Ordination Day

On this wet Saturday morning I will be traveling to the Beckley area. This will be two Saturday's in a row that I have been in Beckley. I was there last week to officiate a wedding ceremony. This week I will be there to participate on the ordination council of the Youth Pastor at Daniels Bible Church. Mike Manney was one of the teens at Limerick Chapel when I worked as an assistant pastor there.

Mike and his wife Melissa are both from Limerick and I had the privilege of providing them with premarital counseling when they were finishing up as students at Appalachian Bible College. They both love the Lord and are eager to reach this generation for Jesus. It will be a joy to be a part of this special day in their lives.

For Melissa, the day should be rather smooth. She will be asked to share her testimony and whether or not she stands with her husband in vocational Christian service. Mike on the other hand will probably have a longer day. He will be asked to relate his theological and biblical knowledge to practical ministry in today's world. He will be asked by the council (which is made up of several pastors and the elders of his church) questions which will require more than a pat Bible answer. The question and answer time of the council will last for about 5 to 6 hours in total.

It is not the job of the council to "call" Mike into ministry--God does that. It is our job to recognize that call and to evaluate whether or not he is properly equipped with the biblical understanding needed to serve the Lord in today's world. We will not be seeking the answers to theological questions we have not been able to answer. This is not the time to play "stump the young guy." We want to prayerfully be used of God to help Daniels Bible Church evaluate his preparedness for ministry and encourage Mike to be the best servant for Christ he can be.

Usually, ordination councils remind me of my own ordination and how incredible it is that God uses me in ministry for His glory. What a joy it is to serve Christ!