being presented to the Bishop for Ordination.

Obviously, it is important that that person also receives the approval of the local church, and so the Bishop not only asks whether they wish him to ordain that person but that they are also willing to uphold them in their ministry.

Assuming there are no objections, the Bishop then turns to the candidate and asks him/her also to confirm their personal call to be ordained.

Firstly, the Bishop reminds the candidate of what is involved by reciting a sort of ‘job description'. For instance, the work of a priest is to include the following:

· to proclaim the Word of the Lord,

· to call hearers to repentance in Christ's name,

· to absolve and declare forgiveness of sins,

· to baptise,

· to prepare the baptised for Confirmation,

· to preside at the Eucharist,

· to lead people in prayer and worship,

· to intercede in the name of the Lord,

· to teach, and encourage by example,

· to minister to the sick, and

· to prepare the dying for death.

Secondly, the Bishop asks the candidate to state publicly, their conviction of their calling and acceptance of the responsibilities of that ministry. This is done in the form of questions and answers. These were originally introduced by Thomas Cranmer at the time of the Reformation. They were designed to test the orthodoxy of the clergy, to give adequate recognition to the Bible, and to uphold the moral standards of the clergy which had become exceedingly lax.

· Do you believe, so far as you know your own heart, that God has called you to the office and work of a Deacon/Priest/Bishop in his Church?

· Do you accept the holy scriptures as revealing all things necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ?

· Do you believe the doctrine of the Christian faith as the Church of England has received it, and in your ministry will you expound and teach it?

· Will you accept the discipline of this Church and give due respect to those in authority?

· Will you be diligent in prayer, in reading holy scripture, and in all studies that will deepen your faith and fit you to uphold the truth of the Gospel against error?

· Will you strive to fashion your own life and that of your household according to the way of Christ?

· Will you promote unity, peace and love among all Christian people, and especially among those whom you serve? (Incidentally, this question concerning the promoting of Christian unity has been added in recent times.)

· And finally: Will you then, in the strengthening of the Holy Spirit, continually stir up the gift of God that is in you to make Christ known to all men?

2. THE PRAYERS

Having received the consent of the universal church, the local church and that of the individual, the Bishop then proceeds to the second part of the service known as “The Prayers”.

After all, the church is not just a man-made human institution but also a God-given divine institution. So the service turns in prayer to God and invites him also to participate in the ordination.

First of all, the congregation is invited to offer silent prayer. Incidentally, this is the only occasion in both the Book of Common Prayer and the Alternative Service Book where silent prayer is prescribed.

Next, corporate prayer is offered to the Holy Spirit with the singing of the ancient hymn "veni creator", a practice going back at least to the eleventh century.

Finally, relevant sections of the Litany are said, a tradition going back to the seventh century.

3. LAYING ON OF HANDS

So we come to the third part of the service of ordination namely "The Laying on of Hands". First, the Bishop stretches out his hands in prayer over the candidates and then places them upon the head of each candidate, indicating the person to whom the prayer is directed and says, "Send down the Holy Spirit upon your servant N for the office and work of a Deacon/Priest or Bishop". Since ministry is not individualistic but something that is shared, all the priests present place their hands also upon the candidate, or in the case of ordination to the Episcopate, all the Bishops present place their hands upon the candidate.

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Just as in the Baptism Service a lighted candle is handed to the person baptised and in the Wedding Service a ring is handed to the person married, as symbols of their new status, so at an ordination service, symbols are used to express the new status of those ordained.

This has varied over the years. Today, it is traditional to place a stole over the left shoulder of a Deacon and to tie it under the right arm, and to hand him/her a copy of the New Testament. A priest is given a stole to be worn over both shoulders and a copy of the Bible. These symbolise the combined ministry of Word and Sacrament. Often the ancient practice of giving a chalice and paten is also observed in respect of Priests.

When a person is ordained, they join a stream of people, who throughout the centuries, have been authorised by the Church and empowered by God to serve in His Church. The basic form of the service by which they are ordained is the same as that which has been used since the days of the first century, when the early Christian community "presented the seven deacons to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them".