Unless he is called of God, ordinationmeans nothing. Ordination is simply saying that men believe God has called the man to the ministry. Ordination is an outward act of approval rather than an indispensable channel of grace for the work of the ministry.

Understanding the Context

Ordination: The act of arranging in regular order, especially the act of investing with ministerial or sacerdotal rank (ordo), the setting-apart for an office in the Christian ministry. The word does not occur in English Version of the Bible. The English word ordination comes from a Latin word, ordo (order, class, rank). This word does not come from biblical Greek or Hebrew.

Key Insights

The term “ordination” derives from the Latin word ordinare, meaning to “arrange,” “order,” or “appoint.” Home » Ask a Bible Teacher » What Does OrdinationMean?Marriage is one example of such. Ideally being legally ordained as a pastor will coincide with the spiritual ordination described in Ephesians 4. The English word “ordination” carries the sense of “arranging” or “appointing” someone for an office, which aligns with the biblical idea of being called and established by God’s mandate. The Old Testament Hebrew terms often associated with the concept include words that mean “to... Over the course of Christian history the term ordination has acquired meanings beyond what these words originally implied.[vi].

Final Thoughts

As ordination is not a biblical term but an expression of the Roman world, the sentence from the Consensus Document is somewhat tricky to interpret. ordination definition: ceremony of conferring holy orders in Christianity. Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, related words.