Page 4 - Moravian Messenger January 2020

What is Ordained Ministry in the British Moravian Church?
Extracts from the Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum and the Book of Order of the Britrish Province, compiled by the Faith and Order Committee.
The Moravian Church recognises the priesthood of all believers. That means that all members share in the life and work of the congregation and have equal standing. But in practice in each congregation certain members are given specific tasks because of their aptitude and skills, and these roles include Church Committee and Eldership, Treasurer, musicians and Youth and Children's Workers.
The Moravian Church also has specifically appointed ministers who are called and ordained to serve the Church. The ministry of those who are ordained is an expression of the ministry of the whole people of God. It is seen as a response to the call and gifts of Christ, who Moravians understand as the Chief Elder of the church.
The Moravian Church has a three-fold order of ministry, that of Deacons, Presbyters and Bishops. The orders of ministry are expressions of service rather than rank. Only one is recognised as having authority in himself: Jesus Christ who also served.
Those who are ordained are authorised to administer the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism. Following ordination, one becomes a Deacon and this is a period of supervised ministry. Following satisfactory evaluation and further study Synod approves a proposal that the Deacon be consecrated a Presbyter. In the service of consecration, the Church spiritually encourages the Deacon, recognises their professional and spiritual maturity and affirms their ministry since ordination, and the Deacon gives witness to the Christian faith and rededicates him/herself to the ordained ministry.
Service and Mission
The ordained minister, whether Deacon, Presbyter or Bishop is never considered the head of the congregation, but often serves as the congregation's mouth, hands, and feet as the church bears witness to the love of Christ. The ordained minister is solely a servant to the Lord, ministering to Christ by serving the congregation and its neighbours. In this role of servant, he or she is called together with the Congregation Committee to lead the congregation with Godly conduct essential to effective ministry. Ordained ministers are also called to maintain within the congregation the structure and order provided by Provincial and Unity Synods.
The ordained minister, with the congregation, is called to fulfil the mission of the Church which is proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom; teaching, baptising and nurturing new believers; responding to human need by loving service; seeking to transform unjust structures of society; and safeguarding the integrity of creation, sustaining and renewing the life of the earth.
Call System
The ordained minister remains a servant of Christ and the church as a whole, not merely of the congregation to which he or she is called. Even as Jesus Christ came not to be ministered unto but to minister, so his servants should be willing to minister wherever the church calls them under the leading of the Holy Spirit. In calling a minister, the Provincial Board take into account not only the needs of the particular office, and the suitability
of the individual, but also the needs of the Province as a whole.
Those in the non-stipendiary ministry exercise their ministry through service in a particular congregation or district to which they have been called by the Provincial Board. They will not be called to move away from home in order to exercise this ministry, unless they offer so to move.
Conduct
To be ordained as a minister means to be under the order and authority of the church. Every person in church service must observe the regulations enacted by the Provincial Synod and obey the direction of the church boards authorised by it.
The ordained minister must be knowledgeable about the Moravian understanding of the role of ministry and live and act accordingly. The personal character of ministers must be such as to support the word they teach, and such as shall in truth and love win the support of their brothers and sisters, so that they can firmly and kindly help individual souls and wisely lead in common worship and church life.
From the personal nature of the minister's work, it is most important that his or her spouse be in full sympathy with that work.
Selection and Training
The requirements for any form of church service are: a love of Christ and wholehearted devotion to his kingdom; a readiness to carry out the duties of ministerial office as set out in the Book of Order; the ability to follow an approved course of study.
Applications to enter church service are made to the Provincial Board stating the applicant's qualifications and reasons for applying. Applications are examined by the Church Service Committee, who report to the Provincial Board. The final decision to accept an applicant for training for the ministry rests with the Provincial Board.
For those who are accepted for training for the ministry, courses of preparation and training are prescribed according to the needs of the applicant at an approved college or university, under the direction of the Provincial Board and with the advice of the Church Service Committee. In addition, instruction is given in Moravian Church history, doctrine, tradition and practices, and polity. Candidates are allowed to continue their course of training only so long as they make satisfactory progress and prove themselves in all respects fitted for their calling.
Ordination
The Provincial Board has the authority to commission ordination. In extending such a commission they are guided by careful consideration of the spiritual, mental and physical qualifications of the candidate for ordination. The Provincial Board also designates the Bishop who is to officiate in this act.
Ministers may also be received from other denominations and in that case the Provincial Board is free to receive them as a Deacon or Presbyter as it deems appropriate.
For further reading please see the Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum (COUF) sections 682-693, and the Book of Order of the British Province sections 22-25.
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