| Minister: | (name of candidate), in presenting yourself for Ordination to the Christian Ministry, is it your intention to seek the help of Almighty God; to accept as your own the ideals and principles of Christ; and through study, prayer, and Christian fellowship, to seek the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life and ministry? |
| Candidate: | It is. |
| Minister: | Will you endeavor to lead individuals and institutions to fulfill their mission of service to the neighborhood and community, and to assume their maximum responsibility in the Christian world mission? |
| Candidate: | I will, with help of God's people. |
| Minister: | Will you strive to keep yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually alert for the tasks to which God calls you? |
| Candidate: | I will, in cooperation with my sister and brother ministers. |
| Minister: | Will you do everything within your power to strengthen and enrich the meaning of your Call as a Christian minister? |
| Candidate: | I will, with God's spirit providing insight and understanding. |
| Minister: | Would you accept any position of ministerial responsibility unless you are in accord with the historic principles and current practices of the denomination with which that church or agency is affiliated? |
| Candidate: | I would not. |
| Minister: | Will you give attention, sympathy, and support, whenever possible to the larger fellowship of Christians beyond the American Baptist Churches/USA, recognizing that this church is a part of the whole Church of Jesus Christ in the world? |
| Candidate: | I will; and at all times I will recognize that I am a part of the fellowship of American Baptist Churches/USA which in turn shares a responsibility with other churches for the ministry and witness of the gospel. |
| Minister: | To what ministry have you been called? |
| Candidate: | I have been called of God to engage in a ministry of love and reconciliation. In this ministry, I shall seek to know the truth, to proclaim it, and uphold it, whatever the personal cost. |
| Minister: | Will you, the congregation, support this minister as she/he walks among you, comforting, exhorting, and witnessing for the Church of Jesus Christ? |
| CONGREGATION: | We, the members of this church, do support (name of candidate) as an ordained minister of Jesus Christ. We recognize that her/his training, talents, and commitments qualify her/him for a position of leadership within our fellowship.
We anticipate that her/his presence among us will enlarge our vision of the Kingdom of God and provide new and exciting ministries that will reconcile persons to one another, and persons to God. We pray that we might have openness to her/his leadership and that she/he might be led of God for the sake of the world in which Christ is both Savior and Lord. Amen. |
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