Introduction
The following is a brief overview of the call and discernment to ministry, particularly ordained ministry in the Diocese of Spokane. For those who are seeking discernment concerning a call to Holy Orders this overview should be used in concert with materials presented at the training of the discernment committees and with the “The Process” document also prepared by the Commission on Ministry. This material is meant to be helpful, descriptive not proscriptive. During the course of formal discernment questions will arise. The COM is here to help with those questions, so please contact the COM for that help.
Call, Vocation, and Discernment
You have engaged to enter a process of inquiry and discernment about vocation. The process concerns both the question of your own vocation and the discernment of that vocation by your sisters and brothers in Christ. The process of discerning God’s desire for our lives is holy work. In taking up this work we give the gift of our very selves to God. As the Rite One Eucharistic Prayer puts it, “… we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee.” To seek out God’s leading in our lives is an act of generosity and love toward God. To be a companion on such a journey is also a gift to God. Whether in your role as a seeker of God’s will or as a companion along the way, come to the journey with an open heart and an open mind.
We are all imago Dei. Created in the image of God, we participate in God’s presence in the world through all the aspects of our lives. The process of “discernment” or “spiritual direction” draws our participation in God up into consciousness. It is more than “feeling” that God is calling us to a certain task or state of life. Discernment relies on bringing our lives, concerns, and questions into the presence of scripture, reason, and prayer. It continues by noticing and reflecting upon the thoughts and feelings that arise in these times of study and prayer. Then in personal and group reflection upon what has been noticed, the path forward comes more clearly into focus.
The Call to Ministry
Baptized Christians
We are all Christian ministers by virtue of our Baptism. We are all called to share in Christ’s eternal Priesthood. Thus the ministry of the laity is the foundation upon which the Church was established, the structure which gives it strength throughout its history. We emphasize the importance of lay ministry to the lives of individual faith communities and the larger Church. Every baptized Christian is called upon to bring the presence of Christ into the home, workplace, and the community. We celebrate the gifts that members of the laity bring to the Church, and we recognize that celebration of individual ministry need not, and usually does not, lead to a call to ordination.
Lay ministers with special gifts often need encouragement to allow these gifts to develop. This diocese is committed to helping our laity exercise their ministry. We strongly oppose the view that a lay member with serious commitment to ministry can have that devotion recognized or fulfilled only through ordination. Academic accomplishment, a life of caring and compassion, a history of personal struggle and courage, a strong personal sense of being called, are all valuable assets, but they do not of themselves mean a call to ordination. This diocese seeks ways to affirm and continue to raise up strong, vibrant lay ministers.
Ordained Ministers
Within the context of the general ministry of the people of God, the Church calls out certain men and women for ordained leadership roles. This leadership must be well chosen, highly trained and committed to serving God and the Church. The call to Holy Orders comes to the individual both from God and from the Church. Therefore discernment of the call occurs within the context of the community.
It is the task of the COM to assist the Bishop, the individual and the Church mutually to discern and evaluate a vocation to ordination. The need for ordained leadership in our Church suggests that only a very few will exercise their baptismal ministry through ordination. It is the responsibility of the Bishop and the representatives of the Church to recommend prayerfully – and very possibly to identify and recruit – the candidates for ordained ministry to fulfill the mission of the Church at large.
The Order of Deacons
A deacon is a man or woman called into holy mission in the Church and in the world – to lead the people of God in service in the name of the Risen Christ, and to serve the Church and the world as messenger, agent and attendant.
- Deacons are messengers of the Gospel who proclaim the good news to the Church and the world. They do this in part by proclaiming the Gospel in the liturgical assembly and by presenting the needs of the world to the Church. Deacons call all of the members of the Body of Christ to the work of transforming the world by striving for justice and peace among all people.
- Deacons are agents of the local Church – the Diocese – and are to serve directly under the authority of and are accountable to the Bishop. In this capacity deacons are the “go-betweens” who connect the work of the local congregation to the work of the Diocese.
- Deacons are attendants who prepare the Holy Table for the Eucharist and help lead the faithful who gather week by week to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers.
