The Order for Ordination of a Minister

The regular Order of Worship shall be followed and a sermon shall be preached setting forth the significance of the office of a Minister of the Gospel. Following the sermon a hymn shall be sung.

The Candidate for Ordination, his name having been announced, shall present himself.

The presiding Minister shall say,

We are assembled to ordain this brother, N N, to the sacred office of the Christian Ministry in accordance with the Word of God and the order of the Evangelical and Reformed Synod.

Let us pray.

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy, attain unto everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The presiding Minister shall address the Candidate, and say,

Beloved Brother in Christ; Since you have been called to the sacred office of the Christian ministry and are willing to enter into the same, I exhort you to give heed to the admonition of the Holy Scriptures concerning this sacred office.

The following portions of the Holy Scriptures may be said by the Ministers assisting in the service:

Jesus spake unto his disciples saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Jesus said to his disciples, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy Ministry.

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The presiding Minister shall then say,

Beloved Brother in Christ; Consider well the true nature and significance of the Christian ministry. The first ministers were the Apostles, who were called and sent forth by Jesus Christ himself. Other men were chosen as pastors and teachers in the Church to succeed them; and thus from generation to generation the office of the Ministry has continued unto the present time. Ordination, therefore, is a most solemn rite in which those who are called are set apart for the service of Christ and his Church.

The Ministers of Christ are set in the world to be the representatives of his authority and the ambassadors of his grace. To them it belongs to preach the Word and to administer the Sacraments. They are appointed to serve the Church of Christ, to offer in his Name the prayers and the supplications of his people, to nurture, to instruct, to watch over and guide the sheep and lambs of his flock. Together with Elders, they are charged also with the government of the Church, and with the proper use of its discipline, for the preservation of order and for the establishment of Christ's kingdom in the world.

Such is the character of the office to which you are called. In order that you may fulfill these sacred obligations, it is necessary that you apply yourself constantly with great care and faithful study to your ministry. Pray earnestly and daily for divine grace. Remember that your sufficiency is not of yourself, but of God. Devote yourself wholly to your office that you may be able to give full proof of your ministry and show yourself an example to others in godly living.

And now, before God and this Congregation, we call upon you to answer the following questions:

Are you persuaded that you are called of God to the office of the Christian Ministry, and do you trust in the grace of the Holy Spirit to aid you in fulfilling the duties of your office?

Answer. I am so persuaded, and I do so trust.

Do you accept the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God and the ultimate rule of Christian faith and practice; do you acknowledge the doctrinal standards of the Evangelical and Reformed Synod as authoritative interpretations of the essential truth taught in the Holy Scriptures?

Answer. I do.

Do you promise to exercise your ministry with diligence and with due regard for the laws and ordinances of the Church?

Answer. I do so promise, with the help of God.

Let us pray.

Most gracious God, our heavenly Father, send down, we beseech thee, the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon this thy servant, now being set apart, through the solemn act of ordination, to the office of the Christian Ministry. Grant unto him, O most merciful Father, such fulness of thy grace, that he may be a faithful and wise steward whom thou settest over thy household. Make him a true preacher of righteousness; a watchful guardian over the flock, and a follower of the true Shepherd who giveth his life for the sheep. May he be an example to the believers, in work, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, and may he in all things faithfully fulfill his ministry in thy sight. And unto thee, the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God our Savior, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

The Candidate shall kneel, and the officiating Ministers shall lay their hands upon his head, and the presiding Minister shall say,

In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd of the Church, and trusting in the power of his grace, we ordain, consecrate, and appoint you to the office of the Christian Ministry.

May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you, abide with you and strengthen you always with all might through the Spirit unto every good word and work. Amen.

The newly ordained Minister shall then rise and the presiding Minister shall say,

We give you the right hand of fellowship, to take part with us in this Ministry.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Benediction

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.