Do you trust in Jesus Christ your savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? It is nice indeed to be instructed by them, but these confessions which have been added to what they call the book of confessions are not binding upon the church. Approving of the government and discipline of the church gave the General Assembly the right to define an offense and to order ministers to be put on trial. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone: and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily; out of faith and conscience of duty; in way of thankfulness for mercy received; or for obtaining of what we want: whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties; or to other things, so far and so long as they may filly conduce thereunto.”, We are familiar with marriage vows and oaths that are taken by witnesses in court, but the vows that are made by ministers and elders in the church bind them under God in the most direct and solemn way to the ministry and witness of the church. Even the chapter of the Westminster Confession on oaths and vows contains in it a section which can be most uncomfortable: “No man may vow to do any thing forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he hath no promise or ability from God. Or is He the Christ who is reconstructed by each individual man as he finds the Holy Spirit speaking God’s “word” to him? Commitment to this glorious truth, that the Scriptures are indeed the only infallible and inspired Word of God, forever binds the church to this special revelation-true, pure, holy. ‘A church built upon this kind of vow in relationship to this “word” (small “w”) as it relates to each separate and individual minister is an entirely different church from a one built upon the original and historic vow, which declares that the Holy Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation written, are indeed inspired of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. This resource has been prepared to provide introductory information about discerning a call to eldership – to discern one’s own call or to nominate others who might be called. It is inherent in the situation that has been produced. ORDINATION VOWS. Inquiring Churches Information Packet. to the ordination and/or induction. It is at this point that a great chasm has been created between the church under the Westminster Confession and the church which now has another confession and another set of vows, as they relate to these two main considerations. That period in church history has passed so far as the Presbyterians in the United Church are concerned. A still more serious question attends this condition—the ordination question that asks that the ministers find continuing instruction and guidance from the confessions of this church is an open-ended vow. The next phrase in the question, “And by the Holy Spirit God’s word to you,” leaves the entire situation in a most uncertain position. Or will these new vows be taken only by the clergymen who enter the denomination after 1967? One “inactive elder” approached a minister whom that elder thought was bending ordination vows. In a genuine and true sense the Protestant Reformation at this point is rejected as it relates to the submission of the church to the infallible rule of the Holy Scriptures. That, of course, is a good thing. Lou served as an intern under Mr. David Sabella at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Cynthiana, Kentucky. A sample service for ordination of a teaching elder or pastor in the PC(USA), from charge to the final hymn. By means of vows people give their money and leave their legacies to a church, believing that the faith is protected and that their means will advance the faith in which they have believed and which they have sought to honor with their lives when they were on the earth serving the Lord. They are designed to guarantee that the church’s witness will remain from generation to generation the same. … However, in the Church of Scotland these vows were meaningless for many who took them – they had no genuine … How can a man who truly believes the two vows that are being rejected subscribe to the two new vows that are supposed to take their place? In recent years the ordination of a minister or an elder or a deacon has not had the importance and the honor in the life of the church that it originally had, and this trend in itself has contributed to the state we have reached in this day when vows can be changed without giving them too much consideration. Articles by First Presbyterian Church Colorado Springs. It is usually delivered by the Convener MSB of the Board of Nomination. The Presbyterian Church in Canada, but a Presbytery twinned with a Presbytery in another country for example, might wish to include prayers that come from there. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 1. 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