Ordination Questions 1 - 3

1. How has the practice of ministry affected your experience and understanding of God?

As I continue my journey toward ordination, I have been able to grow in my understanding that God is always present and active in the world around us.  Even when we refuse to listen to what God is calling us to do, God never leaves us or abandons us.  This is highlighted in scripture where we read that God is love.[1]  The testimony we have in scripture illuminates God’s love for us. We see this with God freeing the Israelites from Pharaoh and with God raising up Judges in the Old Testament to rescue God’s people time and time again even though they turned from God.  We see in our own lives that while we turn from God and follow our own ways, God continues to shower us with God’s love. We see the culmination of God’s love through Jesus Christ, God’s only Son who was sent to earth so we can be justified through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Because of God’s unfailing love, we respond in the love that God has given us to wholly worship and love God and to love those around us.  This is a quality that I have seen exhibited in my ministry setting at Grace United Methodist Church.  I see how much God has done for them, and in return, they want to reach out to the community and world to share God’s love with all of God’s children.  Locally, this occurs through building ramps for those who need assistance coming and going from their houses, collecting food, school supplies and clothing for the poor in our community, and being mentors as Jefferson Elementary School.  Grace members show God’s love to others by leaving the comforts of their homes to be in mission throughout the country and the world.  They talk about what Christ has done in their lives and  demonstrate God’s love through things like home repair projects or ministering to AIDS orphans in Africa.

Grace members also show God’s love by walking with people during difficult situations in their lives.  The often-quoted 23^rd Psalm says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff —they comfort me.”[2] Because we have experienced God walking with us through the darkest valleys of our lives, that experience has equipped us to help others who are walking through their own dark valleys.  Members have answered the call to be Stephen Ministers, sit in hospital rooms, provide support during funeral services or knit prayer shawls for those who are sick.  Through these activities members have shared with those in need that God is walking with them in and through their difficult times, and God’s love will never abandon them.

The psalmist wrote, “The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.”[3] I started this journey toward ordination over ten years ago when I left the comfort and stability of teaching music in Kansas.  During these past ten years, four ministry settings, and the blessings of a new family, I know that God loves me.  I see that God has remained faithful to me through all of my challenges and difficulties as I have answered God’s call in my life.  Because of God’s love and faithfulness, I know that through all the joys and trials, God’s grace will guide me.

2. What effect has the practice of ministry had on your understanding of humanity and the need for divine grace?

I see that humanity is always in need of reconciliation.  Our world is full of broken relationships and with the guidance and help from the Holy Spirit, the Church can provide that reconciliation to the world. The key to this reconciliation is God’s divine grace.  This grace is a gift from God that we can never earn on our own merit, but it is freely given to us because of God’s love for us.

When humanity seeks and strives for full reconciliation, we have the promise that Paul proclaims when he says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[4]

First, humanity is in need of reconciliation with God.  We see in scripture time and time again how humanity ignored God and found their own standards, oftentimes with disastrous results.  Unfortunately, humanity ignoring God isn’t just a Biblical event.  We see in our own lives where we have failed to listen to God and have moved out on our own.  Or, we set up other idols in our lives thinking they can bring us the peace and joy we can only receive from our Creator.

Second, humanity is in need of reconciliation with the rest of humanity. In the book of Acts, following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the community saw the need to band together and we read that, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”[5] Shortly after this celebration, we hear of a couple that refused to give all to the community and then were ultimately punished for their own selfishness.[6] We look around us and understand that the ultimate goal is to live in community with all of humanity. However our own selfish desires, jealousies and temptations separate us from others which call for reconciliation.

Third, we are in need of reconciliation with ourselves.  Sometimes, we can be our own harshest critics.  Mistakes from our past come back to haunt us. We feel like we can never be good enough. We overanalyze our every move and become frozen in our own grief, self-doubt and failures. Reconciliation is needed so we can have peace within ourselves.

Finally we are in need of reconciliation with all of creation.  In the creation story, God creates and places humanity in the midst of creation. God does this so that humanity can provide stewardship over God’s creation. The Amplified version of the Bible adds that humanity should use “all its vast resources in the service of God and man;”[7]  Over the course of history, creation has been misused and destroyed in pursuit of convenience and profit. Humanity needs to be reconciled with creation and should begin being faithful stewards of all creation.

