Questions 15 & 16

15. You have agreed as a candidate for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness of the gospel, and in consideration of their influence as ministers, to make a complete dedication of yourself to the highest ideals of the Christian life, and to this end agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity, integrity in all personal relationships, fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness social responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God. What is your understanding of this agreement?
I understand that as a minister of God’s Word, I should set an example for the congregation to follow. By following this agreement, I am stating that I will live my life in a way that demonstrates that I am holding myself accountable in all areas so that the church can be confident that my focus is on Christ and not on worldly matters.
I will take care of my physical body by staying in shape and following the guidelines of the church’s wellness initiative. I will take care of my mental and emotional health by continuing to advance in study and by making sure I take Sabbath rest. Following these guidelines, I will show that I hold to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians that our body is Christ’s temple and, “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.”[1]
Having integrity in all personal relationship shows that as a pastor I will honor all relationships in which I am involved. When the trust of spouses, friends and congregation members are betrayed, the effectiveness of ministry is affected. In such situations, whatever we may teach has the chance of becoming null and void because of the trust that was lost and it can be a long difficult struggle for the congregation to recover.
Finally, as a pastor, I must be a trusted witness of Christ to the community at large. If the church does not minister to the community, we will be deaf to injustices that occur, and we will not know how to respond to them. The call of the church is to share God’s love with the community. When the pastor is aware and active in the community, he or she can truly shepherd God’s people in the direction God is calling them to go. By being active in the community the pastor is leading the church showing that the church’s doors are open to the community at large. When a pastor is not aware of what is happening in the community, or refuses to be a part of what is happening in the community, the church can become paralyzed and become an unhealthy community.


16. Explain the role and significance of the sacraments in the ministry to which you have been called.
The two sacraments that the United Methodist embraces are baptism and holy communion. These two sacraments are outward signs of an inward grace that we receive from God. The sacraments were either instituted[2] or commanded[3] by Christ in the Gospels and convey God’s grace and love to us using words, actions and physical elements.[4]
The role of the elder is to teach about and administer the sacraments. I believe that the sacraments are a means of grace that are given by God not to be chores that make us worthy, but instead are acts that we participate in that draw us closer to God and become available to the grace that is offered through the sacraments. There are different interpretations about the sacraments and the importance of them throughout the different denominations. As an elder of the United Methodist Church, I will teach and uphold the Wesleyan tradition of the sacraments of baptism and holy communion.
Baptism is the start of a lifetime journey for the participant. We participate in the sacrament of baptism because we are celebrating the initiation of the baptized person into the life of the church, the sign of our new birth in Christ, and the representation of the divine act by which we are redeemed from our sins and brought into reconciliation with God. We must remember and teach that while we participate in this ritual, we are not the instigators. Through the sacrament of baptism, God is the instigator that offers the gift of God’s grace to us and by participating; we are accepting that gift from God.
When we baptize, we recognize that it is the power of the Holy Spirit working through the water and the word. Because of the Holy Spirit’s work, we affirm that age or mental capabilities cannot disqualify a person from being baptized. God’s grace is available to all and the act of baptizing persons from infancy to adults shows God’s grace given to all.
Holy communion is a sacrament that binds the church together, not just the present congregations in our world today, but it connects us with the saints that came before us as well as those who will follow in our footsteps. Through the gift of bread and cup, we remember Christ’s sacrifice for us, but we do not stop at the cross. We are reminded by the bread and the cup that Christ is always with us. As we receive the elements we are reminded that we are Christ’s hands and feet to the world and we are to take Christ with us wherever we go, sharing the Good News that Christ died for us so we can have a personal relationship with God.
Another significance of holy communion is that we celebrate an open table. This open table signifies that communion is a gift that Christ has given to the world, to draw the world closer to Christ. It is through the open table that we as a church can practice reconciliation. While we have different ideas that may draw us apart, the reconciliation that we participate in by sharing the same body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ helps us to express what we say in our liturgy: “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”[5] It is through the sharing of the bread and cup that we are to be Christ’s body in the world and through Christ’s sacrifice, we are able to bring reconciliation to the world by reaching out together as redeemed people of God.
[1]1 Corinthians 3:17 NRSV
[2] Matthew 26:26 – 30, Mark 14: 22 – 25, Luke 22: 15 – 20
[3] Matthew 28: 19 - 20
[4] By Water & The Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism, Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources p. 7
[5] UMH pg. 11