Last week, the ordination vows changed in our denomination. The previous standard required that candidates for ordination practice “fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.”
The new statement on the standards of ordination reads:
“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”
The basic result of this vote is that decisions regarding ordination will be made by local churches and Presbyteries, as opposed to the previous clause in our Book of Order specifically prohibiting the ordination of avowed, practicing homosexuals. Our denomination has been hotly debating this issue for 3 decades and we remain deeply divided over this question. Without question, this decision will result in joyful celebration for some; and it will cause grieving and distress among others. I suspect that the media will make much of the decision (and I suspect that little of that will be fair or accurate). It is my hope that we will be able to process this decision with grace and humility, making an effort to honor one another’s opinions and perspectives.
Right now, my intent is not to add more noise to the debate regarding God’s heart or the biblical standard regarding homosexuality. Right now, I simply want to point out something compelling that I see in the new standards for ordination.
I think that in some respects we actually raised the bar. With one single phrase in the new standards, I believe we elevated the conversation on what is required of a candidate for ordination.
The compelling phrase for me is: “Joyful submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”
As I reflect on my own ordination experience and on countless conversations with others either going through the ordination process or serving on a committee overseeing candidates for ordination, I have rarely heard of anyone being asked about or encouraged regarding the idea of submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are asked to confess that Jesus is Lord. But, if we are honest, throughout the ordination process, that is simply assumed, at best.
The new language for ordination standards roots the whole idea of ordination in a tremendously significant framework: submission to Christ’s Lordship.
This past week, without realizing that the deciding votes were being cast, I started work on a sermon about the fall and the nature of sin. The Genesis 3 account of Adam and Eve could perhaps be summarized as the decision to reject the Lordship of God. God asked one thing of them - that they let him be God; that they let God tell them what is right and wrong; that they trust him as the source of truth and knowledge and goodness and life.
But in taking the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve chose to decide for themselves. They rejected the Lordship of God and set themselves firmly on the throne of their hearts.
That was the sin of the Fall. And it might be suggested that it is the nature of the sin in each of our own hearts. We are quite sure that we know what is best for us; We consider ourselves able to fully provide for ourselves; in practice - we have no real need for God. We have claimed that role for ourselves.
The new ordination standards call for “joyful submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.” The implications are, frankly, all encompassing. In essence, it means that for the pastor (or candidate for ordination, or for the Christian, frankly) a foundational part of my journey towards Christ is learning to identify the dark corners of my life where I have maintained control. Joyful submission means that I am passionately enthusiastic about looking for ways I have not yet allowed Jesus Christ to be the author of my life. It means examining every habit, every thought, every action, every attitude and holding it up to the light of Christ, asking God to redeem it and transform it in the image of Christ for the purposes of his kingdom.
What is exempt? Nothing.
It includes my spending habits and my budget.
It includes my eating habits and my health.
It includes the way I drive and it includes what I drive.
It includes the way I speak.
It includes how I engage with my kids when I get home.
It includes the time I spend on my smart phone when I get home.
It includes what I look at on my laptop.
It includes how I reach out to my next door neighbor.
It includes how I speak on the golf course and in the pub.
In includes my friendships.
It includes my marriage.
And yes it includes, even as a married man, my sexuality.
In each and every area, I am called and bound to joyfully submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
In each and every area, I am compelled to ask “Jesus, I give this area of my life to you. It is not my own. It is yours. What would you have me do? How can I live it for your glory.”
In each and every area, to pray “Not my will, but thine.”
This is a tremendously high bar.
Obviously we are not asking those wishing to be ordained to have successfully surrendered every area. That is the essence of the lifelong journey of discipleship. But we are, absolutely and without question, asking candidates for ordination to pledge and demonstrate that they will constantly try. We are holding up, as the very root of ordination and the very heart of the disciple, submitting to Christ.
Are we truly willing to ask this question of one another? Are we genuinely committed to challenging each other to this standard? I hope so. Because I need help getting there. I need the encouragement and the accountability and the challenge of my peers. Without it, I am not sure I will pursue it with the steadfastness it deserves.
It’s a high bar. If we really mean it, I think I like it.
Precisely! The bar is higher than sexuality.
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