Ordination

There are perhaps as many definitions of priesthood as there are people! 

Ordination is the name given for priesting services, and similar to other sacraments is a making visible of the work of God in a priest’s life.

We suggest a trinitarian-themed working definition for priests as follows: a priest is someone called by God to help lead his Church, in the way of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Called by God: priests will normally articulate an inner sense that God has called them to priesthood. The Church then has a role, through whatever discernment processes exist for the denomination, in testing this sense of calling to see if it is both genuine and suitable for the specific denomination.

To help lead his Church: priests hold positions of authority and are responsible for the spiritual flourishing of their communities. Ephesians 4 has a good definition of priests as “pastor-teachers” – priests embody both pastoral care and discipleship with all those with whom they have to do. Priests are also envisaged as having a sacramental ministry (see below), and in some sense a prophetic ministry (see e.g. Ezekiel 33, 37). Denominations will have different leadership structures, for example deacons, priests and bishops. Some traditions will emphasize the “priesthood of all believers” (1 Peter 2) to focus on the priest’s enabling role, there to build up the whole Church to live out their Christian vocations.

In the way of Christ: Jesus calls, equips, and patterns priests in ministry. Priests are called to be faithful followers, and only from this place seek to lead others. Passages such as Titus 1 speak to the character required of priests. Some traditions will emphasize the representational role of priests, as those called to explicitly represent Christ by presiding over holy communion, other sacraments, and more generally in their ministry. This characterisation of ministry finds Old Testament parallels (e.g. Exodus 29 as those who mediate between Israel and God), as well as some New Testament elaboration (e.g. 1 Peter 5 as shepherds awaiting the chief shepherd, Hebrews 10’s focus on Christ’s priestly sacrifice for all). 

By the power of the Holy Spirit: this is a comment on both the prophetic nature of priestly ministry (see above), the opportunity for priests to disciple people in spiritual disciplines and gifts, and an acknowledgement of the challenging nature of this vocation. Priests are charged with caring for both their own faith, and that of the varied, at times challenging, communities they serve. Revelations of historic and recent abuses committed by priests have rightly increased the requirement for priests to be scrupulous. Good support to priests is vital if they are to flourish in the decades to come. The words of the Anglican ordinal (priesting service) are perhaps most appropriate here: “You cannot bear the weight of this calling in your own strength, but only by the grace and power of God…Pray earnestly for the gift of the Holy Spirit”.