PAINTING BY JACK GARNIER

The Sacrament of Ordination

by Mark Euritt

Ordination is a sacrament of the Community of Christ that confers authority and responsibility on persons designated to represent the body of Christ (the church). Ordination is in response to God’s call to servant ministry, both for the person being ordained and the administrative officers of the church tasked with discerning calls to priesthood.

Ordination is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Restoration movement. Joseph Smith’s vivid testimony of a heavenly messenger ordaining Oliver Cowdery and himself resonates in the memory of the early church. The act of laying on of hands to ordain individuals to ministry was repeated often in the early church and continues to be an important ritual of the church. The word “ordain” is common to Restoration
scriptures, particularly the Doctrine and Covenants where it is used nearly 200 times. The practice of ordination did not begin with our own faith movement, however. The
church has always pointed to the experiences recounted in the New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) as formative for the sacrament of ordination.

Interestingly, in the original language (Greek) of the New Testament there is not a definitive word that can be assigned to “ordain.” There are numerous words that scholars have translated as “ordain,” but there is not a consistent pattern used in process of translating from Greek to English. In the Authorized Version of the Bible (perhaps more commonly The Sacrament of Ordination known as the King James Version), for example, “ordain” is used twenty times. It appears only five times in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and in the New International Version (NIV) it is used only once (and this singular instance does not refer to an act of ordination). The inconsistent use of the term, particularly in the Authorized Version, is illustrated by the Greek word poieo, which is used more than 500 times in the New Testament. Only once (in Mark 3:14) is it translated as “ordained.”

The best New Testament references to what we would call the act of ordination generally do not include a word that could be translated as “ordain.” Rather they refer to the practice of laying on of hands for the commissioning of ministry. With that said, the spirit of ordination as a sacrament of calling and conferring of authority is attested to in the scriptures.

Ordination is more than the physical action of laying on of hands and offering prayer. The act of ordination is a highly symbolic ritual that illuminates many of the core principles and beliefs of the church related to priesthood ministry. The church recognizes that the ritual of ordination, as sacrament, encompasses a Spirit-led process of divine discernment over a period of time. Each element of the ritual points to the process associated with the sacrament of ordination.

First, the sacrament of ordination is always observed in corporate worship. The ritual acknowledges the necessity for sacred time and space—an inherent need to orient and focus on the divine presence. The ritual itself begins symbolically when the officiating ministers and the person being ordained come before the congregation. The ordinand is seated facing the congregation with bowed head. This coming before and facing the congregation in a posture of reverence and humility exemplifies the servant nature of priesthood ministry. In this corporate worship, the congregational role is lifted up. The congregation, representing not just itself but the entire church, gives assent to the ordination and receives the ministry that will come from the ordinand.

This calling forward in sacred space is also symbolic of our belief that God is responsible for bringing us into this moment. When ordinands choose to come forward, they do so in response to God’s call in their life. This calling reminds us of Jesus’ calling of the Twelve as shared in the New Testament Gospel traditions (Matthew 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16) and in the story of the Book of Mormon (III Nephi 5:44–45). The act of calling is central to Community of Christ beliefs about God’s relationship with humanity.

The officiating ministers lay their hands on the head of the ordinand. The act of laying on of hands is a visible expression and representation of the divine touch. This representation highlights the church’s understanding that the act of ordination is through the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit through the officiating ministers and not by ministers in their own right. The laying on of hands is associated with many of the church’s sacraments and not just ordination. It has a rich testimony in both the New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures, from Jesus’ laying hands on and blessing children to his laying hands on and healing many persons afflicted with physical and emotional wounds. While most of the New Testament references to the laying on of hands are not associated with the act of ordination, there are important references that highlight this physical expression for commissioning ministers and conferring leadership.

When the demands of ministry became more burdensome for the apostles while in Jerusalem, seven persons were called and hands were laid on them to provide special ministry to the needs of widows in Jerusalem (see Acts 6:1–6). When Barnabas and Saul (later known as Paul) were commissioned to share the gospel in other places, it was done by the laying on of hands (see Acts 13:1–3). Timothy is reminded in the letters bearing his name about the laying on of hands associated with his ministerial calling and responsibilities (see I Timothy 5:22 and II Timothy 1:6). Likewise, in the much older Hebrew tradition, hands were laid on the Levites as they were commissioned to their special service (see Numbers 8:5–12). In the Hebrew narratives the laying on of hands generally conveyed leadership or authority and included commissioning (see Numbers 27:15–23).

In the later Christian tradition, the laying on of hands to confer authority also included prayer. While the sending forth of Paul and Barnabas included fasting and prayer before the laying on of hands, the calling of the seven individuals in Acts 6:1–6 clearly depicts prayer and the laying on hands acting in concert. The Book of Mormon also illustrates the combination of these two components for ordination (see Moroni 3:2). The ordination prayer in the Community of Christ includes both the conferring of rights and responsibilities of priesthood but also includes blessing and commissioning.

In the Community of Christ we celebrate the “setting apart” of ministers to serve in particular offices of ministry, including president, pastor, financial officer, and counselors. While not an official sacrament of the church, the setting apart is an extension of ordination. The setting apart recognizes the authority that the church has given to the selected person to serve in an official role of the church. The practice recognizes the expectation that God’s Spirit will both prompt and nurture the leader in his or her official role and is also a call to the church to support this leader in leadership responsibilities.

Finally, the act of ordination confers authority on the priesthood member according to the responsibilities of their particular priesthood office. This authority is in response to the spirit of inspiration but is subject to the procedures and authorities of the church. The stewardship of priesthood is the responsibility of duly-appointed church officers. Priesthood members do not act independently of the church but within the guidelines and framework of the church community. An important element of the priesthood calling process is the acceptance of called ministers by the body of the church.

Ordination is authorized only after administrative approvals by church leaders and approval by the church gathered in an official conference. The blend of God’s Spirit, the church, and the one being called is central to the church’s exercise of its stewardship of priesthood. The sacrament of ordination as a communal experience lifts up this important relationship. As ritual, ordination allows us to experience divine presence and be reassured that God continues to call the church to be a living witness and embodiment of Christ.