All Christians are ministers. From the days of the apostles up until the present, one’s baptism meant a commissioning to ministry, much as Jesus’ baptism was the official start of his ministry.
But some ministers are set apart for special responsibilities. “Elders are ordained to a lifetime ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service,” states our Book of Discipline. They “are authorized to preach and teach the Word of God, to provide pastoral care and counsel, to administer the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and to order the life of the Church for service in mission and ministry.”
There’s much more to the role of ordained elders, of course, but one more sentence is worth quoting: “They offer themselves without reserve to be appointed and to serve, after consultation, as the appointive authority may deter-mine.” That phrase “appointive authority” might be clearer if it read “as one’s bishop may determine.” It’s a critical piece of our understanding of ordination that the clergy are “appointed.” In other words, elders like me don’t choose where we will serve or whom we will serve. When we are ordained, we commit ourselves to a covenant which means we go where we are told to go.
With the spirit of independence and self-determination which is so strong in our nation, that covenant of itinerancy (moving about as the bishop deter-mines) may seem totally unreasonable and unworkable. Some may ask: Why would anyone allow others to have such authority over them for the rest of their lives?
But to put it bluntly, a lot of us do just that! We willingly commit ourselves to a lifetime representing Christ under the direction of a bishop. I hope you will be in worship on June 2nd when I will say more about ordained ministry. But here in “The Connection” I wanted to emphasize the broad scope of the responsibilities which elders are given (“Word, Sacrament, Order and Service”). And I wanted to remind us that the clergy move from time to time under the direction of a bishop and his or her district superintendents.
I will be pushing on from Cheraw on June 26, and Rev. Kurt McPherson will moving here later that same day to take my place. My ministry will continue in McCormick County, and Kurt’s will begin to unfold here. It’s part of how we United Methodists do things. It’s also an understanding of ministry which is biblical and very productive for the ministry of all of our churches.
See you in church on Sunday! -Paul
nd when I will say more about ordained ministry. But here in “The Connection” I wanted to emphasize the broad scope of the responsibilities which elders are given (“Word, Sacrament, Order and Service”). And I wanted to remind us that the clergy move from time to time under the direction of a bishop and his or her district superintendents.
I will be pushing on from Cheraw on June 26, and Rev. Kurt McPherson will moving here later that same day to take my place. My ministry will continue in McCormick County, and Kurt’s will begin to unfold here. It’s part of how we Unit-ed Methodists do things. It’s also an un-derstanding of ministry which is biblical and very productive for the ministry of all of our churches.
See you in church on Sunday!
Paul