 3. What changes has the practice of ministry had on your understanding of: (a) the Lordship of Jesus Christ,” and (b) the work of the Holy Spirit?

During my ministry, I have learned that I must wholly trust in Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.  By living my life fully under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I am submitting myself under that authority and I commit my life to live the way Christ is leading me.  In ministry, there is always a temptation to look at what others are doing and then focus on imitating their activity in order to accomplish the same result.  So many times this focus of imitating leads to disappointment because we can’t produce the same results.  When we succumb to this form of imitation, we take our eyes off of Christ and Christ’s Lordship in our lives and we state that we want to be more like the ministries we are modeling.  Paul shares in his letters to, “be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”^[8],^[9] Following the Lordship of Christ in ministry means that I am constantly following the example of what Christ has done in his ministry and follow Christ’s lead in my life.

The example of Jesus that I follow is Christ’s willingness to serve.  Jesus said, “…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve;”[10] in order to fully live this example of Christ, I look for ways to be in service to others and invite members of the congregation to join in that service.  Whether it be serving at the local woman’s crisis center or helping doing dishes after a Church event, I know that the work I am doing is ultimately serving the Lord of my life, not trying to win the approval of others in my congregation.

We do not have to guess at how to respond as Christ our Lord.  Christ promised us that, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”^[11] In ministry, as we seek to live under the Lordship of Christ, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us.  In the Evangelical United Brethren Church Confession we confess that the Holy Spirit leads us “through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth.”^[12]  As we live our lives listening to the Holy Spirit, we can make a faithful witness to what Christ’s Lordship means to us.

We are able to listen to the Holy Spirit when we practice the means of grace.  Through prayer, fasting and searching the scriptures, we open ourselves for that faithful response to the gospel.  Looking back at my call to ministry, I see how listening to the Holy Spirit through the means of grace has guided me, and I know that God will continue to guide me as I strive to live under the lordship of Christ.

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[1] 1 John 4:8,16

[2] Psalm 23:4 NRSV

[3] Psalm 145:13b

[4] Rom 8:38-39 NRSV

[5] Acts 2:44-46 NRSV

[6] Acts 5: Ananias and Sapphira conspired to hold back a portion of the proceeds from land they sold from the community of Acts.  Peter did confront Ananias and told him that he was lying to God. While the lie was ultimately to God, this action shows that Ananias and Sapphira believed they were above the rest of the community and deserved more which brought division between that couple and the community.

[7] Genesis 1:28 AMP

[8] Ephesians 5:1-2 NRSV

[9] Paul also talked about imitating him, or imitating other believers.  While Paul said this, his intention was clear that we aren’t to imitate that particular person, but how Christ lives within that person and how we should allow Christ to live in us as Christ lives in them.

[10] Matthew 20:28 NRSV

[11] John 14:26-27 NRSV

[12] BOD ¶103 Article III – The Holy Spirit 

Ordination Questions 4 - 6

4. The United Methodist Church holds that Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason are sources and norms for belief and practice, but that the Bible is primary among them. What is your understanding of this theological position of the Church?

Using the sources of Scripture, tradition, experience and reason we are able to see the entire picture when we participate in theological discourse.  Our theological task always is based in scripture; we read that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”[1]  When we look at scripture, we see who we really are. We see ourselves as individuals who are in need of divine grace.  This is evident as we contemplate our sense of brokenness as we see our own lives in the characters of scriptures.  

In order to live faithfully to Scripture, we understand that we don’t live our lives in a vacuum with Scripture.  “…Our attempts to grasp its (Scripture) meaning always involve tradition, experience, and reason.”[2] In his book Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton wrote, “I did not make it. God and humanity made it; and it made me.”[3] It is the faith of our forbearers that help shape and guide our own theological reflection.  We grow in our understanding of God as we recite the ancient creeds and confessions.  We experience the witness of the hymn writers when we sing their statements of faith.  Reflecting on tradition helps us see how God has moved through God’s people in the past and helps us to see how the Church has grown in our understanding of God today.

