Qualifications for the Ordination of Ministers

We recommend, That the fol­lowing statement be adopted as a guide in the ordination of minis­ters:

The setting apart of men for the sacred work of the ministry should be regarded as one of the most vital concerns of the church. The spiritual growth of God's peo­ple, their development in the virtues of Christ, as well as their relationship to one another as members of His body, are all closely bound up with and in many re­spects dependent upon the spirituality, efficiency, and consecration of those who minister in Christ's stead.

The mind of the Lord concerning the qualifications for the ministry is clearly re­vealed in the Scriptures. Anciently the minister was known as the "the man of God," sometimes "the man of the Spirit." Detailed instructions were given to Moses concerning the qualifications of the priest­hood: the priest's dress, his demeanor, his spiritual understanding being empha­sized. Then, in order to keep continually before the congregation the high calling of those who served in the tabernacle, the high priest wore on his miter the words "Holiness unto the Lord."

In the New Testament the picture is just as clear. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as "a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gos­pel of God" (Rom. 1:1). This matter of separation to the ministry was made very clear to him by the Lord Himself when, appearing to him on the Damascus road, He said, "I have appeared unto thee . . . to make thee a minister . . . ; delivering thee from the people, . . . unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:16-18). He was delivered or separated from the people, and then, as the anointed repre­sentative of God, he was sent back to the people to be God's mouthpiece and to open their eyes to the glories of the gospel. Later, in writing of the work of the minis­ter, he spoke of it as a "high calling."

The Spirit of prophecy says:

"A man can have no greater honor than to be accepted by God as an able minister of the gospel."—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 328.

In the Hebrew Epistle we read, "No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God" (Heb. 5:4).

The proofs of a man's divine call must be clearly evident before the church sets him apart by ordination.

"Ministers should be examined espe­cially to see if they have an intelligent un­derstanding of the truth for this time, so that they can give a connected discourse upon the prophecies or upon practical subjects. If they cannot clearly present Bible subjects, they need to be hearers and learners still. In order to be teachers of Bible truth, they should earnestly and prayerfully search the Scriptures, and be­come conversant with them. All these things should be carefully and prayerfully considered before men are sent into the field of labor."—Gospel Workers, p. 439.

"A true minister does the work of the Master. He feels the importance of his work, realizing that he sustains to the church and to the world a relation similar to that which Christ sustained. . . . Those who hear him know that he has drawn near to God in fervent, effectual prayer. The Holy Spirit has rested upon him, his soul has felt the vital, heavenly fire, and he is able to compare spiritual things with spiritual. . . . Hearts are broken by his presentation of the love of God, and many are led to inquire, 'What must I do to be saved?' "—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 329.

"The conversion of sinners and their sanctification through the truth is the strongest proof a minister can have that God has called him to the ministry. The evidence of his apostleship is written up­on the hearts of those converted, and is witnessed to by their renewed lives. . . . A minister is greatly strengthened by these seals of his ministry."—Ibid., p. 328.

For such work a man must indeed be called of God and give clear evidence of his call.

Concerning the examination of minis­terial candidates, the Lord's counsel to us is clear:

This counsel lays a definite obligation upon the leaders in charge of an ordina­tion service. They should plan for the examination of candidates in such a way that this important procedure shall not be simply perfunctory but give opportunity for a true evaluation of the candidate's fit­ness. Sufficient time should be made avail­able, particularly in cases where a number of candidates are to be examined. Wher­ever possible the candidate should plan to have his wife present for the examination, realizing that ordination affects not only the individual but the entire family.

Undue haste has sometimes been appar­ent in recommending candidates for or­dination. On the other hand there has also been undue delay, extending as long as twenty years and more. Both these atti­tudes are wrong. While no worker should be hurried into ordination, yet it is just as important that when one is ready to be thus set apart, the service should not be unduly delayed. Embarrassment has been brought to workers at times because of being unable to perform certain important ministerial responsibilities. The fact, how­ever, that a ministerial trainee has spent four, five, or even eight years in the field is of itself no guarantee that he is ready for ordination. One with less ability for evangelistic preaching or who reveals less aptitude than some for other lines of ministerial and pastoral work will naturally take longer to develop. Indeed, some may never qualify for ordination. Those who do not reveal particular ministerial talent and aptitude for definite public leadership should be encouraged to develop as per­sonal soul winners, recognizing that their call is to some other work less distinctly ministerial.

Conference and mission presidents and executive committees should recognize a definite responsibility to foster the growth of younger ministers and should see to it that such are given opportunities where they may develop to their full ministerial capacity. Any plan that diverts the minis­ter-to-be from his actual training and growth is to be discouraged. Injustices have been perpetrated at times when ministerial trainees possessing manual skills have been asked to spend long periods serving in other capacities to the neglect of their min­isterial development. Such a plan may save the conference money, but it delays the development of the minister.

