This Sunday, during the 10:00 a.m. worship service we will celebrate the Ordination and Installation of elders and deacons. The ordination of lay leaders for the church goes back 500 years, to the Protestant Reformation, when our tradition parted company with an ecclesiastical hierarchy of church governance and ceased to have bishops entrusted with the power and authority to appoint church leaders. Presbyterians believe we make more faithful decisions together than any one person could alone, and affirm the “priesthood of all believers” by electing lay leaders to govern the church.
For Presbyterians, ordination is not synonymous with ministry. All Christians are called by God and equipped by the Spirit for service in the world when they are joined to the ministry of Jesus Christ at their baptism. The primary work of elders and deacons is to lead the whole congregation in worship, ministry and mission! Elders lead the governance and spiritual discernment of the life of the congregation, and deacons lead our ministries of compassion and care. Together these servant leaders help all of us be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Therefore the service of Ordination and Installation is a church wide celebration for everyone who has been called into this fold of God.
