Ordained Pastor

Wife of One Husband?: Biblical Perspectives on Ordination Revisited

Sydney Gibbons

• Publisher: Spirit Reign Communications
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781940002569
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Religione

The topic of "Women in Ministry" has received increased attention within the Seventh-day Adventist Church from the perspective of whether women should be ordained as pastors. The church has debated the topic of women's ordination at its highest level of church organization and authority, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist in sessions that meet every five years. This book is designed to guide biblical reflection on a critical church debate that has far reaching implications for women, in particular and members, in general, who embrace beliefs and practices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (see the official website of the GC, www.adventist.orgon church beliefs, organization, structure, practices, etc.). This study is limited from varied perspectives. It is introductory in nature and is based on selected New Testament reflections. It does not attempt to survey research on ordination and women in ministry, although it cites relevant works, or justifies its conclusions by citing authorities secondary to the Bible, although selected citations are made. Systematic theologians and other scholars would provide more in-depth analysis and extensive coverage of related issues to ordination then would be addressed in this work. Yet, even in the absence of exegeses of relevant texts, this study is designed to lead thinking "toward a theology of ordination that significantly impacts issues related to women in ministry for the Seventh-day Adventist Church." It will introduce discussion on the following sub-topics: 1. The place of ordination in the prioritization of New Testament theologies2. The place of women in ministry within the prioritization of being a Disciple of Christ3. Women in ministry within the Seventh-day Adventist Church4. Revisiting the biblical principle of headship5. Review of selected perspectives on headship in the writings of Ellen G. White6. The A.M.O.U.R. perspective on headship in Scripture7. Ordination Gender and the Seventh-day Adventist Church

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CHAPTER ONE

THE PLACE OF ORDINATION IN THE PRIORITIZATION OF NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGIES

OVERVIEW - For the purpose of this book, ordination will be discussed as the setting apart of Christian leaders and believers for ministry. Jesus set twelve disciples apart from other disciples and trained them for service (Mk. 3:14). The New Testament Church set Barnabas and Saul apart from the Apostles and sent them out as missionaries to the Gentile world (Acts 13:2,3). As the church grew elders were set apart in every city (Titus 1:5) to minster to the needs of growing congregations and to lead them in church mission. To be set apart for ministry in the New Testament is to be empowered by Christ and His church to fulfill His commission with effectiveness and efficiency. But where does ordination lie within the priorities of New Testament theologies?

Theologies could be defined as belief systems about God based on His Word and informed by His people who live by His Word in society. Both biblical teachings and historical/cultural applications are relevant factors to expressing theological positions since The Word of God must be interpreted by biblical hermeneutics, principles of interpretation, and must be applied for people who live within local, national, and international cultural contexts. Theologians would expand on the discipline and science of doing theology. My discussion does not attempt to satisfy conditions imposed by systematic theologians for engaging scientific study. Rather, it reads and explains the biblical text as available to scholars and Christian practitioners alike to reflect on New Testament themes related to ordination that could inform actions to ordain Christians for ministry.

I would suggest that theologies can be categorized as higher and lower priority systems of beliefs and practices. Further, I would recommend that the greater amount of energies by Christians would be best invested in the greater priorities while giving due attention to those theologies of a lesser significance, or of a supporting complementary nature to the greater. Did not Jesus teach, “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matt. 23:23).

Permit me to identify four major theologies attested by New Testament teaching and to suggest where a theology of ordination would fall in the scheme of prioritization of New Testament theologies. The theological themes and in priority listing are as follows: 1) The Incarnate Christ (the divine-human Christ) - Christology; 2) The Message of Christ through the plan for human salvation - Soteriology; 3) The Message of Christ to be proclaimed at the end of time - Eschatology; and 4) The Messengers of Christ called to carry His message and fulfill His mission as Disciples of Christ through the body of Christ (the Church and the Remnant) - Ecclesiology. Let us consider these theologies progressively.

Christology – The Bible teaches that God became human to restore humans to their status of reflecting the image of God as it existed when God created male and female. Taking on humanity and remaining true to God in humanity were critical for God to be a bridge from humanity back to God. The step of becoming human preceded the step of overcoming sin and remaining righteous as a human, and satisfying the conditions of divinity to save humanity. Jesus was able to become the Savior of the world because He firstly became a human. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:1, 14).

The Christian church for centuries debated what the nature of Christ was like. Was He God or man or both? Was there a time that the Son did not exist? Is He a lesser God than the Father? To accept that Jesus is fully God and fully man permits Christ to be our Savior. John declared that “every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:2). Jesus who is Christ is both Son of God and son of man. As God, He is also our creator and rightful Lord of our lives. As man He is our brother. Pleasing God and His Son Jesus Christ must be the primary motivating factor concerning decisions made in the church of God, including decisions about ordination to ministry. No matter the outcome of the church debate on a theology of ordination, Christian motivation for desired actions and response to church actions must be to exalt Christ who is ruler of our lives and sovereign ruler over human affairs. He is God and He is Lord. He alone is worthy of worship and praise.

