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Appendix H-7 Preamble and Questions for Use at Ordination and/or Induction of a Minister
- A) Ministers, other than Teachers at the School of Ministry and Overseas Staff
- B) Teacher at the School of Ministry
- C) Overseas Staff
(Regulation 251-255, 264, 284)
A) Ministers, other than Teachers at the School of Ministry and Overseas Staff
Preamble
This narrative shall be read, and the ordinand or minister to be inducted having taken his/her place before the Presbytery the Moderator shall declare as follows:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church, who, being ascended on high, has given gifts for the edifying of the body of Christ, we are met here as a Presbytery to ordain A.B. to the office of the holy ministry by prayer and the laying on of hands by the presbyters to whom it does belong, and to induct him/her to the pastoral charge of this congregation.
In this act of ordination the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, as part of the Holy Catholic Church worshipping one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – affirms anew its belief in the Gospel of the sovereign grace and love of God, wherein, through Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, incarnate, crucified, and risen, He freely offers to all upon repentance and faith, the forgiveness of sins, renewal by the Holy Spirit, and eternal life, and calls them to labour in the fellowship of faith for the advancement of the Kingdom of God throughout the world.
The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand acknowledges the Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the supreme rule of faith and life.
The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand holds as its subordinate standards the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, recognising liberty of opinion on such points of doctrine as do not enter into the substance of the Reformed Faith, and claiming the right, in dependence on the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit, to formulate, interpret or modify its subordinate standards; always in agreement with the Word of God and the fundamental doctrines of the Reformed Faith contained in the said Confession and other subordinate standards, of which agreement the Church itself shall be sole judge.
In the case of induction only, the first paragraph shall read:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church, who, being ascended on high, has given gifts for the edifying of the body of Christ, we are met here as a Presbytery to induct C.D. into the pastoral charge of this congregation.
Then the Moderator, addressing the ordinand or minister to be inducted, who is to stand and make answer to the questions put to him/her, shall say:
A.B., in view of this declaration, you are now required to answer these questions:
Questions to be Put to Ministers Before their Ordination or Admission to a Charge
1) Do you believe in one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and do you confess anew the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord?
2) Do you believe the Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the supreme rule of faith and life?
3) Do you believe the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the other subordinate standards of this Church?
4) Do you acknowledge the Presbyterian government of this Church to be agreeable to the Word of God; and do you promise to be subject in the Lord to this Presbytery, and to the superior courts of the Church and to take your due part in the administration of its affairs?
5) Do you promise to seek the unity and peace of this Church, to uphold the doctrine, worship, government, and discipline thereof, and to cherish a spirit of kinship towards all the followers of the Lord?
6) Are not zeal for the glory of God, love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and a desire for the salvation of all people, so far as you know your own heart, your great motives and chief inducements to enter into the office of the holy ministry?
7) Do you engage in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ to live a godly and circumspect life; and faithfully, diligently and cheerfully to discharge the duties of your ministry, seeking in all things the advancement of the Kingdom of God?
8) Do accept and close with the call (or appointment) to be pastor of this charge, and promise through grace to approve yourself a faithful minister of the Gospel among this people?
These questions having been answered to the satisfaction of the Presbytery and the Formula (See Appendix H-9) having been signed, the ordinand shall kneel, and the Moderator, by prayer with laying on the hands, in which all the ministers present join, shall ordain him/her to the office of the holy ministry.
Thereafter the Moderator, except in cases in which there is no induction to a pastoral charge or any office, shall add these words.
(I now declare you to have been ordained to the office of the holy ministry, and) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church, and by the authority of this Presbytery, I induct you to this charge; and in token thereof we give you the right hand of fellowship.
The words in brackets are omitted when there is no ordination. The minister to be inducted kneels after signing the Formula, and the Moderator engages in prayer.
The following question shall then be addressed to the Congregation, who are asked to signify assent by rising and standing in their places:
Do you, the members and adherents of this Congregation, receive A.B., whom you have called to be your minister, promising him/her all due honour and support in the Lord, and will you give of your means, as the Lord shall prosper you, for the maintenance of the Christian ministry and the furtherance of the Gospel?
B) Teacher at the School of Ministry
Question to be put and signed prior to commencement of service:
Do you acknowledge that your right to remain a Teacher at the School of Ministry of this Church depends upon the adequate discharge of the duties of your office; and do you admit the right of the General Assembly to remove you from your office and from the benefits thereof, on the said court being satisfied that the duties of your office are not being so discharged?
The preamble and the Formula are the same as in section (A) above.
The questions before ordination and/or induction are the same as in section (A) above, except that questions 6 and 8 are replaced with the following:
6) Are not zeal for the glory of God, love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and a desire for training students for the work of the holy ministry, so far as you know your own heart, your great motives and chief inducements for desiring to enter into the office of the holy ministry and the discharge of the functions of your sacred office?
8) Do you accept the appointment to be Teacher of ...............…………….......... in the Theological Hall, and promise through grace faithfully to perform all the duties of your office?
The declaration is:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church, I declare you to be (ordained to the office of the holy ministry, and) appointed a Teacher in the School of Ministry of this Church, and we recommend you to the grace of God in the discharge of all your duties in connection with that position.
C) Overseas Staff
The Preamble and the Formula are the same as in section (A) above.
The questions before ordination and/or induction are the same as in section (A) above, except that question 8 is not used and questions 4 and 6 are replaced with the following:
4) Do you acknowledge the Presbyterian government of this Church to be agreeable to the Word of God; and do you promise as a member of the overseas staff of this Church to be subject to its government, and to take your due part in the administration of its affairs?
6) Are not zeal for the glory of God, love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a desire for the salvation of all people, so far as you know your own heart, your great motives and achieve inducements for desiring to enter into the office of the holy ministry and the discharge of the functions of your sacred office?
The declaration is:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, King and Head of the Church, I declare you to be (ordained to the office of the holy ministry, and) appointed to the overseas Staff in connection with this Church; and we commend you to the grace of God in the discharge of all your duties in the field to which you are sent.