With the lens of tradition, we also rely on our experience and reason.  God is active in our lives and in the world around us. It is through the experiences we’ve had that we are able to point to what God has done in our lives.  When we are able to share how God is active in our lives, then we share that experience with others so they can see God actively moving in the world around us.

This is one of the main reasons why I like to be active in ministry with my congregation. Recently on a senior high mission trip, we had a client night where the people whose homes we were working on had a chance to address the youth who had been working on their houses all week.  One elderly woman whose siding we replaced came and talked about seeing God in the youth that week as they repaired and painted her house.  At that moment, the youth were encouraged and strengthened as they grew as disciples of Jesus Christ.  The experience of having that client express how God was working through them allowed them to see God work through her as she encouraged them in their faith journey.

Reason is important because it is used to make sure that our witness to Christ is true and clear.  Throughout the course of history, people have used Scripture, tradition and experience to abuse, manipulate and mischaracterize the Gospel of Christ for their own advantages.  When we understand and use the reason that God has given us, we make sure that our actions and beliefs are in accordance with God’s will.[4]

5. How do you understand the following traditional evangelical doctrines: (a) repentance; (b) justification; (c) regeneration; (d) sanctification? What are the marks of the Christian life?

The understanding of repentance lies in our understanding of God’s prevenient grace. We come to repentance because of the work God is already doing in the world around us and in our lives. The Psalmist reminds us, “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.”[5] God is always actively involved the world around us, constantly showing us love and mercy.  Repentance occurs when we become aware of God’s activity in and around us and we then turn from our sinful ways to live life differently, embracing the grace that God has given us.

Justification is God continuing to extend grace to humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  When we are justified, we are set right with God.  We are then set free from the bondage of sin to a life of freedom in Christ Jesus. Justification is something humanity cannot grasp on humanity’s own merit. Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”[6]

Regeneration is new birth. New birth occurs at the same time as justification with a major distinction.  Justification is something God has done for us, while regeneration is something God does within us.[7] It is what Christ shared with Nicodemus when he came to Christ in the middle of the night in John.[8]  Through regeneration, we are new creations.  As Paul writes, we are changed: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”[9]

However, God is not finished with us after regeneration.  We continue to grow in our love of God and love of neighbor, through sanctification.  Sanctification is a continuous work of grace that sets us apart from our sinful nature by changing us into Christ’s likeness.  It is through sanctification that we continue our growth as God’s people. Romans 12 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.”[10] Even though we will be tempted by the things of this world, God gives us sanctifying grace so we are strengthened “to increase in the knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.”[11]

             The marks of a Christian life are the visible changes that we see in ourselves. Because of what God has done for us, we then are called to action in response.  We show that response by letting our actions reflect the grace God has given us.  Paul wrote, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;”[12] In my ministry, I follow Paul’s words by being a grace extender, extending the grace God has given us to the world around us.

6. For the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness to the Christian gospel and in consideration of your influence as an ordained minister, are you willing to make a complete dedication of yourself to the highest ideals of the Christian life; and to this end will you agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to physical health, intentional intellectual development, fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, integrity in all personal relationships, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God?

As a called and ordained person of the word, I know that I have a responsibility to live my life in a way that reflects God’s love and grace to those who see my witness of Christ.  Romans 12 tell us “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what the will of God— what is good and acceptable and perfect.”[13]

One of the ways that I can accomplish this witness is to live out the General Rules: “Do no harm…. Do good… and attending upon all the ordinances of God…”[14] By following these three rules established by John Wesley I am striving to live my life ever mindful of how I can be readily available first to God in my life, but also how I can serve my family and neighbor. By exercising responsible self-control, I am maintaining habits that aid me in doing no harm.  This includes what I consume in food and drink, but also what I choose to place in my mind. Paul reminds us that, ““All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.””[15] Making a commitment to do no harm acknowledges that there are several things that will compete for my attention. What I eat or what I allow to occupy my time maybe lawful, but it could be at an expense to my own health and my relationships.

