Setting aside Libertaed Brothers?

[convicted1]

I have attended the Old Regulars and Old Line Baptists for years and I noticed that they(especially the Old Regulars) "set aside" men who have started in the ministry. I also know that they have them preach for a little while before doing this. After about a year or so, I guess sometimes longer, they gather a presbetery(sp?) and ordain them as Elders. My question is this- where did this procedure come from? I know where it speaks in the bible about the Apostles laid their hands on men to go forth and preach the gospel. It's the "setting aside" someone to preach that puzzles me. I am not kicking on it and see nothing wrong with it...in fact, I like it. It lets people know if they are orthodox or not. Can someone please explain how this came into being? Thanks ever so much! May God Bless!! John 3:16 :1_grouphug:

 

[Brother Bob]

Well, usually it is a requirement that a brother start at his home church and given a chance to grow some in the ministry. Of course we only meet as an association once a year so we have to wait until then to post them as a liberated brother. I can only speak for us but we start them at home and after being started then that gives all the other churches we correspond with a right to use him in prayer and introduction of services. When association time rolls around and he had not been ordained then a move and second is made to add to our letter to the Association lettering up with them that so and so is a Liberated Brother and that way those who did not know that he was indeed starting out in ministry, now know for sure. I think maybe in some associations they might give them some kind of a liberated license but we don't.
Hope this helps. Some of the others may have a different take on it.

 

[Bro. James Reed]

I can't speak for Old Regulars entirely, but knowing that our practice in such things is very similar, I can tell you what many Primitives do, and what was done to me.

I started out by getting up, at the behest of our then Pastor, and talking scriptures from about the age of 17 along with another young man in the church. After several years, and another Pastor, I was asked more and more to take time in the stand. Beginning a couple years ago, as I began to grow and a calling for the ministry became more apparent, I start to be put in the stand by other churches during their annual meetings and such. This was while my Pastor was present at those places to watch over me, so to speak. Since at that time I had not be officially liberated by the church yet, the Pastor was sort of responsible for me, if you want to call it that.

After doing this for about a year or more, the church felt that the time had come to liberate me (in April 2006). This was basically just an outward showing by the church that they do believe that I have a call to the gospel ministry. I am now able to accept appointments at different churches and preach wherever I may be asked without the supervision of my Pastor. I am still in a growing and learning stage and I'm not yet ordained. I can not perform the ordinances of the church.

I don't know how long I will be liberated before the church sees fit to call for my ordination. It may be another year (I hope it's at least that long because I don't feel ready) or it may even be 5 years or more. I know of men who were liberated before ordination for 10, 15, or even 20 years or more. I see that there have been men ordained before simply because they had been liberated for many years, yet probably didn't have a true calling, which is wrong. I've seen men ordained after many years because of doubts they had within themselves to live up to holding such a position. I've even seen men ordained only after many years due to personal conflicts they may have had with members and/or other ministers within the church.

I hope I don't fit into any of those categories, but I'd much rather be ordained a little later than necessary than to be ordained before I should have been. I've seen that happen as well, and it can really ruin a man.

Basically, when the Lord says it's the right time, hopefully the church will feel the same, as will I.

I know there are many PB churches that do not practice liberation/licensing or preachers before ordination, making it more of an unspoken liberation. I see this as another step in my growth and I think liberating a man before ordination is a good thing for his growth and to make evident/public that growth and calling to other churches.

The way I see it, if my home church does not see a calling to preach, then what business wouldI have preaching for other churches? If my home church does see a calling to preach, then how else are they to make known that calling to other churches to then allow me to preach for them and test that calling themselves?

My church is not in an association, so we do not have the burden of waiting for the meeting time to make announcements such as this.

I believe we are pretty close, if not right on, to the practice that most Old Regulars have in this regard. An OR brother can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

God bless.

James

 

[Bethelassoc]

In the United Baptists, I've seen and heard it done a little differently from each other. Some associations required one year set aside, others two years and some, like my association now, leave it up to the church when they feel the preacher is ready. We call upon the association to be a part of the ordination, but I've seen my old home church invite the association but the ordination is done by that church.

I think young preachers need to be set aside for a while. I think too many times, churches get excited about the possibility of having a new preacher or pastor that they push to get them licensed and ordained without proving him.

David