Section IV. Ordination
429. Ordination and the Apostolic Ministry--1. The whole church receives and accepts the call of God to embody and carry forth Christ's ministry in the world. Ordination originates in God's will and purpose for the church. There are persons within the church community whose gifts, evidence of God's grace, and promise of future usefulness are observable to the community, who respond to God's call and offer themselves in leadership as ordained ministers.
2. The pattern for this response to the call is provided in the development of the early church. The apostles led in prayer and preaching, organized the Christian community to extend Christ's ministry of love and reconciliation, and provided for guardianship and transmission of the gospel, as entrusted to the early church, to later generations. Their ministry, though distinct, was never separate from the ministry of the whole people of God.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 429
1996 United Methodist General Conference