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page 11 of 33
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From Call to Settlement |
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by Lloyd M. Hall, Jr. |
IV. THE INTER-CHURCH
COUNCIL
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While there are increasing instances in which Councils consider other
matters, the majority are convened for the purpose of ordination or
installation. Formally, this inter-Church council is an Ecclesiastical
Council of the Vicinage ('vi-son-ij, 'vis-nij / a neighboring or
surrounding district: VICINITY). That is, it is a convocation of
Congregational Churches from the area; and the Council, in these
instances, is always convened at the invitation of a Church. Reality often
makes that neighborhood very large and it legitimately expands beyond
geographic boundaries to embrace other Churches that may have a special
interest in the matter at hand. It is often, for instance, orderly for the
ordaining Church to include the calling Church on the list of invited
Council members even if that Church is not part of the local association. |
The Church's Decision to Ordain |
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With all of the preparatory steps
in place, it is time to look toward the consummating moment. Ready to
begin the work full time 18 and to be "labeled" as one of
Christ's ministers, to confirm publicly what God has done, the prospective
Ordinand makes a formal request to the Church for ordination. This request
must be made to the Church of which the candidate is a member.
Strong tradition in recent years has been for the ordaining Church to be
the Church that has nurtured and supported the candidate through the years
of preparation. If that has not been a strong and continuing bond, it is
more orderly for the candidate to move her membership to the calling
Church and seek ordination and installation there.
However the Church's machinery
works, the request of the candidate comes to someone (usually the
Diaconate) and must be acted upon. The body receiving the request for
ordination needs to make certain that all preparatory steps have been
taken. This includes a call to a specific ministry. There is a natural and
understandable desire on the part of seminary seniors to look toward
ordination immediately after graduation. But ordination inherently means
induction into office and that requires a call. 19
Careful consultation between the
candidate and the Diaconate may enable the ordination to be scheduled
before a formal call has been issued but this is always a risky business
and should be discouraged. A lifetime of ministry allows adequate time to
wait until a call has been issued before voting to ordain. A call to a
specific ministry by a people of God is the sine qua non of
ordination. That, and not the level of preparation, is the affirmation of
God's ordination. 20
Satisfied on the one hand that all necessary preparation has been
accomplished and, on the other, that the candidate is truly gifted and
called to ministry, the Diaconate should recommend to the Church that the
candidate be ordained and that a Council be convened to "examine the
candidate, review our proceedings, and advise us in reference to the same;
and, if judged expedient, to assist in the Installation [Ordination] service."
21
The Church must then meet in a
duly called and held meeting, consider the recommendation of the Diaconate,
and vote to proceed or not. The call and minutes of this meeting should be
a part of the Church's presentation to the Council.
When the Church calls a person to
his first office as a minister, and before he is ordained, the matter to
be considered by the Church and referred to the Council is Ordination
and Installation. All records and procedures required for ordination
and for installation will apply.
For the Installation of a
person previously ordained in the Congregational Way (by vote of a Church
and participation by a properly convened Council), there only needs to be
inquiry relating to the call to the Church, the acceptance, and the faith
and experience of the minister-elect. If ordained in some other fashion or
in another fellowship, the procedures should be identical to those of
Ordination and Installation except that there will be no
laying-on-of-hands during the public service. 22
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18 "Full time"
may not reflect the reality of a person who is called to a tentmaking
ministry. The question to be resolved by the candidate, the Church, and the
Council is whether the person is a contractor who preaches on Sunday (etc.),
therefore a Lay-Minister; or a minister whose stewardship is, in part, to
gain support for himself and his family by working as a contractor on the
side.
19 See Footnote 16 but note that this
notion has, in our polity, been expanded to embrace other ministries than
those of the local Church alone.
20 "The power which sets the new Pastor
over his Church, is Christ, the Great Head, speaking through the Church.
Therefore, the power which should formally call the new officer to his work,
should be the Church speaking for Christ its Great Head." (Henry M.
Dexter; Congregationalism: Why It Is Better Than Any Other Form Of Church
Government And Its Consequent Demands; Third Edition, Revised And
Enlarged; Noyes, Holmes, And Company; Boston
21 Dexter; Hand-Book; p 152
22 We have a long tradition of honoring the
ordinations of other Christian denominations when appropriate standards have
been met. Churches and Councils ought to make careful inquiry as to a
minister-elect's status with respect to a previous denomination affiliation.
Is the ordination still recognized? Has there been disciplinary action or
surrender of credentials? Sometime ordained clergy, no longer recognized as
such by their previous denomination, would warrant careful examination and
would need to be ordained according to our way. |
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National Association of Congregational Christian
Churches
PO Box 288, Oak Creek, WI 53154 |
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Pages: Cover,
Content,
1, 2,
3,
4,
5,
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7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16,
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| Page 11 of 33 |
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