Never “settle for” when it comes to ordaining new leaders in the church …

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We’ve lost sight of the significance of ordaining someone as a minister, elder, or deacon. In fact, I’ve seen numerous times when ministers on social media have dismissed the significance of ordination.

That’s a foolish thing to do.

Let’s remember what ordination is: The “setting aside” of an individual for a specific servant-leadership responsibility in Christ’s church. The call comes from God Himself, so answering that call, and having your life “set aside” for such ministry, is not something to take lightly. Actually, to be called to a position for which you would be ordained, or set aside, requires that you meet certain standards established by God Himself and are recorded for us in scripture.

That’s not something to dismiss.

Owen Bourgaize tells the story of a candidate for ordination who didn’t take his “call to ministry” lightly:

    I read of a candidate for ordination into the ministry. He was having an interview with the bishop on the day before the ordination service. Feeling his unworthiness he said, “Bishop, if you knew how unworthy I am to be ordained by you, you would never lay hands on me.”

    The dear bishop replied, “If you knew how unworthy I am, you wouldn’t let me do it!”

Because of the actual significance of a person taking up a servant-leadership role in Christ’s church, it’s important that no local church congregation ever “settle for” by ordaining into ministry any person who does not meet scriptural qualifications for being a minister, elder, or deacon.

Sadly, though, many churches routinely “settle for” unqualified candidates because they don’t have any qualified persons in their congregation. If that is the case in your local church, let me suggest two steps to take instead of ordaining someone who is biblically unqualified:

1. Put in place biblical discipleship (no, that is not interpreted as “mentorship,” it is discipleship that is needed) that, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, can eventually produce biblically qualified leaders.

2. Until such a discipleship process matures someone to being a biblically qualified leader, “borrow” some godly leadership from sister churches in your area. Talk with church staff, elders, and deacons of other local congregations to see if some of their godly shepherds can lend some time providing shepherding oversight in your congregation while you work on discipling your own church members to greater spiritual maturity.

But by all means, do not ordain anyone, or put into a church leadership office, someone who isn’t biblically qualified to serve in that position.

“Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure,” 1 Timothy 5:22.

Scotty