Soteriology - Second in importance to accepting the reality of the incarnation is to benefit from the purpose for which Jesus came into our world – “to save sinners” (1 Cor. 1:15). There is no purpose in life more satisfying than that which offers life in abundance (John 10:10) for eternity. God through Jesus offers that life to all humans (John 3:16). Life is found in knowing God and knowing Jesus (John 17:3) as one’s personal Savior. The message of salvation is the theme of the Bible and tells how humans can be restored into the image of their maker and thereby be fitted as citizens for the kingdom, acceptance of the gift of salvation by faith (Eph. 2:8,9) provides one immediate entrance into God’s Kingdom of grace and guarantees the saved entrance into God’s Kingdom of glory at the Second Coming of Christ. Christ’s message of the kingdom (Matt. 4:17) is good news.

Much can be said about the doctrine of salvation but suffice to say here that salvation, while benefiting humans, is firstly an act of God prompted by the love of God. The message is divine before it is human. Humans who choose to accept God’s offer are beneficiaries of an unearned favor. We call that favor grace. It would do well for Christians to permit nothing in the Christian life to distract them from remaining in an attitude of awe before the God of creation who became the God of their salvation. Church actions and response to church actions must be informed by one’s love for God who first loved us. Love for God would be measured by love demonstrated for one another in the body of Christ (1 John 4:8-12; John 13:35). The manner in which church differences are expressed and resolution to church conflict are sought speaks not only about how much we love those who hold opposing views to ours, but speaks also about how much one loves God who first loved us. The heated debate on issues related to ordination within the Seventh-day Adventist Church needs to be informed by love for God and for His church above love for self and our living in time. God’s preoccupation is for our eternal welfare.

Eschatology – The message of salvation is central to Christianity in all ages. It was introduced to Adam and Eve at the time of their fall to sin (Gen. 3:15). And it is central to the message God has for His end-time people summarized by three angels in Revelation 14:6-12. The first message speaks to the proclamation of “the everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6). Yet, the end-time message, understood by Seventh-day Adventists, addresses issues of fulfilled prophecies of the books of Daniel and Revelation. For Seventh-day Adventists, the end-time message and mission must take precedence over all other issues of church life. The investment of church resources and energies must focus on church mission driven by its eschatological message. The church cannot afford to be diverted from its reason for being to satisfy desires of lesser significance. As important as the issue of ordination is to the church, its relative importance must be seen from the priority perspective of the church remaining committed to fulfill its mission over who is ordained to carry out its mission. If agreement cannot be achieved at the debate on the lesser issue than the collective position of the larger body should settle disputes to permit the greater issue of eschatological mission to engage all church resources. Jesus is coming soon. The church must act to prepare a people for His glorious appearance.

Ecclesiology – The church is established for mission. All decisions related to the church as an organism to effect its mission is captured in the theology of ecclesiology. Let’s discover a few paths of church life that lead to accomplishing mission: 1) Church unity, 2) Church authority and 3) Church structure. Jesus prayed for Church unity and John’s record devotes an entire chapter (John 17:1-26) to capture the passion and plea made by Jesus to His Father in heaven, “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). The apostle Paul highlights the structure for unity of the church through an analogy of the human body. The human body with its many interdependent parts and systems is compared to the many members in the church who engage in ministry in concert through a sole organism – the body (1 Cor. 12:1-31). Church unity is a priority theme of New Testament teaching. Issues in ministry must be discussed and addressed in a manner that preserves the unity of the Church based on the Word of God.

Church authority resides in Christ and His Word. He commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all nations based on His authority. The commission followed his saying, “All power [“authority” NASB, NIV, NKJV] is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18). Jesus affirmed Peter’s confession of faith in Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16) then proceeded to state that His Messiah-ship rests at the foundation of the Christian church He would establish. He would give to the church “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” to open and close doors in concert with actions in heaven – “and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19).

Church authority was exercised through its established structures, leadership systems and through engaging church ministries. We see this in the representative system of governance utilized to resolve the Jewish/Gentile conflicts discussed in Acts 15. We see this in Paul’s instruction to the church of Corinth to accept the collective decision on church practice concerning head covering in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. We also see this in his counsel to the church to discipline members who persist in immoral conduct that mis-represents the character of Christ (1 Cor. 5:1-5, 9-13). Individual convictions, while exercising freedom of choice, must surrender to the collective will of the church in matters of church governance. The Bible is the ultimate authority for Christian living, and the church collectively interprets and applies biblical teachings with Christ’s authority who has given us keys to unlock and close issues and, thereby, direct the body in the will of God. However, authority is invested in persons and groups and is exercised within church leadership structures. Ordination empowers selected leaders to engage ministry in harmony with church policy operating on various levels of church organization.

