The Ordination Process

Many of you have been asking why I haven’t had any posts for quiet some time. During the last couple of weeks I have been intensely studying for my ordination council which took place on March 18th. It was actually an encouraging time for LaNae, the kids, and me. It wrapped up the process of my training which started about 4 ½ years ago. I had forgotten that the training to full time ministry started that long ago. For those of you who may not know, I started off here at FBC as a Children’s Ministry resident. That was part of what was back then known as “The Men of God” program. The term “Men of God” was taken from 1 and 2 Timothy where Timothy was referred to by Paul as a man of God in a technical sense; namely, as a minister of the gospel. During those two years of serving as a resident I was taking correspondent courses through The Master’s Seminary (TMS). By the time I was done with my training here I had completed roughly 21 semester credits (which translated meant about a semester and a half of classes). The two year training program here was one of two stages towards the final stage of the ordination process. The purpose of those two years was for the elders of FBC to objectively determine whether or not I was called to full time ministry. They evaluated my character and my ministry skills, and at the end of those two years they affirmed my calling to ministry, and were supportive of my decision to attend TMS for further theological studies. Now, the moment of truth was here. Everything I had learned over the past 4 ½ years was going to be tested. Dan Jarms, John Smith, and Mike Rosario were the men I selected to be on my ordination council.

Each of these men played a significant role in my journey to full time ministry. John Smith (in the center) was perhaps the most influential person in shaping as a “man of God.” I met with him for over a period of 2 ½ years every Friday morning to be discipled in the word of God, in prayer, in leading my wife, and in shepherding my children. His aim during these meetings was not to convince me that I should pursue full time ministry, but rather to instill in me what the Scriptures say is a godly man. Mike Rosario (to the right) was also an influential person in shaping my character. His excitement over the study of the word of God instilled in me an excitement to study it for myself. He and his wife are dear friends of ours. His wife, Jill, is a dear friend to LaNae and our families try to get together at least once a year. Dan Jarms (to the left) served as my staff pastor while I was going through my residency program here at FBC. His road to full time ministry was very similar to mine in that he had been in a secular career for about 10 years before sensing the Lord’s call to full time ministry. One of the things that I appreciate most about Dan is his humility and his aim to seek for a balance. His encouragement to me has always been to develop a tight theological grid, but not to get hung up on preferential issues. This has been helpful for me as I grow in my understanding of what it means to be a pastor. Each of these men has played a key role in my life, and I was so thankful that the Lord allowed for all three to be part of this council.

Dan Jarms started off his 45 minute segment firing questions related to the Bible. His first question was “what is the theme of the Bible?” He then followed this up with, “how does each book of the Bible fit within that theme?” This was perhaps my favorite question because in preparing for this question it helped me see the overall picture of the Bible. This took about 15 minutes to do as I walked through each section of the Bible all the way to the book of Revelation describing the kingdom theme. Bruce Waltke’s book Old Testament Theology was helpful in helping me see the overall picture of the Bible. Next he asked me what the themes for several OT and NT books along with their outlines. And then he asked me state my position on key problem passages. He ended his questions with this one, “what does it mean in 1 Timothy that women will be saved through child birth.” To which I replied, “I don’t know.” That one slipped my mind as I studied through problem passages.

After the first 45 minute segment was complete we took a 15 minute break. I checked to see if I was dry under the arm pit, and sure enough I put the right deodorant on. Then again I realized John Smith had not had his turn yet. The 15 minutes were up and then John started firing away on question regarding systematic theology. His section was divided up into three segments. In the first segment he gave a key doctrine and then my responsibility was to come up with as many Scripture references as possible. For example, he stated, “the sovereignty of God” and then I had to come up with as many Scripture references as possible dealing with the Sovereignty of God. In the second segment he read three or four different paragraphs from different books. My responsibility was to identify the error in the statement and then correct it with what Scripture teaches. His reason for doing this stems from Titus 1:9 where elders are to be able to refute those who contradict the truth. In the final segment he asked me to define in one or two sentences theological terms with a couple of key Scripture references. I have to admit after the systematic theology section I was exhausted. I wasn’t sure if I had the endurance to go on the last section – practical theology.

Mike Rosario finished the final segment of the ordination council with question regarding practical theology. I was glad this was the last section of the council because it was refreshing to try and put practical application to all that I was rattling off in the first two segments. Mike took some scenarios from his own personal experience as a pastor. What I realized during this time is that there is not always one set of answer to each situation. Situation I will be faced with as a pastor will have its unique features that will be require delicate handling each time. Mike has been through many challenges as a young pastor and I appreciate his humility in how he dealt with many of the situations he faced.

After the men were done grilling me, they went into the other room and had a conference. To my surprise they came back with smiles on their face. Each man commented on what took place that afternoon, and gave me a word of exhortation and encouragement to continue to develop a tighter theological grid. The tone of the whole afternoon was very affirming and encouraging. At times during the final exhortations I was moved to tears because of the kind words these men were saying. I was humbled by each of their graciousness and thankful to the Lord for allowing me to be mentored by each of them.

That evening LaNae, the kids, and I enjoyed a quiet evening at home. We celebrated by going out to ice cream. The kids are glad to have daddy back. It’s hard to imagine that the training process is over. It seemed like those 4 ½ years flew by. But even though it seemed like it flew by, it was probably the hardest days of our married life. It was filled with many trials and many tears. It was filled with many nights crying out to the Lord for more grace to endure. It was filled with statements like, “why does daddy always have to study.” But I think I can speak on behalf of the family that though it was hard, we trust that God will use what we’ve learned for the sake of His Kingdom.