Glory Chains & a Form for the Ordination of Elders
The Institution of a New Mission Church in Drayton Valley, AB
This past week my elder Jamie Soles and I travelled down to Drayton Valley to form membership rolls and to lead the ordination of Josh Holt as an elder of King’s Covenant Church in Drayton Valley, AB.
King’s Covenant Church has been formally taken on as a mission church of Christ Covenant Church of Grande Prairie, AB. You can find a link to the website that the congregation of King’s Covenant are developing here.
I would encourage you to visit these brothers if you are travelling through the area, and to consider membership in this fledgling congregation if you live in the region.
I’ve posted the exhortation and the form for ordination that we used below. Biblical teaching on the office of an elder is important in the times in which we live. For even more foundational content on why would even have elders in the church, check out my essay on “Holy Offices” here on my Substack and here on Kuyperian Commentary. You can also find some teaching on deacons and a form that we used for the ordination of deacons at CCC here.
Exhortation:
Congregation of King’s Covenant Church, greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
You have just elected Josh to the work of an elder in this new congregation. This is a solemn and also a joyful task.
I want to focus this evening on the New Testament reference to a man being a slave of Jesus Christ. Both Paul and Peter refer to themselves in this way, and so it is a category that we should willingly consider for ourselves.
In the modern church, we have lost a sense of calling that was experienced by men of old. The calling of a pastor is reduced to a “spiritual guide” or a “guru”. It is seen as a professional calling, a career path, that can be entered into and out of at will. This is not made any better with the lightness by which many pastors hold their calling, or the carelessness with which many Christians treat that calling, entering in and out of covenant with pastors at the slightest whiff of trouble. There is not much terror related to this calling.
The weightiness of this calling to pastoral ministry was represented of old as late as the 1800s in Alexandria as the patriarchs would be brought to their ordination wearing shackles. Augustine was dragged into the cathedral for his ordination as bishop of Hippo. As a deacon, John Chrysostom had made a promise with a friend to enter the bishopric together, but when the time came for ordination, he had disappeared. Martin Tours was marched from prison to his ordination. Gregory the Great fled to hide in a forest when he heard that he was being considered for bishop. The fiery Farel had to threaten John Calvin with the wrath of God to convince him to stay in Geneva and abandon his exclusively academic pursuits.
You may know of the clerical collar that many Anglican and Roman Catholic pastors wear. I am told that this was actually invented by a Presbyterian in order to picture the fact that a pastor is a slave of Jesus Christ.
It comes with the weight of responsibility, but also the weight of glory.
So as we put Josh Holt forward as an elder of King Covenant Church and aim at bringing him before Knox Presbytery for examination, this is no light or frivolous matter. It comes with the weight of responsibility, but also the weight of glory. After all, a slave of Jesus Christ is actually also his right hand man, the one who attends on Him, the one who gives Him counsel, praying for the congregation, being His mouthpiece in the midst of the assembly.
That means that it is also your duty as a congregation to pray for Him, to show patience with his weaknesses, and to encourage him in his strengths. After all, as the Apostle says in II Corinthians 4, the light of Jesus Christ is hidden in earthen vessels. Men are easily broken open by the trials and sufferings of life. But when we are bumped and cracked and shattered, the light of Christ must shine out in all its glory and majesty.
Josh, you are a slave of Jesus Christ. His chains are your glory. Let them weigh down on you with all the weight of His glory and raise you up a soldier of the cross and a fierce defender of the flock here in Drayton Valley.
A pastor in our times must not just see himself as a wise guru, a spiritual guru, a counselor. He is a slave of Jesus Christ, an under-shepherd. A shepherd chases down sheep. He gets his hands dirty. He fights off wolves. And those wolves will come for the sheep.
First and foremost, you are a gospel preacher. That means that you bear in your mouth the good news that Jesus is Lord and that the Son of God has come as a baby, suffered, died for our sins, rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven over all principalities and powers, to rule in you and through you. This is good news because it deals with the problem of sin and by dealing with the problem of sin, brings comfort & strength in the midst of trial and suffering. You come with a message that dead bones will come alive through the blood of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Spirit of God.
We preach Christ crucified. We preach the whole counsel of God. We preach the gospel in all creation. That’s why Jesus has weighed us down with these chains of glory.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Statement of Explanation and Charge (ELDER)
As we begin this service of ordination and installation, let us pray:
O HOLY Jesus, Head of the Church and Lord of All, You have purchased for Yourself a universal Church, and to Her edification, You have promised to be with Your Ministers to the end of the world; Be graciously pleased to bless the ministry and service of the called and appointed officers of your Church to offer the sacrifices of prayer, praise and service to You in this, Your house, which is called by Your Name, we ask in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Scripture speaks of the establishment of the Church through the appointment of leaders in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. The New Testament teaches that congregational leadership in Scripture is through a plurality of qualified, representative “elders” and “deacons” (1 Pet. 5:1; Phil. 1:1, 1 Tim. 5:17, Tit. 1:5-9, 1 Tim. 3), as well as “ministers of the Word” (Eph. 4:11, 1 Tim. 5:17). In the Reformed tradition, the Session is the called meeting of the elders in which they act corporately to rule in the church of God (1 Tim. 5:17) and the “Consistory” includes ministers, elders, and deacons. Today we’re grateful to officially ordain one man who has been appointed to the office of elder at Kings Covenant Church of Drayton Valley
[Elder to come forward]
Charge: While we are all part of God’s new covenant kingdom of priests, the Lord today is setting you apart for distinctive service. It is a holy calling and one which we call you to fulfill in the strength of the Lord. Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5b).
