Being Ordained Again and Again

Recently, I was sitting with a young pastor and he was excitedly telling me all about the dreams and plans he had for the church where he had just assumed the role of pastor. He was right to be excited. It was a good church with a strong history of growth and community involvement and importantly, loving and respecting their pastor. He was gifted and energetic. From what I could tell, this young pastor and the church were a good match. 

He wanted to know what I thought about his plans. “Your plans are good,” I said, “but don’t do anything yet.” He wanted to know why I was suggesting that he slow down.

“Because you haven’t been ordained yet,” I told him.

He misunderstood my point and began to tell me the story of how the church where he had grown up had ordained him when he enrolled in seminary.  “That’s not what I’m talking about,” I said. “This church hasn’t ordained you. Every church has to ordain you. This church hasn’t known you long enough to buy into what you want them to do. They don’t trust you yet. They won’t follow you. It’s too early.” 

Just because you sit behind the desk in the pastor’s office doesn’t make you the pastor. The congregation has to validate your ministry among them. That is, they will watch you, listen to you and in general, try to find out if the Spirit of Christ is living in you. They’ll pay attention to how you interact with other church members and yes, judge you on the first couple of funerals you do. Then, and only then, will they give permission to do your ministry among them. 

Every congregation has to ordain you. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the ministry or how much experience and expertise you bring to the position. You aren’t the church’s pastor until they say you’re the pastor. For most pastors, it will take anywhere from six months to a year. Sometimes, it can take longer. I followed pastors who had been at the church for over twenty years. It took me a little longer than a year for the church to ordain me to lead them. For a long time, I was the “new guy.” I had been there almost three years before I was finally introduced as the church’s “new pastor.”

That’s what I find interesting about who can be “ordained” in any local church. There have been a lot of debates among denominations and institutions about who and who can’t be ordained. What’s funny is most churches are oblivious to these debates. The churches ordain whoever  they want to do ministry among them. 

Here’s the hard truth. Churches know. Churches know who walks with Christ. They know who lives faithfully. What’s more, they know who they can trust when things get hard in their lives. They don’t care if the person is a man or a woman. They want to know if the person loves Jesus. Does the person love our church? Does this person love me? If they do, this person will be given permission to do their ministry in the church. They may be a Bible teacher. They may be a counselor. They may be a healer or have the gift of prayer. 

The church will know and what’s more, the church will be greatly incensed that someone from the “outside” would tell them who and who can’t lead or serve among them. 

Every church knows who their leaders are. How can you tell? Watch and see whom the church follows. Every church has its “E.F. Huttons.” These are the men and women the congregation looks to when the church has to make a decision. Every good pastor knows who these leaders are and the wisest among us pull these leaders around them to form an informal leadership council.  These leaders aren’t paid staff. They may not hold an elected office.

These leaders are ordained. The church has watched and confirmed the Spirit abiding in their lives and given these people permission to lead in the congregation. 

Once, after I had finished praying for a dear saint, she looked up at me and said, “Thanks for coming by, Mike, but I was really waiting for Gayle.” Gayle served on staff with me, but more than that, Gayle was filled with compassion and mercy and was gifted in praying for others. When people needed prayer, they wanted Gayle praying for them. Jesus knew Gayle. Gayle knew Jesus. The church knew Jesus would listen to Gayle. The church had long ago ordained Gayle to minister among them. 

I had been ordained by that same church, but I had been ordained to preach and teach and formulate the vision for our church’s future. They didn’t trust me with much else. When they wanted someone to pray for them, they wanted Gayle. 

The church knew. I did too. Gayle had been ordained by the church because they had witnessed the presence of the Risen Christ in her. The church had given her permission to do her ministry among them. 

We all have our callings. We all have our gifts. Yet, we have to wait until the church body affirms and confirms that gifting and calling in us. They have to ordain us to lead and serve among them. 

We can vote about it all we want to, but in the end, the church – not any institution – ordains its leaders and servants. 

The church knows. The rest of us should pay attention and listen to what the church already knows.. 

This essay was first posted in Scot McKnight’s newsletter.