Sample deacon ordination program

We were buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. By his grace, we have been clothed with Christ. God has called us to a new life, a life of ministry in a broken world. Please stand. I renounce them. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Will you be Christ's faithful disciple, obeying His Word and showing His love?

God being my helper, I will. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. We will be Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal to the world through us.

Thanks be to God! Minister: The voice of the Lord said to Philip, "Draw near to that man's chariot. Minister: The voice of the Lord came to David, saying, "Look the fields are ripe for harvest.

Will you teach the harvesters the things you have heard me say? Minister: Brothers and sisters, in baptism, our brother David Rylaarsdam was clothed with Christ. Now he is called by God through the voice of the church to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments to the particular task of teaching a Calvin Theological Seminary.

All: We remember with joy our common calling to serve Christ, and we celebrate God's particular call to our brother in Christ. The Vows: Minister: David, to show that you promise to fulfill the tasks of this office, you are requested, in the presence of God and his church, to answer the following questions: Do you believe that in the call of this congregation, God alone calls you to this holy ministry? Do you believe that the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and life; and do you subscribe to the doctrinal standards of this church, rejecting all teachings which contradict them?

Do you promise to do the work of your office faithfully, in a way worthy of your calling and in submission to the government and discipline of the church?

David: I do so believe and promise, the Lord helping me through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. What is your desire? People: In the name of Christ and relying on God's grace, let us ordain him! All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to You. You have called David to be Your representative and given him authority to be a minister of the Word.

But, on his own, he is not equal to this holy ministry. Include multiple participants in the roles of liturgical leadership in the service. Many sections of the service can be meaningfully led by family members, friends, colleagues, and those who have served as models and mentors for the one being ordained.

As noted at the beginning, the basic form for Ordination and Installation is found in the Psalter Hymnal [ edition], pages see copyright permissions below. However, you may consider restructuring the content of this form in various ways. It may be presented as read prose, reformulated in responsive fashion, or reshaped as questions for response.

The church should be certain he has the scriptural qualifications to serve as a deacon. The candidate should prove himself before he is considered for ordination. If the request is approved, a time is established for the Ordination Council and ordained persons deacons and ministers are invited. These may be persons who are members of that particular church as well as ordained persons from other churches.

It is a good practice to involve fellow churches as this involves support, prayer and fellowship from the community. The pastor, a minister, the director of missions, or the chairman of deacons may preside over the Ordination Council until a chairman is elected.

The chairman leads in the questioning of the person to be ordained. Usually the person being ordained is seated so that he is facing those who are asking questions. Any person who is present at the assembly council may ask questions. Usually the person being ordained is asked to briefly tell of his salvation experience. Other questions may be centered around biblical theology, ethics, morals, personal beliefs, missions, coperative program, virgin birth, errors in the bible, his ministry service, etc.

The Ordination Council votes on whether to recommend that the church proceed with the ordination of this man. The council may choose to delay the ordination or even reject the candidate.

That is why it is usually best to hold the council one week prior to the ordination service. Well, another one of the days that stands out in my memory is May 21, There were about in my graduating class and on that special day we were all packed into the chapel along with the faculty and a several hundred family and friends. But the more I think about it I also remember the air that day was not just hot—it was also charged with excitement and emotion…because each of us knew we were about to go out in the world to serve our God—fulfilling His special call in our lives.

And—after all the degrees had been awarded, and all the speeches had been made, we concluded our service by standing and singing a hymn whose words have always stuck with me because they expressed so beautifully how we each felt that day. The hymn was written by Charles Wesley and it goes like this:. Well, we sang that song with a lot of passion and gusto. When we finished all eyes were glistening because we felt as if those words had been written just for us.

In fact we expect you to show your love for Jesus by striving every day to be more an more like Him in your thoughts…in your words…in your actions.

The great missionary, Adoniram Judson, was once asked by reporters if it were true that people were comparing him to the Apostle Paul.

So, I encourage you to arrange your life around those tried but true spiritual disciplines that enable us to become more and more like Jesus. Devote yourselves to daily prayer and Bible study—to private and public worship. You will need to grow in Christlikeness—you will need to become spiritually strong—because you have been given a job that is impossible to do without the power of God.

You see, in the years to come, not only will you be lifted up as an example of spiritual maturity that others can follow…and you certainly will…you will also be asked to help the hurting, minister to the sick, and counsel those who need direction in life.

In short, challenging and often difficult ministry awaits you in coming years. Let me put it this way—you can no more be an effective deacon on your own than Peter could walk on water on his own. So, like Peter, you must learn to keep your eyes on Jesus—to instinctively look to Him for strength and insight and wisdom every single day. Show your love for Him by striving to be more and more like Him. Make it your goal to grow spiritually. We expect you to love and cherish the Redland family so much that as a deacon you constantly strive to keep it healthy and strong.

In other words, you are charged with doing all you can to keep our fellowship sweet. You may remember the book of Acts tells us that the incident in the early church that led to the formation of deacons in the first place was the ABSENCE of unity…caused by the grumbling and complaining of the Grecian widows who felt they were being overlooked and even shortchanged in the daily distribution of food. With the help of the first seven deacons, peace was restored and the church in Jerusalem resumed and even increased its growth.

Just like those first seven deacons, you are charged with preserving the unity we enjoy here in this church.