The congregation is to be reminded of the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:12, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction.”
Charge to [Elder]
[Name of Elder] - RULE WELL AND CARE FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD! 1 Peter 5:2–4 - Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 5:3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Indeed, this is a high calling in God’s Kingdom since it will directly build up the Church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).
Vows of Ordination
QUESTIONS FOR RULING ELDER(-ELECT)
1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice?
2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt in good faith the Westminster Confession and Catechisms, as being true to the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures; and do you further promise that if at any time you find yourself out of accord with any of the fundamentals of this system of doctrine, you will, on your own initiative, make known to your session the change which has taken place in your views since the assumption of this ordination vow?
3. Do you approve of the form of government and discipline of this church, as in conformity with the general principles of biblical polity?
4. Do you accept the office of elder in this church, and promise faithfully to perform all the duties thereof, and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your life, and to set a worthy example before the church of which God has made you an officer?
5. Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord?
6. Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the church?
Answer: I do so promise, by the grace of Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation [to affirm with “Amen”]:
Do you acknowledge and receive [elder name] in the office of elder and do you promise to yield to him all that honor, encouragement and obedience in the Lord to which their respective offices, according to the Word of God and the constitution of this church, entitle him?
[Laying on of Hands and Prayer]
O eternal and ever blessed God, you rule your church by your Spirit and you accept the service of your people; we commend to you N. whom we now ordain and install to the office of the eldership in this congregation.
Endue him with your Spirit. May his manner of life be worthy of the gospel of our Lord Christ. Make him pure in heart, unselfish in service, and zealous for the advancement of your Kingdom. Keep him faithful to the end, that when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, he may receive a crown of glory that fades not away, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Declaration of Ordination
Do you, the members of this church, acknowledge and receive this brother as elder, and do you promise to yield him all that honor, encouragement and obedience in the Lord to which this office, according to the Word of God and the constitution of this church, entitles him?
People: Amen!
I give you the right hand of fellowship, to lead as an elder here at the congregation of King’s Covenant Church, under the oversight of the session of Christ Covenant Church of Grande Prairie. I now pronounce and declare that [name of elder] has been lawfully selected, ordained, and installed as agreeable to the Word of God, and according to the Constitution of this church and that as such he is entitled to all encouragement, honor and obedience in the Lord: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
A Brief Addendum on a Different Topic:
I posted this to X yesterday, and figured I would include it as an addendum to my weekly newsletter:
1/ As the Trudeau government collapses, it is important to understand that it was a comprehensive and complex network of issues that brought us to where we are today.
It all started in 1968 when Pierre Elliott Trudeau was first elected Prime Minister of Canada…
2/ Pierre’s government led to a revolutionary vision of “rights” that was more grounded in a Marxist vision of “rights”, than a Christian vision of “rights” or “authority” grounded in natural law and the illumination of natural law in the Holy Scriptures.
3/ A few dates of the destruction of Christian morality in Law
1985 - Lord’s Day Act abolished
1988 - Abortion legalized (started with Morgantaler in 1968)
2005 - Same sex marriage legalized
2016 - MAID legalized
2017 - Transgender rights legalized.
4/ It was in 1971 that Pierre Elliott Trudeau announced Canada to be a multicultural country. By 1982 it was recognized in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This was not just a friendliness to foreigners, but a systematic integration of their beliefs/values into the nation.
5/ With a few Prime Ministers in between, Justin Trudeau took over in 2015.
Notice how the real revolutionary changes happen during the reign of both Trudeaus and how they are part of an ideology systematically imposed on the country by the father/son duo.
6/ If we as a nation want to make any substantial turn around, we must fundamentally go after the ideology of multiculturalism and the revolutionary nature of the bill of rights.
we must fundamentally go after the ideology of multiculturalism and the revolutionary nature of the bill of rights.
7/ But the church must also repent of her complicity in the moral degradation of our nation.
We abandoned Christ and then we abandoned His ordering for our life.
Anglicans and United Church led the compromise.
Other churches retreated from public life.
8/ Booting a Trudeau from power and even dealing with his criminal behaviour will not atone for this nation.
This is our sin.
We are all under the judgment of God for our wickedness.
So any solution must involve radical repentance, a turn and a redirection.
any solution must involve radical repentance, a turn and a redirection.
..this is an excellent post and great reminder of the high calling of men to public ministry and the weighty responsibility that goes with it. I’m of the view that our outward actions in general, reflect our spiritual and theological convictions. Kneeling in church during prayer for example is reflective of a conviction that Christ is present with us in worship and of submission to Him as Sovereign Lord and Saviour. Likewise, the wearing of a clerical collar and distinctive attire denotes the conviction that a man is a slave to and has received his high calling to public ministry from Christ and deemed to be qualified by the church. The post also sets out with great clarity the slide that has taken place in public life and the extent to which we have strayed as a nation and the urgent need for repentance both in the church and out.