Questions 13 & 14

13. What is the meaning of ordination in the context of the general ministry of the Church?
Ordination is a gift from God that affirms the ministry of people who have been set apart by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is through ordination that men and women commit their lives to the proclamation, and living out of the gospel. The end result of this proclamation and holy living is to fulfill the great commission of making disciples for Jesus Christ.[1]
The United Methodist Church upholds two orders of ordination: the order of the deacon and the order of the elder. These orders are established to provide a connection for deacons and elders, and to provide a place for support in ministry. These orders also provide a place where clergy can deepen their relationship with God together.
The deacon is called to the ministry of service and to equip those in the church for ministry. The deacon equips through teaching, worship, and other specialized ministries of the church. The deacon also assists the elder in the administration of the sacraments. The task of the deacon is to serve as the bridge between the worship life of the congregation and the service of God in the local community and the world.
An elder in the United Methodist Church is given the responsibility to be in ministry of Word, sacraments, service and order. The elder has the responsibility to teach God’s Word to the congregation. The elder has opportunities to do this through the sermon on Sunday morning and establishing classes where adult, youth and children have the opportunity to discover God’s Word and discuss it among their peers. The task for the elder is to challenge the congregation with God’s Word and help the congregation to discover how to apply God’s Word to their lives every day.
The elder is also charged with teaching about and presiding over the sacraments of baptism and holy communion. Teaching and presiding over the sacraments are important to me because it brings God’s gifts of the sacraments to the congregation so they may be brought into covenant with God.
The task of the elder is to educate the people of the church and provide opportunities for them to go and be in mission to the world. The body of Christ is not effective unless the body is reaching out to the world and sharing Christ’s love with all people. It is not the task of the elder to lead all service opportunities of the church, but the task is to encourage and equip the body to serve the world with their own unique giftedness that God has given each member of the church.
Finally, the elder is responsible in taking care of the day-to-day organization, stewardship, budget and vision of the church. Again, it is not the task of the elder to run the church by him or herself, but to encourage and lead the congregation in taking care of what God has given them.


14. Describe your understanding of an inclusive church and ministry?
As a church, we are called to reach out to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, status or economic condition.[2] We must be reminded that the church was not established for one group of people, but the church was established so that all people can come in community to experience Christ together, to serve together and to help encourage one another to grow in their faith.
As we form an inclusive church, we must hold firm to standards of membership that holds our membership accountable to what the church believes, but through this accountability, we encourage everyone who is a part of the church to move from where they are into a deeper more fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ. When I think of being an inclusive church, I see its inclusiveness being demonstrated through its ministry outreaches. The church should be proactive, looking throughout the community to find ways to reach out to God’s people and inviting them into a relationship with Jesus Christ. If we are called as a church to be imitators of Christ, then we need to reach out to the sinners where they are and take Christ’s unconditional love to them. At times, this may seem controversial, but when we look at who Jesus pursued we see that he reached out to the people that the religious leaders of his time would consider useless and unworthy of being included in the synagogue.
Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”[3] We see from this scripture that Paul, a Jewish Christian, worked to include the Gentiles into the life of the new church. In the book of Acts we see the conflict between Paul and the disciples centered on the inclusion of the Gentiles. The idea that God was not with the Gentiles was prevalent in the early church, and Paul encountered opposition as he included them in the life of the church. Paul’s point was that God is with everyone and that is why we as a church must minister to all people.
Today there are people who feel excluded from the life of the church for social, racial or economic reasons. Our ministry should include them, but we should also hold them accountable to what God is calling them to do and help them move toward perfect love of` God and perfect love of neighbor.
[1] Matthew 28:17
[2] 2004 Book of Discipline, Article IV of the Constitution; pg 22
[3] Galatians 3:28 NRSV