The role of Deacon requires unique gifts and formation, serving as an “ordained messenger of the faith” outside the walls of the congregation. Deacons model how to be in the Church and in the world as icons of service, and they have the ability to inspire that life in others.
Deacons help all members of the Body of Christ to be free to find places of connection with God in their lives beyond Sunday morning. Deacons are not those who alone do the work of the Church in the world; rather, they gather, lead, equip, and inform the laity in that work. In all their work, Deacons enhance the ministry of the laity, not supplant it.
Deacons must be academically trained in Holy Scriptures and able to integrate scripture into their diaconal ministry and the liturgy. They must have an understanding of diakonia and the role of the deacon in the Church. They must be conversant in Christian ethics and societal issues. Some will have the gift and task of preaching and will be trained and licensed to preach. Deacons must be well versed theologically and translate through their work the Church’s understanding of the Paschal mystery, the Incarnation, Baptismal servanthood shared by all Christians, and Eucharistic community.
Because in this Diocese the diaconate is non-stipendiary, those who are called to this ministry must exhibit the energy necessary for a full schedule of work both in and outside the Church. Deacons serve under the authority of the Bishop and are assigned in the Diocese of Spokane where needed. Deacons will work collaboratively with other ordained and lay leadership. Deacons who minister in congregations will work with a priest and others who have the responsibility for the life and worship of the congregation, and must be comfortable working in such situations.
Deacons will be expected to live a Rule of Life, which includes prayer, immersion in Scripture, self-examination and regular study. Deacons will seek regular continuing education opportunities in order to grow in their vocation. Lastly Deacons will participate in the diocesan community of Deacons as fully as possible.
The Order of Priests
The ministry of the Priest, as a representative of Christ and the Church, is customarily, though not exclusively, within a designated congregation where the Priest serves primarily as celebrant of the sacraments and transmitter and interpreter of the tradition of the faith. The Priest is also a participant in the collegium of presbyters and assists the Bishop in the councils of the Diocese. Essential elements for this ministry are prayer, reflection, study, teaching, preaching, so that the sacerdotal life is lived with integrity and depth. In the hands and heart of the Priest should reside such a love of Christ and the Church that others are drawn into the grace of a spiritual life. The one ordained is called to be pastor, priest and teacher.
- The Priest is a pastor. He or she will love and serve the people among whom they work, caring for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor, visiting the sick and shut-in, providing for counseling, being present with members of the Church in all that life brings.
- He or she is a priest, leading the congregation in the celebration of the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood and in the offering to God of our spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. The priest declares God’s forgiveness to penitent sinners, pronounces God’s blessing and leads the congregation in the celebration of the sacraments.
- The priest is a teacher. The Priest shares in the baptismal charge to all Christians to proclaim by word and deed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the priest’s particular responsibility to preach, to instruct the members in the faith, and to prepare members for baptism and confirmation.
The Priest is also responsible for institutional community building, sharing with the Bishop in the overseeing of the Church.
Priests must be academically trained in the Holy Scriptures, in Church history and Christian theology, in Ethics and Moral theology. Priests need to be able to speak to contemporary society, be conversant in Liturgics and Church music and be proficient at the use of the Book of Common Prayer, the Hymnal and all other authorized supplemental texts. Priests must know the theory and practice of ministry, including leadership and the ministries of evangelism and stewardship.
Our Ordinal is clear in the ministry of a Priest, but exactly how each priest of the church exercises that ministry will vary according to their local community. Some will be rectors, some vicars, some serving the sacramental needs of a community while working outside of the institutional church structure. The Priest always serves collaboratively with other leadership in the congregation. Education and formation for priesthood will also vary. Some will spend three years in seminary, while others will be educated and formed through local classes and distance learning opportunities. No matter which way the ministry is exercised, or how one is formed, all are Priests, called to serve God and the people of God.
Priests will be expected to live a Rule of Life, which includes prayer, immersion in Scripture, self-examination and regular study. Priests will seek regular continuing education opportunities in order to grow in their vocation. A Priest is a representative, calling forth the priesthood of all believers and providing an example of a faithful life in Christ.