Bothered...

[Jon Estes]

I just don't get it, in a spiritual/biblical sense.

[William Thornton]

He can...so he does. Celebs need not be accountable to anyone. The most disqualified minister can get a following. Did an SBC church ordain him? If so, why hasn't that been revoked?

[Jon Estes]

[Dave Roberts]

One of the problems in our Baptist ordination practices is that there is no follow-up between the church and the one ordained and certainly no responsibility taken. For example, my home church ordained me in 1968. That was the last time I was a member there. I have not been invited back there to preach since my parents died in the 1990's, and I've only been invited twice in my entire ministry. Few people there know me or even know anything about me now. When I was a seminary student, I was aware that churches close to the campus tended to have several ordinations each spring before people went out to their places of service. I seriously doubt that those churches know anything about ordination.

As a pastor, I have received one request that a church I served revoke the ordination of someone the church had ordained thirty years earlier. When we asked the group requesting that we do this to send representatives to meet with our deacons to explain the situation and then we would meet with the person who had been ordained there, no one responded to our request, so I assume that person is still ordained (if still living). Since only the ordaining congregation can revoke an ordination, very few are ever lifted.

How should we better our system? I've often asked, but I don't know how to do it among autonomous churches.

[Rvaughn]

[William Thornton]

I don't know how to make ordination into something churches are more serious about. Some churches would ordain a ham sandwich. Revocation? Hen's teeth.

[JE Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

[Dave Roberts]

I would hope this might be something that CBF will one day begin to address following some of the ABC model.

[Rvaughn]

[Tim Bonney]

[JE Pettibone]

[Rvaughn]

Ed, to restate or clarify the last question -- basically, what are the repercussions to a local church that chooses to ignore this "reconditioning" process?

[Tim Bonney]

[Rvaughn]

Sounds like part of the purpose is as much for the ABCUSA as for the church.

[Haruo]

In the ABC Yearbook there always used to be (it's been over a decade since I looked at one) pastors who were marked as "LO" (I think it was) meaning "local ordination" and as I understood it indicating that the ordination had not been recognized by the Association, Region or other ABC entity.

[Haruo]

And I'm pretty sure that in Evergreen anyway regional approval requires a certain level of seminary education (not sure if it has to be MDiv). But there's a big difference between an undereducated pastor and an underhanded one.

[Rvaughn]

[JE Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

[Rvaughn]

[Haruo]

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]