One of many phenomenon that has occurred in church history—one that has, in fact, resulted in some damaging effects—is that of preachers who, while in some cases truly called and serving well, were not ordained by a local church (or even any other institution). This step is crucial, however, not only as a confirmation of a man’s qualifications, but also serves to help safeguard from error. Tragically, this disregard for ordination has become a far more common occurrence today. To address this question, this article examines what ordination is, the biblical evidence for it, who is to be ordained, who is to do the ordaining, and why all this is critically important.
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I really liked this article. I’ve been considering ordination; our church is a member of the IFCA so it would be by committee or ordination council. It makes much more sense that this should be done by the elders in my church who actually know me and whether or not I am biblically qualified. Thank you!