1. How do you conceive your vocation as an ordained minister?
I see my vocation as an ordained ministry as a gift from God. I am blessed that God has called me to the ordained ministry so that I may proclaim what Christ is actively doing in the world. I am able to do this by maintaining my vows to uphold the mission of the Church through ministries of Service, Word, Sacrament and Order.
As an ordained minister, I am to be prepared to share the Gospel in any and all situations. I am to provide leadership in presenting worship in a clear and concise manner so that when the worship service is over, those who are in the congregation have had an encounter with Jesus Christ and they are then moved to make a response in their own lives.
As an ordained minister, I am to give examples of servant ministry to those in the local Church, and to those in the community and world. Christ has given us examples of serving by ministering to those who came to him, by sending the disciples out into the world to preach, teach and heal. Christ also gave us the example of serving when he washed his disciples’ feet, showing that he wasn’t below the ordinary task of a servant.
Recently I felt this in my own life when I was blessed by a young girl named Reagan in the youth ministry. Reagan is wheelchair bound, and this has added extra challenges for me in planning youth events. We recently had a youth outing at a local go-cart track and I wanted to make sure Reagan could participate. In the past, I would have been able to “run-ahead” with the youth and do all of the activities with them, but this particular time, I stood behind to carry Reagan to a go-cart so she could experience what the rest of the youth could experience. This act helped Reagan feel part of the youth group, but it also demonstrated to the rest of the youth an act of service, and in turn they have started to find ways to be in service to Reagan during our weekly youth activities. When I vow to lead in service I am setting an example for my congregation to follow.
To administer the Sacraments is more than participating in rituals during worship. As an ordained minister I am to help the congregation understand and celebrate the sacraments fully. This means that I will take opportunity to be in conversation with members of the congregation about the sacraments and express how they are events that we carry in our daily lives. I share how we are to live out our baptisms and how we are continually strengthened for service when we partake of the bread and juice.
Finally as an ordained minister, I am to help maintain the order of the life of the congregation and help administer the Discipline of the Church. [1] This goes beyond making sure the needs of the Church are met, but it requires the minister to set aside a vision for the life of the local congregation. This vision includes establishing goals for and with the congregation to make disciples for the transformation of the world, and becoming active in the community around us.
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