By doing good, I am living out Jesus’ command to love our neighbor as ourselves.[16] As a Christian, I am called to help those in need and make myself available to those in my family and those who I am in relationship with.  By doing good, I am committed to take care of myself both physically and mentally to maintain my physical and mental health.  Over the past year, I have really made the effort to take care of myself physically.  Recently, I lost over 40 pounds by eating healthy and becoming more physically active.  I was able to accomplish this by joining with my wife in a weight loss program that helped us evaluate our eating habits and maintaining healthy lifestyles.  After accomplishing my weight loss goal, I started doing more vigorous exercises and, along with several church members, I competed in my first 5k run in Sherman. I plan to continue this type of exercise so I can do what I need to do in order to take care of myself physically.

Finally I vow to continue to attend upon the ordinances of God.  In order to maintain my spiritual and physical health, I must continue to live in relationship with the One who has created me.  By actively practicing the spiritual disciplines I am building on my commitment to allow my relationship with Jesus Christ to guide my ministry and my relationships.

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[1] 2 Timothy 3:16 NRSV

[2] ¶104 United Methodist Book of Discipline pg. 79

[3] Chesterton, G.K., Orthodoxy San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995 p. 13

[4] Jones, Scott J. United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002 p. 140

[5] Psalm 139:8-10 NRSV

[6] Ephesians 2:8-9 NRSV

[7] Jones, Scott J. United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002 p. 202

[8] John 3:3-8

[9] 2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV

[10] Romans 12:2 NRSV

[11] BOD ¶101

[12] Romans 12:8 NRSV

[13] Romans 12:1-2 NRSV

[14] ¶103 United Methodist Book of Discipline

[15] 1 Corinthians 6:12 NRSV

[16] Matthew 22:39

Ordination Question 7

7. What is the meaning and significance of the sacraments?

 The sacraments are an “outward sign of inward grace.”[1] It is through these means of grace that we express the grace of God that is already at work in and around us.  Through the use of physical elements and the liturgy we share, we re-present the story of God’s unfailing love for us and the whole world. When I have the opportunity to officiate over a baptism or when I share Holy Communion with the body of Christ, I can feel how connected we are with God through the pouring of the water or the sharing of the bread and cup. The sacraments are not ways that we earn our salvation, because salvation is a gift we receive from God that cannot be earned by our works. However, the sacraments are gifts given to us so that we may live in and grow in divine grace.[2] When we participate in the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, we are following the commands that Jesus gave in the Gospels.[3] By participating in the sacraments, we connect ourselves to the universal church throughout all of history.

“Baptism is the sacrament of initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ.”[4]  Through the sacrament of baptism, persons are brought into the covenant life with Jesus Christ.  The physical washing with water is a physical sign of our sins being washed away through Christ. Baptism is a sign of God working in and through us.  Even though we present ourselves or our loved ones for baptism, the action of baptism is God bestowing God’s grace in our lives. Presenting ourselves also incorporates our children as families bring infants and children for baptism.  It is a sign that we place ourselves into the covenant of baptism.  By baptizing children and infants we signify that God’s covenant is for all and as the infants and children grow, we are instructed to teach them about this covenant so they will be able to make their faithful response to what God is already doing in their lives.

Through baptism, we participate in a loving covenant with our Creator. This covenant connects God, the community of faith and the person being baptized.[5]  Each part of this covenant is vital to the sacrament.  God extends God’s love and grace to all creation. God’s love initiates all action in the covenant, as we say in the confession of sins, even though God’s love is faithful, we fall short.  The community of faith plays an important role because we help support one another in our journey of faith. It is through the community of faith that we hold each other accountable and provide love and support in our journey of faith. Finally the covenant is completed by the person being baptized. By submitting to the act of baptism, we say yes to the grace of God already active in our lives. It is a covenant made with God stating that we will continue in our growth and love of God and love of neighbor.

Because God’s grace permeates through the sacrament of baptism, we do not practice rebaptism. When I visited the Holy Land this past year, we visited the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan River. While we were traveling on the bus to that site, I had a conversation with a person on the trip about the possibility of being rebaptized where Jesus was baptized. While he was thinking about being rebaptized, he asked me what I thought about the opportunity.  I told him that while it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Jordan River, our baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime expression of God’s love for us.  I encouraged him to join us in a rededication of our baptismal vows, affirming what God has already done in our lives.  We reaffirm our baptismal covenant to remember the grace that God has given to us so we’re reminded that God will never break God’s covenant with us.

