It’s hard to make the ordination process relational.  So many candidates, so many bureaucratic decisions to be made, so few open appointments.  Many people feel called to ministry and enter the giant machine known as the United Methodist ordination process.  They are affirmed by their churches, and somehow make it through all the steps (including expensive years of seminary), only to be surprised to hear a clergy committee that only knows them through papers and an interview say, “Uh, you’re not ready to be one of us.”  It feels like you have to be as perfect as Jesus in order to actually be ordained, and then afterwards you can be a normal human being again.  Balancing grace and responsibility, mercy and holiness is difficult any day, but for those going through ordination, it can feel like grace and mercy are put on hold for you until you’ve made it through.

John Wesley’s historic questions of his preachers are pretty convicting for anybody.  All I can say is that this process was so intense that I actually came close to getting cold feet before my ordination.  I may not agree with or even understand all the ins and outs of the UM ordination process, but one thing is for sure…we take it seriously because we believe that the vocation of clergy is a big deal.

How do you answer these questions for yourself?

(1) Do they know God as a pardoning God? Have they the love of God abiding in them? Do they desire nothing but God? Are they holy in all manner of conversation?
(2) Have they gifts, as well as evidence of God’s grace, for the work? Have they a clear, sound understanding; a right judgment in the things of God; a just conception of salvation by faith? Do they speak justly, readily, clearly?
(3) Have they fruit? Have any been truly convinced of sin and converted to God, and are believers edified by their service?