Green Light? As we are well aware this is a traffic signal that means proceed. In terms of navigating the roads in order to arrive at a chosen or desired destination green means go . . . proceed forward. Now, in terms of pastoral calling the signal to proceed forward doesn't reflect this signal scenario. In that scenario a motorist makes the judgment to proceed of their own volition. Germane to pastoral calling the signal scenario to proceed (after the previous 6 signals are all indicating a green light [ my previous two blogs]) is more indicative of a law enforcement officer standing in an intersection and issuing signals. An officer will gauge the situations and circumstances based upon the recognized signals and gesture to proceed forward accordingly. In terms of pastoral calling the officer is analogous to pastors of local churches already ordained. This signal scenario speaks to Confirmation and Ordination.
The signal to proceed forward with pastoral calling is also comparable to a four way intersection where stop signs signal motorists to proceed forward. Motorists familiar with driving rubric will recognize the right and allowance of another motorist to move forward and thereby allow them to do so and recognize that motorists position to do so.In terms of pastoral calling the other motorists at the four way stop are analogous to non-pastoral church members. This signal scenario speaks to Affirmation.
Both signal scenarios germane to pastoral calling are involved in a man with a noticeable calling receiving the green light to proceed forward. With the former carrying the final authority. Affirmation, Confirmation and Ordination. These three are sine qua non in relation of ordination. Without these three pastoral calling cannot be realized from a biblical and historical vantage point.Without these three pastoral calling should not be recognized from a biblical and historical vantage point.
7. Affirmation
Pastoral calling without affirmation is a calling without recognition. It is comparable to a shepherd without sheep to attend to. Affirmation is essential to pastoral calling. Now, while it doesn't contribute to the intrinsic nature of aspiration, inspiration or qualification affirmation does recognize them extrinsically. Affirmation validates the reality of a mans pastoral calling by that calling being a reality with others among the church. The church will affirm the gifting of pastoral calling by way of receptivity of the gifting. They will unpack the gifting.
The very nature of gifting presupposes that others among the church will invariably benefit from the gifted expression/s of pastoral calling (Rom.12:3-8; 1 Cor.12; Eph.4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10). Genuine gifting will naturally contribute to the maturation and growth of the church. The church will respond to such a gifting by recognizing the effect/s of pastoral calling for, "When people see the evidence of fruitful ministry, they extend the outward call to office in the church." (Edmund Clowney, The Church, p.210). When a sense of pastoral calling is vocalized by a man it will not come as a surprise. Ones gifting will invariably produce the testimony of calling that produces affirmation. When Jesus' calling was questioned he replies, "If I alone bear witness about myself, MY testimony is not deemed true. . .the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me... (John 5:31,36).
Without the affirmation of the church en toto a man should not receive confirmation (see #8 below). Martin Luther once opined that a pastor/elder should, "let himself be called and chosen to preach and to teach in the place of and by the command of others." (Luther's Works 39, p.310 - Luther's ideas of the pastorate were governed more by an ungrounded congregationalism albeit ). Local church affirmation is just as necessary in determining pastoral calling as the previous six signals. Paul even instructs Pastor Timothy to take into account the court of public opinion in regard to pastoral qualifications (1 Tim.3:7). Affirmation is so integral that Paul goes beyond local church repute into the secular realm. The reality is that others will affirm pastoral calling. Affirmation will be gladly established by others as Ananias affirmed the call of Christ on Paul's life (Acts 9:15-17). Of course not everyone outside the pastoral candidate will be personally visited by Christ to make it so obvious.
Now, affirmation doesn't mean that there will be full acceptance among the church or that everyone will be in agreement. After all Jesus had his gainsayers and Paul had his. Paul was called from the word go as Acts 26:16-18 records Paul recounting. However, his calling wasn't initially affirmed by the church (Acts 9:26). And Timothy's pastoral call was arguably met with a lack of receptivity on some level.
While affirmation is non-negotiable it does not carry the authority to confirm or ordain. Where affirmation dictates confirmation a form of unbiblical congregational democracy predominates. This form of church polity emerged among the ranks of the Anabaptist's. Anabaptism emerged around 1525 in Zurich as an overreaction to abusive authority as opposed to a biblical reaction to affirm proper church authority. The danger in this is the dysfunctional outcome recorded in 2 Corinthians whereby false apostles entered into the ranks of the local membership and claimed viable calling and ministerial standing based upon unverifiable resumes (2 Cor. 10-11). The Corinthians subsequently rejected Paul's bona fide calling and ministerial authority in favor of the congregations vote! A vote that was severely misplaced. Such men who claimed calling did not have the support of men who were actually called and who actually had standing. This is one reason we find Paul vouching for men he sent to local churches to minister. Without approval of the apostles/pastors then (and pastors now) who had confirmed calling with ordained standing among the church no man could claim such a position. This is one reason why a church split where there is no locally ordained pastor/elder cannot and should not plant a church.