Through the sacrament of Holy Communion, several activities are taking place. Holy Communion is an act of thanksgiving, fellowship, remembrance, sacrifice, action of the Holy Spirit and eschatology.[6] When we take from the bread and cup, we give thanks for all that God has done. We are especially thankful for the giving of grace and God’s son Jesus Christ so that our relationship with God may be restored.  It is an act of fellowship because the sacrament has been shared through the centuries all over the world connecting the body of Christ through Paul’s words in 1^st Corinthians: “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ..”[7] When we share in the breaking of the bread and drinking of the cup, we understand that we share in communion with all of those who desire a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.[8]

Holy Communion is an act of remembrance, but it is much more than just recalling what Christ did.  It is anamnesis which connects us to Christ’s sacrifice, but it shows that Christ is risen, alive here and now.  When we remember Christ’s sacrifice, we then participate in the ongoing redemption, reconciliation and justice for all of God’s creation. We recognize that by partaking in Communion, we not only remember Christ’s sacrifice, but in the words of the ritual, “We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us…”[9]

The work done through communion is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Within the communion ritual, we pray for God to, “Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.”[10] We ask for the Holy Spirit to use the bread and cup to strengthen us, so that we may then go out to the world as the body of Christ.

Through Holy Communion, we remember that God will see us through to the end of history. We say in the ritual that “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”[11] While we partake of Communion as broken people, we proclaim that we will share in this meal with Christ at the end of history. Through Christ, all things are made new and Christ has victory over sin and death.

Finally, because of what Christ offers in Holy Communion, we celebrate an open table because the table belongs to Christ. The table is open so that all persons may respond to the grace and love that is poured out for us by Jesus Christ our Lord.

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[1] John Wesley Means of Grace Sermon

[2] This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion, Nashville, TN: The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church 2004 p. 7

[3] Luke 22:19b “Do this in remembrance of me.” Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[4] BOD ¶216.1

[5] By Water &The Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism, Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources 1996 p. 8

[6] This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion, Nashville, TN: The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church 2004 p. 8

[7] 1 Corinthians 10:17 NRSV

[8] UMH pg. 11

[9] UMH; page 10

[10] UMH; page 10

[11] UMH; page 10

Ordination Questions 8-9

8. Describe the nature and mission of the Church. What are its primary tasks today?

The mission of the Church “is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”[1] This mission encompasses all that the Church should be doing.  When the Church is active in its mission, it “is a sign of God’s presence in the world.”[2] This mission is realized when the Church is actively seeking out the least and the lost, by being in mission with the poor and the disadvantaged.

The Church participates in this mission by working together as clergy and laity to strengthen and fulfill that mission. “The effectiveness of the Church in mission depends on these covenantal commitments to the ministry of all Christians and the ordained ministry of the Church.”[3]

The primary task of the Church is to provide opportunities for persons to grow in their love and knowledge of Christ, and then for persons to take that love and knowledge of Christ out into the world to be in ministry to all of God’s creation.  We see this best in scripture in the book of Acts when the disciples and new believers gathered in fellowship and study only to move out into the community to share Christ’s love with the world.[4]  Being committed to the mission of the Church, we must continually seek for ways to help develop principled Christian leaders within our local congregations and communities. We must seek out new places to connect people with Christ, who is actively working in the world around them. We must engage in ministry to the poor in our local community and world so they may be freed from the burdens of disease and poverty and given opportunities to share the gifts God has graciously given to them.

Through my appointment at Grace United Methodist Church, I have been responsible for youth and young adult ministries.  Through this ministry I have worked at building principled Christian leaders with young adults in the Church.  Over the past two years, young adults have started to play important roles at Grace.  We have young adults leading worship on Sunday morning, serving on our SPRC committee, and leading mission projects including our annual Thanksgiving dinner for the Women’s Crisis Center in Sherman, TX.  We also have young adults that are branching out to in the community, helping with online donations for Relay for Life.

Two young adults who graduated from our youth program are now active volunteer interns for the youth program. Our emphasis on “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”[5] has been fruitful, and I am looking forward to working with the youth and young adults to help them continue their growth as disciples.

