Anabaptist ordination - lifelong calling?

[mike]

A topic I've thought about recently. In conservative Anabaptist churches, ordination is typically considered a solemn, lifelong calling. Short of running off with another man's wife, or changing to another denomination that may not recognize ordinations done by the previous one, a conservative Anabaptist minister, deacon, or bishop can expect to serve for life.

It seems that something is considered to have changed significantly about the nature and calling of a person who is 'ordained.' This has significant ramifications for how the rest of one's life is lived.

The stigma of having to step down from an ordained position for reasons other than retirement bring a certain heavy burden on a person. I am aware of one man who served as bishop, but who was replaced by his congregation (with his consent, initially) for reasons of his mental health, has struggled ever since with feelings of letting God and his congregation down, and has the sense that he really should belong in that position again.

What is it that makes us and our ordained men feel like ordination must always be a lifelong calling barring some terrible cataclysmic event?

How is 'ordination' different from simple 'appointment' in the way that we appoint a janitor or Sunday school teacher? What great supernatural thing is supposed to happen via ordination as opposed to the appointment to other positions of service in the church?

Why can't we make it easier for a leader to step down or be removed if things aren't going well?

[barnhart]

I agree with Mike in general but I can also see the wisdom in life calling. It serves as a bulwark against the shifting sands of populism.

[cooper]

The stigma of having to step down from an ordained position for reasons other than retirement bring a certain heavy burden on a person. I am aware of one man who served as bishop, but who was replaced by his congregation (with his consent, initially) for reasons of his mental health, has struggled ever since with feelings of letting God and his congregation down, and has the sense that he really should belong in that position again.

I think it's hard to step down and stay in the same congregation, even in assimilated Christian churches, where service is not lifelong. Often, pastors will move to another congregation after stepping down from ministry. Sometimes this is encouraged for a period of time to allow a new pastor and congregation to adjust to new leadership. I don't think that's necessary, yes it's hard, but I think it's something that should be worked through, not ran from.

So, I think it's a challenge for non-plain churches too. I think some of this difficulty is probably unavoidable, but if our understanding of leadership was healthier and more biblical, it could ease some of the pain.

[the-real-steve]

The stigma of having to step down from an ordained position for reasons other than retirement bring a certain heavy burden on a person. I am aware of one man who served as bishop, but who was replaced by his congregation (with his consent, initially) for reasons of his mental health, has struggled ever since with feelings of letting God and his congregation down, and has the sense that he really should belong in that position again.

I know of a deacon that resigned with little explanation. Years later it was made known he struggled with his sexuality.

[mike]

The stigma of having to step down from an ordained position for reasons other than retirement bring a certain heavy burden on a person. I am aware of one man who served as bishop, but who was replaced by his congregation (with his consent, initially) for reasons of his mental health, has struggled ever since with feelings of letting God and his congregation down, and has the sense that he really should belong in that position again.

I think it's hard to step down and stay in the same congregation, even in assimilated Christian churches, where service is not lifelong. Often, pastors will move to another congregation after stepping down from ministry. Sometimes this is encouraged for a period of time to allow a new pastor and congregation to adjust to new leadership. I don't think that's necessary, yes it's hard, but I think it's something that should be worked through, not ran from.

So, I think it's a challenge for non-plain churches too. I think some of this difficulty is probably unavoidable, but if our understanding of leadership was healthier and more biblical, it could ease some of the pain.

I'm sure this is true. I think it may be a rare gift for a person stepping down from leadership to be able to shift into a less prominent role with grace and humility. And yet, we do that all the time for other positions of service in the church. Our time of service is done and we take a break, or move to another role, and we fully support whoever is the next janitor, school board member, teacher, etc. Exactly why can't that be done with 'ordained' positions?

[JohnL]

I'm sure this is true. I think it may be a rare gift for a person stepping down from leadership to be able to shift into a less prominent role with grace and humility. And yet, we do that all the time for other positions of service in the church. Our time of service is done and we take a break, or move to another role, and we fully support whoever is the next janitor, school board member, teacher, etc. Exactly why can't that be done with 'ordained' positions?

