Featured Practice of Ordination of Elders/Pastors

Many many years ago, I had the honor of shepherding our young pastor through his ordination. At that time the conference our church was affiliated with (Conservative Baptist) had a group (about one half dozen) of their established pastors, review our candidates "statement of faith" paper and question him. After the questioning they met separately from us and after prayer, voted to ordain our candidate. We could now call our Pastor Reverend.

 

I don't know where my answer will fit in the poll, so you decide where you'd like to place it.
In our churches (the Primitive Baptist churches) a man observed to have been given the gift to teach and preach, or preach and teach, is first, designated a Licenciate, he cannot hold the office of Pastor like a duly, orderly ordained Elder, but is allowed to preach with, or in lieu of his own local church's pastor, or in another church of like order, doctrine, and practice. The better for other Elders and churches to "hear what he has to say", he is then gently and privately corrected in areas where it is felt he erred or lacked or swerved or was off-target.
After some time (some shorter, others longer) and the church is confident he is "in order", the church calls for his ordination, gathers, a Presbytery of two or more ordained Elder among their number and/or from other Primitive Baptist churches, and sets a date when the brother is questioned very thoroughly, often being told to supply Scriptures for his answers, and once the Presbytery is confident of the brother's call to the gospel ministry, he is then so recommended to the church to be counted an Elder, and the Presbytery, the pastor and the deacon/s, then lay their hands on him.
The ordination limits are not the same.
An ordination certificate may, or may not, state, that, should the brother preach any doctrine, message, or gospel not in accordance to Primitive Baptist doctrine, or institute a practice not common to Primitive Baptists and not in line with New Testament doctrine and practices, then his ordination is voided, and his office as Elder in that particular church that called for his ordination ceases.

 

I was interviewed by the local council of Baptist Pastors. The problem was that there was a traveling evangelist, John VanGelderen, who attended, and asked me questions that were intended to trip me up. Like, "Do you believe that the King James Bible is the Word of God?" I am not a fundamentalist, and not all the pastors there were King James only people. As a matter fact, I was already using the NKJV by then. I use the Greek and Hebrew now, and teach from the ESV.

 

I started with my defense of the Greek text, got halfway through, and my gracious pastor came up and whispered in my ear, "just say Yes, it is the Word of God. You don't have to give him long answers. Even if you believe that the NIV is also the word of God."
So, I said "yes." and he then asked me about contemporary Christian Music. A deep subject for an ordination council.

 

I would have told him on the CCM that at one time or another ALL Christian music was considered 'contemporary' And as far as the KJV being the "Word of God"...yes. So are the NKJV, NLT, ESV, ASV, etc. .