9. What is your understanding of: (a) the kingdom of God; (b) the Resurrection: (c) eternal life?

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  The kingdom of God is the place where God’s will is being done.  With that being said, when we look around us, we see that God’s Kingdom is already here on earth, but it isn’t fully realized.  As we grow in understanding of how God is actively moving in and around us, we see that the kingdom of God isn’t just relegated to heaven, but God’s kingdom is all around us and we are privileged to partner with God in God’s kingdom.  Jesus consistently gives us glimpses of what the kingdom of God is like. Through many stories and parables, Jesus tells us to “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”[6] Because the kingdom is not fully realized, we still have to deal with the effects of evil and sin in the world around us and constantly point to how the world should be. Even though the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we are limited in what we know and understand about God, but because of the Holy Spirit we are able to grow in that understanding.

The Resurrection gives us hope.  Through the Resurrection, we confess that Jesus Christ first has power over sin and death which then frees us for joyful obedience in our lives today. Because Christ has exercised power over sin and death, we too who claim Christ can experience resurrection from sin and death in our own lives.[7]  For me, resurrection means that my life is different, that I am a changed person because of Christ’s power over sin and death. I no longer live as a person who is in bondage to sin, but I am set free to live my life in Christ and the power of Christ’s resurrection.

Because of Christ’s resurrection, we are then free from the power of sin so that we can experience eternal life.  Jesus says in John, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”[8] To experience the freedom in Christ not only gives us the hope of being with Christ after our own death, but to actively pursue bringing freedom, peace and justice in our world today.  To experience eternal life is living a life that echoes the words of Paul in Romans: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[9] I experience eternal life because I know that God is always with me and even when life gets hard, I know that God will always be with me and God will never leave me.

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[1] BOD ¶120

[2] BOD ¶1301

[3] BOD ¶303.4

[4] Acts 2:46-47.  While the church gathered in the breaking of the bread and growing in knowledge through the apostles’ teaching, there was a yearning to reach out and share. In contrast, when we look at the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, the community wanted to make a name for themselves and not share the gifts God has blessed the community with. Unlike the believers in Acts whose numbers were added to because they shared, the community at Babel was torn apart and scattered because of their selfish tendencies not to share God’s blessings with the world.

[5] BOD ¶120

[6] Matthew 6:33 NRSV

[7] Romans 6:14

[8] John 10:10 NRSV

[9] Romans 8:38-39 NRSV

Ordination Question How do you conceive your vocation as an ordained minister?

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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[1] BOD ¶303.2

Ordination Questions: Section 3 Questions 1-3

1. How has the practice of ordained ministry affected your understanding of the expectations and obligations of the itinerant system?

The expectations and obligations of the itinerant system are to help support the overall mission of the United Methodist Church: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.[1]  By serving in the itinerant system I am making a covenant that says I will maintain a strong connection between the ministries of the Church; provide accountability for myself as I grow as a disciple, and that I will be accountable to Jesus Christ and the Church in everything I do.

During my ministry, I have been a part of each of these aspects of itinerancy.  Over the past three years, I had the pleasure of serving as the Sherman/McKinney District youth coordinator.  While serving in that capacity I worked with several local congregations to host district youth events that brought youth together to fellowship, worship and be in mission with one another.  Through the establishment of these groups, smaller churches with volunteer youth workers were able to be connected with larger churches to participate in ministry that they would never be able to do unless they charged their youth large amounts of money.

While together, relationships were built and other ministry was done collectively through partnerships with the churches.  Several churches partnered together on summer mission trips, working together to make a difference in their local communities.  The connectional system provided the support and encouragement of those activities.

Being an associate pastor at Grace United Methodist Church, I have been able to work together with my lead pastor Keith Head to reach out to our community.  It is through that cooperative effort that we share in the same goal and work together to make our ministries stronger. It is through the support we give to one another that helps us grow as clergy.

While working toward ordination, I have established relationships with other provisionary clergy that I meet with monthly to encourage one another in the process of ordination.  We plan to maintain these relationships to help keep each other accountable in our ministries and support one another through those difficult moments of ministry.

