Ordination Standards
The Committee on Church Order, which included Presbytery of Carlisle commissioner
Scott Penner, responded to a whole list of overtures concerning ordination
standards by approving this statement. If approved by the whole General
Assembly it is recommended that this statement be shared and considered by each
Presbytery, but this is not a constitutional issue. This is not a change in
the Book of Order. I believe this is a helpful action. I perceive this
statement to have the tone of a pastoral letter, not a legislative decree. I
hope this statement, if approved, may support and encourage our conversation
around this difficult question of our ordination standards:
“Because
“•
Jesus taught that our highest ethical obligation is to ‘… love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength,
and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself’ (Lk. 10:27); and this is
how ‘everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another’ (Jn. 13:35);
“•
having experienced Christ’s gracious love for us while we are yet sinners, we
are called to ‘welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you,
for the glory of God’ (Rom. 15:7);
“•
we affirm the solemn commitments expressed in the constitutional questions for
ordination, installation, and commissioning, including that we intend to
fulfill our ministries ‘in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of
Scripture, and … continually guided by our confessions’; that that we will be
friends among our colleagues in ministry; that we ‘seek to follow the Lord
Jesus Christ, love [our] neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world’
(Book of Order, W-4.4003);
“•
‘… we hold that interpretation of the Scripture to be orthodox and genuine
which is gleaned from the Scriptures themselves (from the nature of the
language in which they were written, likewise according to the circumstances in
which they were set down, and expounded in the light of like and unlike
passages and of many and clearer passages) and which agree with the rule of
faith and love, and contributes much to the glory of God and man’s salvation’ (The
Book of Confessions, Second Helvetic Confession, 5.010);
“•
the larger Catechism lifts up the duty of holding ‘… a charitable esteem of our
neighbors,’ and forbids the sin of ‘… misconstruing intentions, words, and
actions’ (The Book of Confessions, 7.254–.255).”
The 220th General Assembly (2012) acknowledges that faithful
Presbyterians earnestly seeking to follow Jesus Christ hold different views
about what the Scriptures teach concerning the morality of committed,
same-gender relationships.
Therefore, while holding persons in ordered ministry to high
standards of covenant fidelity in the exercise of their sexuality, as in all
aspects of life, we decline to take an action that would have the effect of
imposing on the whole Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) one interpretation of
Scripture in this matter. We commit ourselves to continue respectful dialogue
with those who hold differing convictions, to welcome one another for God’s
glory, and not to vilify those whose convictions we believe to be in error. We
call on all Presbyterians to join us in this commitment.