Church leadership is appointed not to serve itself but to facilitate church mission through ministry. Roles and functions of leaders are designed to model owned values and beliefs of the church, to promote harmony and efficiency, and to accomplish church mission. The mission is larger than the leader. Decisions about leadership should be to accomplish mission. The commitment to mission should not be made conditioned by who is ordained to lead. I would submit that the discussion of ordaining church leaders in general and the role of women in the church in particular are concerns of ecclesiology and are subject to the higher concerns of ecclesiology such as church mission, church authority and church unity. Higher concerns to that of ecclesiology while informing ecclesiology include embracing Christology, experiencing soteriology and demonstrating passion for and commitment to the message and mission of eschatology as Seventh-day Adventist Christians. Are the issues of ordination to church leadership positions relevant to the body of Christ? Yes? Is it significant for Christianity? Yes. Is it essential for salvation? No. Then should it be permitted to divert the church from investing its best resources to attend to the mandate of Christ informed by the higher level theologies discussed above? I think not. Higher priority theologies and initiatives must inform attention given to issues of church ordination.

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CHAPTER TWO

THE PLACE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY WITHIN THE PRIORITIZATION OF BEING A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP - Let us now consider, "The place of women in ministry within the prioritization of what it means to be a Christian." When one considers ordination for Christians what is the priority concern? Is it ordination as pastor, ordination as elder, ordination as deacon or deaconess, or ordination as male or female?

The priority concern of New Testament ordination, it would seem, is Christian discipleship. And Christian discipleship is not gender specific. Jesus commissioned all of His disciples to make disciples of all nations and promised to be with them in mission (Matt. 28:19, 20). Christ gives Christians authority to witness with power from the Holy Spirit promised as a gift at baptism (Acts 2: 38, 39). Christ ordains Christians at baptism to become disciples.

Baptism is the ordination service for each Christian. Jesus Christ is the officiating pastor who sets the Christian apart for ministry with the Holy Spirit who then resides in the life of the believer. There is no higher calling for humans than the call to Christian discipleship. There is no other ordination in the church that is essential for salvation. Male and female and the spectrum of diverse people who repent of sin and who embrace the savior meet the criteria to be ordained. Paul affirms the neutral ground for accepting all Christian disciples in his statement, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

Discipleship is about demonstrating the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23; Jn. 13:35), discovering and ministering for Christ according to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12: 1-31), and living as witnesses for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). While being true to the message and mission of the early New Testament Church, Seventh-day Adventist Disciples of Christ would be true to the end-time message and mission as informed by the books of Daniel and Revelation. Where does ordination by the church fit in the scheme of Christian discipleship? And where do men and women fit in the dialogue of church leadership and ministry? They fit where their spiritual gifts, community needs, and the local/international church body affirm and support them in ministry. They are placed where their giftedness, preparation, and readiness for ministry are affirmed by fruitfulness and church action to engage in ministry.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Joel 2:28, 29

All Disciples of Christ comprise the priesthood of all believers in Christ.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light … 1 Peter 2:9

Essentials of New Testament Christianity: Christian Discipleship- Essentials of New Testament Christianity include the following: 1) conversion through the person and work of the Holy Spirit, 2) commitment to Christian service and witness, and 3) growth in Christian maturity as members of the body of Christ, while guarding the unity of the body in living by the Word of God. These essentials are expressed in fundamental beliefs and church practices. All matters of church life for disciples are secondary to those matters that are essential for discipleship, even the order of deacons and elders developed after the early church was founded. In response to pragmatic needs, social and ecclesiastical, the church grew and required new ministries and improved structures of administration to foster unity and effectiveness. When discussing the later developments in Christianity, that discussion must be placed in the context of priority concerns that precede them and supersede them in ultimate meaning for Christian disciples. It is within this context that we discuss issues of ordination to ministry within the body of Christ and the role and place of women in ministry. In one sense, we can conclude that conversion followed by baptism is the ordination of a believer for Christian Discipleship. In that sense, to be a Christian is to be ordained to the ministry of Christ. The most essential ordination found in the New Testament is not gender specific.

The Saviour's commission to the disciples included all the believers. It includes all believers in Christ to the end of time. It is a fatal mistake to suppose that the work of saving souls depends alone on the ordained minister. All to whom the heavenly inspiration has come are put in trust with the gospel. All who receive the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men. For this work the church was established, and all who take upon themselves its sacred vows are thereby pledged to be co-workers with Christ. E. G. White, The Desire of Ages, 1898, p.822

The words, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) are spoken to each one of Christ's followers. All who are ordained unto the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men. The same longing of soul that He felt f...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter One: The Place of Ordination in The Prioritization of New Testament Theologies
• Chapter Two: The Place of Women in Ministry Within The Prioritization of Being A Disciple of Christ
• Chapter Three: Women in Ministry Within The Seventh-Day Adventist Church — J. Brown
• Chapter Four: Revisiting The Biblical Principle of Headship
• Chapter Five: Review of Selected Perspectives On Headship in The Writings of Ellen G. White
• Chapter Six: The A.M.O.U.R. Perspective On Headship in Scripture - S. Gibbons
• Chapter Seven: Ordination Gender and The Seventh-Day Adventist Church
• Conclusion
• End Notes
• Appendices
• Works Cited
• Abstract Works by The Author
• About The Author