The main expectation that holds the itinerant system together is that we trust that the Holy Spirit is at work through the Bishop with the consultation from the cabinet during the appointment process. This shows that the ministry of the Church is bigger than one clergyperson or church and that God is guiding the Church to be effective in the task of making disciples and reaching out to the world in God’s love. I am committed to the itinerancy, and I trust that the Holy Spirit will work in me in order to provide ministry to God’s children in the setting to which I am appointed.

2. Do you offer self without reserve to be appointed and to serve as the appointive authority may determine?

I wholeheartedly offer myself without reserve to be appointed and to serve as the appointive authority would determine. I believe that I have been called by God to be in ministry in the United Methodist Church.  By answering that call, I am placing myself under the authority of the Bishop with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing that my ministry is a part of the entire connection, I commit myself to be sent to the ministry setting where my gifts and graces can best be utilized effectively to reach out into the community to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

3. Describe and evaluate your personal gifts for ministry. What would your areas of strength and areas in which you need to be strengthened?

One of my strengths is that I care about the members of my congregation and I want to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  I have been told by several people who I have counseled that I have a calming presence and relational sense about me and that I use those gifts to help them discuss what is happening in their lives and to help them see that Christ is actively working even when they may not see it.

Another strength of mine is in the area of preaching. I enjoy being able to spend time during the week looking through the scriptures to see how I can connect God’s word with God’s people.  I feel blessed that I can look through the scripture and make it come alive to my congregation.  When I preach, I want to bring those who listen into the scripture so they may encounter the living Savior that I am preaching about and have their lives transformed by God’s Spirit. I see the act of preaching as a way to transform and equip the Church to share the gospel, while challenging and encouraging them on their own faith journey with Jesus Christ. 

As of right now, I have the opportunity to preach approximately once a month. I look forward to that week of preparation, but I am looking forward to the day that I will be able to make that a part of my weekly discipline.

A third strength of mine is engaging people in mission and ministry by providing missional experiences for those desiring to be Christ’s hands and feet to the world. I love providing an opportunity for the youth and adults of the congregation to travel to a location in need to participate in home repair.  Another area where I’ve provided leadership has been in the area of developing a missional relationship with a local elementary school by providing supplies, mentor relationships and other types of support. My hope is that the Church will live out the words of Jesus when he said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”[2]

I would have to say my biggest growing edge has to be dealing with my self confidence.  I know that I am a people pleaser by nature and I can get into the mindset of wanting to make people happy, which in turn causes me to doubt my own abilities. To ease this self-doubt I constantly remind myself that, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”[3] When I am able to remember that I am a vessel that God is using to minister to God’s children, I am able to find more confidence.

I am also constantly trying to find ways to have balance in my life.  A difficult challenge is making sure I have quality time with my wife and children.  One of the biggest challenges is balancing the day off I have without my family, without filling it with ministry duties and appointments.  I know that a day of Sabbath rest is important, but I struggle with using that day off to be refreshed.

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[1] BOD ¶120

[2] Matt 25:40 NRSV

[3] Philippians 4:13 NRSV

Ordination Questions: Section 3 Questions 4-6 and NTC Question

4. Are you willing to minister with all persons without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, social status, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic condition, or disabilities?

Through the ministry to which I have been called I will uphold the Social Principles that state, “We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God.”[1] I will do whatever I can to provide all persons with ministry opportunities that encourage them to grow in their relationship with God.

This past summer, I was blessed to have a physically-handicapped girl named Reagan join my youth ministry after she was confirmed in the Church. One of our annual trips for junior high students is our mystery ramble.  This is a surprise trip where we take the youth to an undisclosed location to do mission work, with some fun activities thrown in. Usually this trip involves working in non-handicap accessible places, because I never have had to think about it before. This year, I planned the trip so Reagan wasn’t left out of any of the activities, so that she could participate in the work and activities we did. 

In our communion practice, we celebrate an open table. This invitation is for “all who love Christ, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.[2] Providing an inclusive ministry means that I will partner with all persons so they can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, which will enable them to share the gifts and graces God has given them with others.

