Ordaination services

In mine, all the ordained ministers and deacons came and laid hands on me one at a time... Each one whispering either a prayer, or a piece of advice or commendation to me... Then they all gathered around me, with others that wanted to around them, all laying hands on me..if they could reach me, if not they laid hands on the one in front of me.. and the moderator led in the ordaining prayer...

It was a special time...
Another time was a commissioning service from my home church when I was accepting a call to another church for the first time...
At that one, everyone laid hands on me.

 

When I was ordained in the early 70's about 60 men comprised my ordination council. Do you know what I remember most of all? The pain! Yes, the pain! My knees were aching. The numbness in my legs after I arose left me almost unable to walk...and I was a young man!!

Can you imagine kneeling on a hard floor for the length of time it takes for 60 ordained men to come by and pray for you? Ouch!! Back it those days they didn't pray a "now I lay me down to sleep" prayer. It was full-length!

I laugh about it but seriously, I learned a lesson from that experience. That lesson was: Keep it short and simple, buddy!. :laugh:

 

Real men don't use kneelers! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

The issue with limiting the act of ordaining to those already limited is that it perpetuates the notion of apostolic succession, not unlike the claims made by the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches to the effect that their holy orders are valid because those ordained are made so by those already ordained, back in a line going back to the original twelve.

But that is not Baptist ecclesiology. Our theory is that authority rests in the local congregation, the priesthood of the whole body of believers. And therefore just as deacons and pastors are ordained by vote of the congregation, so also the congregation ought to be invited to participate in the laying on of hands.

I have not done this with a 700 member congregation, but I did it with one of about 200, and yes, it takes time. But how moving it is to see children help ordain their parents or elderly folks ordain their offspring! I cherish those times I sat in my pastor's chair and watched the faces of those who filed by to lay on hands.

 

Ok....real men, your husband excepted, don't use kneelers. lol

 

That's exactly right.

Our church has been doing this for years. The church itself ordains those who participate in vocational ministry, deacon ministry, and those we send out on mission.

 

Ordination

The one thing about my personal ordination was after all those who were ordained came to pray, I requested that the floor be opened to anyone in general to come and pray over my future ministry. There were a few surprises to come and pray over my wife and I. One of my one and off again men came and prayed over us and that was a huge encouragement.

However, my biggest disappointment was that my dad did not come to pray with us. I wanted him to participate but he did not and I did not feel right about asking him before hand or even afterwards. My dad had pastored when I was a young child and I wanted him to be a part of the service but I knew that he had returned his ordination paper so I wanted a way for him to be involved with out that being an issue. This is the only thing I wish was different for my ordination.

 

I Tim. 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

 

Exactly... :thumbs: