Rite of Ordination


Book Description




The Ministers' Handbook


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




A Priest's Handbook


Book Description

The newly updated and revised edition of the indispensable resource for Episcopal priests simplifies liturgical officiating and celebration of the rites of the Episcopal Church.




The New Pastor's Handbook


Book Description

Most seminary graduates will begin their ministries with plenty of important head knowledge to share--but with a deficit of some of the most practical aspects of doing ministry, such as - which ministry role most suits them - how to start out strong at a new church - persevering during difficult seasons of ministry - leading meetings and delegating tasks - safeguarding their family - fighting discouragement, pastor envy, and a lack of contentment - navigating special ministry needs, such as hospitals, weddings, and funerals - and much more Through his hard-won wisdom, Jason Helopoulos comes alongside new pastors as a trusted friend and mentor, ready to guide them through their first years of ministry with intelligence and compassion.




Pastor


Book Description

Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church--but that doesn't mean that it is easy. Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging. Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given the call of all Christians to be ministers to the world, what is the distinctive ministry of the ordained? When does one's ministry take on the character of prophet, and when does it become that of priest? What are the special ethical obligations and disciplines of the ordained? In this book, Willimon explores these and other central questions about the vocation of ordained ministry. He begins with a discussion of who pastors are, asking about the theological underpinnings of ordained ministry, and then moves on to what pastors do, looking at the distinctive roles the pastor must fulfill. The book also draws on great teachers of the Christian tradition to demonstrate that, while much about Christian ministry has changed, its core concerns--preaching the word, the care of souls, the sacramental life of congregations--remains the same. Ordained ministry is a vocation to which we are called, not a profession that we choose. To answer that call is to open oneself to heartache and sometimes hardship; yet, given the one who calls, it is to make oneself available to deep and profound joy as well.




Lady Father


Book Description

"Lady Father" is a narrative account of my journey through the ordination process in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia of the 1980's and the subsequent years of ordained ministry. As the first female admitted to the ordination process by the Rt. Rev. C. Charles Vach , 7th Bishop of Southern Virginia, who was then a strong and vocal opponent of the ordination of women, I was a "reluctant pioneer." Dubbed "the Lady Father," I have served the church for 25 years and I am now offering my experiences and the insights I learned from them to others who feel a similar call and who may find themselves on a similar journey "against the flow." "Lady Father" is filled with anecdotes that will ring true with many clergy, bring hope to those aspiring to ordination, and shed light on the continuing debate in the Church over who should be ordained. "The Process" described in the book is a journey most clergy have traveled, but my story is a unique blend of the obstacles, denials, and rejections I faced and overcame, along with the uplifting moments and spiritual growth that came out of the struggle. It is truthful and so, at times, it is painful; it is often light-hearted, even humorous; it is moving as it deals with real people, real events, and real emotions; and, most of all, it is mine - my story, my journey, my life.




A Contemporary Handbook for Weddings & Funerals and Other Occasions


Book Description

Guidance, advice, and ready-to-use sermons and services for the busy pastor Weddings and funerals are some of the most meaningful events in people's lives, and also some of the most challenging for the pastor to perform. Written with the needs of the busy pastor in mind, this popular and newly updated handbook includes everything necessary to conduct a variety of weddings and funerals, along with other common events such as Communion, baptisms, dedications, and ordinations. Helpful aids for weddings include services, vow renewals, messages, prayers, guidelines for vows, information on marriage laws, and, new in this edition, a service and message for second marriages. Guidance for funerals covers orders of service, quotations and reflections, and eulogies for a variety of circumstances, incorporating those with evangelistic appeal, untimely deaths, and suicide. New to this edition are funerals for service members, victims of violence, accidental deaths, cancer, and community tragedies. Additional new resources include blessing services for a home or special event and guidance for speaking at fraternal organizations. Pastors of all denominations will benefit from the services, advice, and resources in this sought-after handbook.




Still Time to Care


Book Description

At the start of the gay rights movement in 1969, evangelicalism's leading voices cast a vision for gay people who turn to Jesus. It was C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, Francis Schaeffer and John Stott who were among the most respected leaders within theologically orthodox Protestantism. We see with them a positive pastoral approach toward gay people, an approach that viewed homosexuality as a fallen condition experienced by some Christians who needed care more than cure. With the birth and rise of the ex-gay movement, the focus shifted from care to cure. As a result, there are an estimated 700,000 people alive today who underwent conversion therapy in the United States alone. Many of these patients were treated by faith-based, testimony-driven parachurch ministries centered on the ex-gay script. Despite the best of intentions, the movement ended with very troubling results. Yet the ex-gay movement died not because it had the wrong sex ethic. It died because it was founded on a practice that diminished the beauty of the gospel. Yet even after the closure of the ex-gay umbrella organization Exodus International in 2013, the ex-gay script continues to walk about as the undead among us, pressuring people like me to say, "I used to be gay, but I'm not gay anymore. Now I'm just same-sex attracted." For orthodox Christians, the way forward is a path back to where we were forty years ago. It is time again to focus with our Neo-Evangelical fathers on care--not cure--for our non-straight sisters and brothers who are living lives of costly obedience to Jesus. With warmth and humor as well as original research, Still Time to Care will chart the path forward for our churches and ministries in providing care. It will provide guidance for the gay person who hears the gospel and finds themselves smitten by the life-giving call of Jesus. Woven throughout the book will be Richard Lovelace’s 1978 call for a "double repentance" in which gay Christians repent of their homosexual sins and the church repents of its homophobia--putting on display for all the power of the gospel.




Common Worship: Ordination Services (hardback)


Book Description

This special hybrid volume provides the ordination liturgies of the Church of England from both The Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship, alongside a study guide for these services. It is intended to facilitate study of the texts by all who are interested in what the Church of England teaches about ordination, and especially by those who are themselves preparing to be ordained. It also serves as a resource for ecumenical dialogue about ministry in the Church. The first part presents the authorised ordination services, annotated with references to Scripture and to the Canons of the Church of England. The second part explains the thinking behind the services and offers a practical guide to planning ordinations. It includes: Introduction by the House of BishopsThe Common Worship Ordination Services (for Deacons, Priests and Bishops)The Ordinal (1662)A brief history of ordination ritesA commentary by the Liturgical CommissionCelebrating ordinations - a practical guide




Priesthood


Book Description

Well written and well presented, Father Osborne's book is a solid overview of the history of the sacrament of holy orders not only for Roman Catholic clergy, but for clergy throughout the Christian world. It will help all of those in ministry to understand the relationships between laity and clergy more deeply, and it carefully delineates the deeper theological significance of women in ministry. By considering the ordained ministry from the standpoint of Jesus as the primordial minister, 'Priesthood' enhances the multiple nature of ministry in ecumenical dialogues of our contemporary world, making them less intransigent. With the extensive discussion on ministry today, 'Priesthood' is a welcome, timely and necessary contribution.