5. Will you regard all pastoral conversations of a confessional nature as a trust between the person concerned and God?

As a clergyperson, I am charged to maintain all confidences inviolate, including confessional confidences, except in the cases of suspected child abuse or neglect or in cases where mandatory reporting is required by civil law.[3]

In my ministry, I have been able to develop relationships with those of my congregation counsel and support for them as they continue their growth as children of God. When a congregation member comes to me in confession, it provides me an opportunity to help support them in their faith journey.  With God’s help, I will uphold this sacred trust.

This past fall, I was asked by a former member to perform a funeral for her cousin’s husband who passed away suddenly. The family wasn’t connected to a church and due to the sudden nature of his death, the wife was scrambling and at a loss of what to do.  When we sat down, prayed and opened up the scriptures, there was a sense of calm that came over the room as we prepared to celebrate her husband’s life.

In a broken world, it is easy to be caught up in gossip and hearsay, but through pastoral conversation, I will use every opportunity to speak truth and love into all conversations in order for those I am in conversation with to grow in their understanding and relationship with God.

6. Provide evidence of experience in peace and justice ministries.

            Micah 6:8 gives us the great requirement to “…do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”[4] The way we fulfill this requirement is to be in mission in our local community, in our country and around the world.  In my ten years of youth ministry, I have made it a priority to make available different mission projects for the youth of the congregation. These projects range from visiting local retirement homes, participating in home repair projects across the country and taking trips to Juarez, Mexico to build cinderblock homes for families.

            This past spring, I took a group of youth and adults to Port Arthur, Texas to repair a roof on a home that was devastated by Hurricane Rita in September 2005.  As we drove to this home, we saw several homes with blue tarps covering the roofs to keep the inside of the homes from acquiring more damage.  Even after almost 5 years, there was a great deal of work that needed to be done in the area.  The roof we were assigned was in need of repair, but it didn’t compare to the house next door which was covered entirely by a blue tarp.  As we worked, we developed a relationship with the next door neighbors of the house we were working on. 

            While we were talking to the home owner, they kept saying, “We don’t know where to go.  We don’t know what to do.  Can you help us?”  Being active in peace and justice ministries requires us to get out into the communities and provide healing and wholeness to God’s children.  By the end of the trip, we were able to connect those homeowners with Disaster Recovery so they could get a new roof on their house. When we make ourselves available to local communities that are left in the margins, we fulfill the requirement of Micah 6:8.

            I am particularly excited because Grace UMC is now partnering with one of the elementary schools in Sherman.  We have committed ourselves to walk side by side with Jefferson Elementary, providing needed assistance to this low-income school.  We have had a successful school supply drive and already have members of the congregation lining up to become mentors of the students of Jefferson.

            When Jesus started his ministry he read from the book of Isaiah saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."[5] When we participate in peace and justice ministries we are carrying on Christ’s mission to help those in need, but we also show that all people are cherished children of God.

NTC Question: What is your understanding of itinerant ministry?

Itinerant ministry is a covenant in which elders in the United Methodist Church submit to in order to be sent into ministry into local communities and the world.  When we submit ourselves to  this covenant we understand that our ministry is a part of the global church.

The itinerant system is a called and sent ministry.  This is based on the ministry of Christ when he called the disciples[6] to follow him and then Christ sent them out to be in ministry to the world. [7] As an Elder in the United Methodist Church, when I commit to the itinerant system, I will trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide the Bishop along with the consultation of the cabinet to send me to the ministry field that needs my gifts and graces in order to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  Through answering the call to itinerancy I echo the call of Isaiah when he proclaimed, “Here I am, send me!”[8]

The itinerant ministry also binds the United Methodist Church as a connectional system, “global in scope, and local in thrust.”[9]  With this connectional trait, we share in ministry together throughout our districts to the global church.  We can provide quality ministries together for our local communities like the Imagine No Malaria campaign, which focuses on eradicating the deadly disease from the world by 2015.

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[1] ¶161F 2008 Book of Discipline, pg. 103

[2] UMH p. 7

[3] ¶341.5

[4] Micah 6:8 NRSV

[5] Luke 4:18-19 NRSV

[6] Matthew 4:18-22

[7] Mark 6:7 – 13; Matthew 28: 19-20

[8] Isaiah 6:8 NRSV

[9] ¶131 Book of Discipline