How to become a Baptist Minster

Baptist churches are autonomous so each one has its own regulations and requirements when it comes to licensing and ordination. As a matter of course, you should go through your local Baptist church and submit yourself for their consideration for licensure and then ordination. Baptists (historically) believe that the local church is a sovereign, self regulating and self governing entity and only through the local church should individuals be ordained.

So, why do you want to be ordained?

 

Once you have given an indication of this to your local Baptist church they may be willing to go ahead and license you but ordination will most likely come either after a lengthy period of time of careful observation by the church or it may come more commonly by the first church you are called to pastor.

Be sure to get involved in any ministry you can serve faithfully in ie jail ministry, nursinghome ministry, yout ministry, etc. getting ordained does not come quickly.

 

What is your educational background in regards to that perceived calling?

 

Why do you care?

 

That's pretty awesome. I pray things go well on your journey. Thanks for being willing to explore God's calling and will for your life.:thumbsup:

 

That must be a wonderful feeling. Yes, in our denomination, the local church is the key. The Lord will lead you where and when He wants you to serve. As far as the training and education, I am sure it will become clear to you as you travel on your new journey. Some churches will take an equivalent of an associates, and some a doctorate.

The training is fine, but the call of God is in the heart, and that is where you will make the difference.

 

just curious, as most churches would have a requirement for some type of education background to qualify for ordination, don't they?

 

The licensing and ordination are different from my experience. A man was licensed first, sort of like a learners permit. But the last few men I have ordained to ministry or been a part of their ordination, were not licensed first.

As others have said, ordination is done by a local church. Have you talked with your pastor about it? If he's agreeable, he will get a group of ordained people together for the examination process. Then if they vote yes, the church will ordain you.

Each church is different. In some the examination part is more pro forma. In others it is a real examination of what you believe and how you can back it up in Scripture.

 

Yes, the local church ordains.

Why "ordained" people? Why not an appropriate group of people from the congregation? What special powers do "ordained" people have?

Will only the "ordained" people lay hands on you or will the church?

I am baffled by the ordination traditions of many Baptist churches. We make a big stink about the priesthood of the believer and rail against priesthoods of other denominations, and then in practice, we set up a divide between "ordained" people and non-ordained people to the point where many churches only allow "ordained" people to ordain others as if they are passing on priesthood authority.

 

I'm not a sacerdotalist, but I do believe the pattern of the earliest churches was to ordain a pastor (or overseer) by having other pastors come, evaluate, and then ordain and commission by laying on of hands that person. We see this as late as Cyprian and as early as 1 Timothy.

Priesthood of the the believer isn't a blank check for authority, it is about how we have access to Christ without the need for a mediator. There is still an aspect of spiritual authority for churches and ministers, however it isn't understood sacramentally. Ordained people have no magical or mystical powers, they are, however, specially recognized leaders who have set themselves apart for ministry service.

I agree that some Baptist ordination rituals are odd, but we can say that about some Baptist practices period. However, I still believe a council of ordained ministers, elders, and/or deacons is important for the interviewing of candidates and should take the lead in the ordaining services of those candidates.

 

I believe I disagree. All believers have kingdom authority in Christ. Regarding being a "boss" in the church, those who wish to lead should be the servants of all. They are to lead with moral authority, not through hierarchy.

All Christians should set themselves apart for ministry service. Each one of us, whether employed by a congregation or not, are to have a ministry field that we actively work. Those who are not officially a part of the church staff may often be more powerful ministers and leaders in the church than the paid staff.

I am all for theological competence (both head knowledge and experiential knowledge), but one of the glaring issues in so-called "professional" ministry is the lack of character of "professional" ministerial candidates because of lack of personal discipleship. Too often Christian scholarship and theological competency is a veil that hides a lack of basic discipleship to Christ and massive character flaws. As someone who went through seminary and have personally known many "professional" ministers - including some big name people in the Baptist realm - there is a shocking lack of the fruit of the Spirit and an excess of the works of the flesh.

That is not true of all of course, I know a small number of fine Christian leaders who are supported by churches, as well as a number of people who frequent BaptistBoard who appear to be sound in character and theology.

However, I think the way we handle ordination - and some of the weird ideas we have about authority handed to people through ordination - helps create this issue.

 

we do the same in ours...

We also belong to an "fellowshipassociation" of Baptist churches, so would ordination be into the fellowship also then?

 

I totally agree with you.

 

I don't understand this college degree requirement thing. Isn't a man who knows and understand scripture the key to being a Pastor? This can happen from intense study at the kitchen table. Give me a man who knows the word of God and I will never question his education

 

many groups would require that a candidate for position of the pastor have suitable educational background, such as triaining in original languages, the bible books, as well as practical pastoral experiences...

Would agree that the most important thing is that the pastor have a real calling and heart for ministry, but also good to be well rounded!