When a conference gives a young man a ministerial license it should be recognized as a pledge on the part of the conference leadership to foster that worker's growth. And when one accepts a ministerial li­cense he should regard it as a pledge on his part to render the utmost service of which he is capable. Such a license, how­ever, is not a commitment on the part of a conference that ultimate ordination is as­sured. It merely provides the opportunity for the licentiate to prove his calling. While all cannot have the same conditions under which to develop into mature minis­ters, yet one who is called of God will re­veal his calling by his whole manner of life and the burden he carries for those who are still in the prison house of sin. Under some circumstances it is difficult to provide conditions where public evange­lism as such can be carried out, but he who is called of the Lord will be able to give proof of his calling and of his aptness for the ministry as a lifework.

In some areas of the world field educa­tional facilities are somewhat limited. If that be the case, it will naturally take longer for a minister to develop his readi­ness for ordination. Therefore, in consider­ation of all the varied conditions, it is im­possible to specify any definite length of time for the training period of the licenti­ate. The fact that a licensed minister is assigned to overseas service should not of itself delay his ordination beyond the time it would have taken place had he re­mained in the homeland. His service rec­ord should be passed along to the new field and receive proper evaluation in the recog­nition of his development. In suitable cases a licensed minister who is approaching or­dination at the time of his foreign call may be ordained prior to departure.

Before hands of ordination are laid upon a worker he should have given proof of:

1. Experience in various types of min­isterial responsibility.
2. Definite call to the ministry as a life­work.
3. Entire consecration of body, soul, and spirit.
4. Spiritual stability.
5. Social maturity.
6. Clear understanding of the Word of God.
7. Aptness as a teacher of truth.
8. Ability to lead souls from sin into holiness.
9. Fruitage in souls won to Christ.
10. A cooperative attitude and confidence in the organization and functioning of the church.
11. A life of consistent, exemplary Chris­tian conduct.
12. An exemplary family.

Ordination of men who have not given clear evidence of their call as soul-saving ministers must be avoided. It will always be true that some men, having been trained for lines of work other than that of the ministry, will in time give proof of their divine call to this sacred work, and the church, recognizing this, will feel called to set them apart by ordination. But such cases will certainly be exceptions. Because one holds a responsible position in the or­ganized work, it must not be considered that he is by that fact alone eligible for ordination.

There are certain lines of work in the denomination that are not regarded as strictly ministerial, but which provide ex­perience for some ministerial development. A college president, for example, or the principal of an academy, with young peo­ple under his care, bears the responsibility not only of their academic training but also their spiritual welfare. He is, there­fore, in a sense their pastor, and in asso­ciation with the Bible teacher is doing actual ministerial work. However, his call to that responsibility is not of itself a basis for ordination. No man's position in this cause, per se, should influence a committee to set him apart to the holy work of the ministry unless, and until, he gives definite proof of his aptitude and his spiritual ma­turity, and has a conviction in his own soul that God has called him to the minis­try as a lifework.

Workers in other capacities such as edi­tors, secretary-treasurers of conferences, and departmental leaders may also come to the place in their service where ordination is appropriate; however, in these cases, as in every other, the divine call to the minis­try must be clear, before the church, acting as God's representative, separates them to the gospel ministry. Such workers, like all candidates for ministerial credentials, should have the personal conviction that God has called them to the ministry, give evidence of the ministerial call and gift, and be known widely for their piety and ability as soul winners, before their ordi­nation is recommended and decided.

Ordination must never become simply a reward for faithful service or be considered as an opportunity to add title and prestige to a worker. Neither is it an honor to be sought by the individual, or by his family or his friends on his behalf. Such attitudes and tactics seriously minimize the sacred­ness of the ministry in the eyes of the church.

The ministry is not merely a profession; it is a calling. It is not for a period of time until some other more attractive oc­cupation beckons a man, but it is a life­work. Having put his hand to the plow, one is not free to look backward except at the peril of his soul. The apostle Paul, like the prophets of old, felt himself "under bonds" and he cried out, "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16). One who is ordained to the sacred work of the ministry should feel the same re­sponsibility as the apostle of old. And the conference that employs him should feel a definite responsibility to see that he is free to do his God-appointed work.

The simple record of the ordination of the apostles is impressive. "And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach" (Mark 3:13, 14). The first office of one ordained to the ministry is that he should be with God. Only then is he qualified to go forth to men to preach the Word of God. One who is thus consecrated and who enjoys con­stant communion with his Lord will re­joice in the privilege of rendering com­plete service, refusing to be entangled in business for personal gain and other things of this world, that he may, by the grace of God, give complete devotion to the cause he loves. Even when he reaches his retire­ment years he should feel the call of God to the same standard of life as he did in his most active years, "that the ministry be not blamed" (2 Cor. 6:3).