8. Confirmation
Local church pastors are responsible to identify those men with pastoral calling and to confirm them. This, of course is not done without the affirmation of local church members. To confirm without the voice of the church is, indeed, a form of authoritarianism. Affirmation, though, is not authoritatively decisive (Acts 6:3,6 serves as a prototypical principle differentiating affirmation and confirmation/ordination [Confirmation is not to be confused with ordination - see #9 below]). The signal of confirmation is a signal provided exclusively by other pastors and not church membership and informed by all of the preceding 7 signals.
We find Barnabas taking Paul before the apostles after receiving his calling and going to other disciples (Acts 9:27). Sometime beyond this while in Antioch Paul and Barnabas were called by the Spirit of God for other ministerial work. While the Spirit called them to this work that calling was confirmed by the local elders/pastors (Acts13:1-3). Beyond this occasion Paul again went to Jerusalem and spent a number of days with the apostle/pastor Peter (Gal.1:181 Peter 5:1). After spending some time away from Jerusalem Paul returned again to be confirmed by them, "when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised, and when James and Cephas, and John, who seemed pillars, perceived the grace given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go tot the Gentiles.."(Gal.2:2,7-9).
We also see confirmation at work with Timothy's pastoral calling. Prior to ordination prophecy's or public statements pertaining to Timothy's gift or pastoral calling were known and understood. Statements complimented by a recognized gift at work (1 Tim.1:18, 4:14). Beyond this Scripture is clear that this was part of a process of evaluation that involved development. Paul himself was personally involved in recognizing the gift and affirmation by investing in it. He instructed Timothy in the truths of the gospel and in what local church culture should consist of (1 Tim.6:20; 2 Tim. 1:13, 2:2
Confirmation involves a process of evaluation that aims at verifying a mans pastoral calling and developing a mans pastoral calling. Again, while the process of confirmation involves local church affirmation, confirmation goes probatively beyond the judgments of local church members.Confirmation is much more involved and thoroughgoing. John Calvin's Institutes and more particularly his Ecclesiastical Ordinances, for instance, insist upon a "prior examination and selection by the company of pastors and approval of the common consent of the congregation". Pastors are the ones confirming while the entire church is involved in the necessary but subordinate signal of affirmation. PASTORS will confirm by way of entrusting to faithful men (2 Tim.2:2) what have been entrusted with themselves.
9. Ordination
So, after all 8 signals are showing green for go ordination follows. The previous 8 signals are indispensable because of the gravity and seriousness of pastoral calling. And this is why Paul told Timothy, "Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands" (1 Tim.5:22). In biblical verbiage the laying on of hands signified that a man was being set apart to the office of pastor/elder (Acts 13:3, 1 Tim.4:14). Ordination is a "solemn rite of institution. . .a legitimate act of consecration before God" (Calvin; Comm. on 2 Tim.1:6).
Just as confirmation is something exercised by existing pastors/elders so ordination is as well. Pastors/elders are charged and solely responsible for the act of ordination. In 1 Tim. 4:14 a council of elders ordained Timothy. In the churches Paul and Barnabas founded THEY, "appointed (ordained) elders for them in every church." (Acts 14:23). In the churches of Crete Paul instructed Pastor Titus to, "appoint (ordain) elders in every town (local churches)" as a way of putting things in order (Titus 1:5). The existing church membership was not in a position to do so. It was the place of the existing pastors to ordain not the existing local membership. This is axiomatic [In Scripture whenever and wherever we find local church membership 'electing' who to confirm as functionally ordained dysfunction and division precipitate! (1 Cor.1-4; 2 Cor.10-11; Gal.1:6-10;)]. This is also substantiated by the fact that Paul wrote personal letters to Pastor Timothy and Pastor Titus with the instructions on who to ordain not local church members. Moreover, it is existing local pastors that are primarily responsible for and involved in this process; not regional representatives and not parachurch representatives. While there are exceptions to this they shouldn't be pressed. And while a regional council of pastors or regional ordination committee can justifiably be involved in denominations or families of churches as much as possible local elders are primarily to be responsible. They will be the ones in a position to verify the previous 8 signals as they are the boots on the ground serving with and caring for those with pastoral calling.
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Whoever, then, would take upon himself the government and care of the church should know that he is bound by this law of divine call. +John Calvin
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