Tag Archive for 'ordination'

Common Worship Ordination

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Published
by
bcg
on 9 April 2008
in Church, Life and Theology
. 3 Comments

I have to confess that there are many parts of the Church of England's new Common Worship services that I don't like.  The Baptism service, for example, is hugely long, overly complicated and (I think) theologically wrong.  (For more on that you might want to read my essay on baptism.)  The pattern of daily prayer changes every day, and there are so many options that it is difficult to see what is 'Common' about the new services.

Despite all this, my wife and I spent the day in Durham Cathedral yesterday - where we will be ordained in June - going through the ordination service, both practically and theologically.  As the last part of Common Worship to be published, there has been a lot of time and effort put into the service, and I think it has paid off.  The prayers are good, there is a focus on the call to preach and to serve, and even on the importance of the Bible!

The ordination itself, where the Bishop lays his hands on each candidate, takes place within the context of the main prayers in the service.  From the service booklet we were given yesterday (all forty pages of it!) it really does seem like the transition between prayers - ordination - prayers is seemless.

The centrality of prayer in the service caught me by surprise, but actually I think is absolutely right.  It means that our life as ordained ministers begins firmly within the context of family, friends and the wider church praying for us, and it means that we ourselves begin on our knees.  This all acknowledges just how important it is that God enables us to perform our various ministries (ordained and non-ordained), that we can't do any of it in our own strength.

I was looking forward to the service before - now I can't wait!

Tanzania, Windsor and North America

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Published
by
bcg
on 20 February 2007
in Church
. 0 Comments

Last night the primates of the Anglican Communion issued the following communique:

Primates Meeting Communique

Many of us have been concerned about the future of the Anglican Communion, especially those of us who are going to be ordained into it.

I am encouraged by the communique, which I have just read in full. The Primates have not backed down from doing something about the situation in North America, where the recommendations of the Windsor Report have been implemented ambiguously, and openly, practising homosexuals are not barred from becoming a bishop.

They accept the apology made by The Episcopal Church for the tensions and strains caused in the Communion by their actions, and its request for forgiveness, saying, 'These words were not lightly offered, and should not be lighted received.'

Their recommendations are for a Pastoral Council to be set up to help oversee the implementation of the Windsor Report in North America, and to help heal the divisions in the Communion, taking into account both the autonomy from, and responsibility towards, the Communion of each member Church.

The Primates call for a moratorium on ordaining practising homosexuals, on the blessing of single-sex unions, and of legal action over church property.

They look forward to the covenant, which is currently being prepared, as a means by which meaningly unity might be asserted across the entire Communion.

It seems to me that this communique, if upheld, is extremely positive for the Communion. The difficult issues are addressed sensitively, but also I think firmly. We should be thankful for this careful, and prayerful response to the difficulties in which the Communion finds itself, and continue to pray that the process would go smoothly, and that (perhaps with the coming Covenant) there could be real unity across the Communion once again.