I see it happen in non church positions. I think it's about that perception that the leader of a department or the ordained is a kind of father figure and fathers aren't supposed to let their "family" down.

Sometimes members become co-dependent on a leader as a father-figure too. We had a chair of a department retire because of his medical condition. The stress was making the condition worse. The president of the college pressured him to stay. His faculty pressured him to stay. All kinds of pressure was making him feel guilty. He retired anyway.
His wife shared that for almost two years the faculty of that department kept calling him and complaining about the problems of the new chair. His wife answered the phone one day and finally told the prof that all of them need to leave her husband alone and to tell the others that too. Their whining problems are aggravating his medical condition and that their problems aren't his problems anymore. She told them they are welcome to visit for a friendly chat but with the stipulation that no departmental problems are to be discussed. Period. Of course no one came to visit because they were using him to offload all their problems. There was no friendship there professional or otherwise. Sometimes a former student comes to visit or calls to see how he is doing. He's in assisted living now.

[JohnH]

Sometimes members become co-dependent on a leader as a father-figure too. We had a chair of a department retire because of his medical condition. The stress was making the condition worse. The president of the college pressured him to stay. His faculty pressured him to stay. All kinds of pressure was making him feel guilty. He retired anyway.

When you say "we", were you on the faculty of some college?

[Neto]

In our experiences after leaving active missionary / Bible translation service, I also struggled with some of this for a number of years. I think now that the problem (at least for me, and possibly for these ministers in a similar manner) is that I came to see myself as first and foremost, maybe even entirely, as 'missionary'. That became the center of my perceived identity - Who I Was. I begged God for another ministry. He said "You are my child." Now, years later, I still get watery eyes thinking about that - it's something that I try to remember and revisit often, because my answer to Him was "Yes, I know that, but I want to DO something". He responded "Just be my child,"

Now-a-days the mission we were with (Wycliffe Bible Translators) meet with members who are returning, especially those who are returning indefinitely. I think they call it 'debriefing'. I probably would have dismissed the importance of that, because my culture was to just 'buck up'. It might have saved me from several years of nearly constant depression, begging God to 'take me'. My advice is that we should ALWAYS remember that we are God's children, and not let anything, even Christian service, take the top spot of how we see ourselves.

When we returned to the States that last time, we wanted to make the last round of church visits to be an overview of our entire time in missionary service, a big thank you for the years of prayer and financial support. So, having been told that "slide shows don't cut it anymore" I spent a good bit of money on video editing and creation hardware and software (including a new computer). I spent weeks learning how to do it, scanning slides & videos, editing, developing the narration, etc., but I don't know if we were asked to show it more than once or maybe twice. I'm not belly aching about it. We were just really surprised to be 'dropped like a hot potato'.

[Heirbyadoption]

It seems that something is considered to have changed significantly about the nature and calling of a person who is 'ordained.' This has significant ramifications for how the rest of one's life is lived.

Being in a congregation/conference where said ordinations are for life, barring a congregational removal for moral issues or a personal (though rarely seen) removal for other issues, health, etc. I'd definitely be interested in hearing more on this part of the OP if anybody has any specific thoughts...

How is 'ordination' different from simple 'appointment' in the way that we appoint a janitor or Sunday school teacher? What great supernatural thing is supposed to happen via ordination as opposed to the appointment to other positions of service in the church?

I might have more thoughts after some folks share on the first part I quoted, but I'm not sure (speaking personally) that there's a great supernatural thing that happens upon the ordination of a deacon or minister in a congregation, other than perhaps a sense of duty/purpose in a role that is specifically mentioned in Scripture, especially with some Apostolic basis and a certain degree of responsibility for the leadership/shepherding of a congregation, as opposed to some positions within a congregation... (*missing shrug emoji)

[Ernie]

I agree with Mike in general but I can also see the wisdom in life calling. It serves as a bulwark against the shifting sands of populism.

I find Mike's questions to be my questions as well. But I share Barnhart's idea also.