Ordination Sunday

On Sunday, May 21st, we will be ordaining Tim Owens as an Elder/Pastor. This is a culmination of over 2 years of praying, planning, and preparation. We are so grateful to God for orchestrating this entire process.

Our Sovereign Grace Regional Director, Eric Turbedsky will be preaching and officiating the service.

If you’re wondering about what Ordination is or why it’s important, we’ve included a section from the Sovereign Grace Ordination Guide below for you to read.

Please join us Sunday, the 21st at 3 pm as we officially welcome Tim as a new Pastor/Elder. There will be a celebration dinner after the service. Please come!

“God’s Word presents the role of a pastor as a high calling and privilege. There is a unique authority and responsibility entrusted to Christ’s under-shepherds. Every pastor is to be a skilled teacher of Scripture and must be capable of feeding the flock from God’s Word. Every pastor is also a governing elder in the affairs of the church, a spiritual overseer, a guardian of sound doctrine, and a refuter of false doctrine.

Therefore, to be ordained as a pastor, a candidate must be a proven student of God’s Word, “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). The candidate must be “able to teach” (1 Tim 3:2). “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). He must be able to protect the flock from falsedoctrine and from wolves (Acts 20:28-30).

The Sovereign Grace Book of Church Order (BCO), following biblical standards for eldership, states that all of our elders must possess an aptitude for sound doctrine: “Elders must possess as aptitude for sound doctrine, which means they understand and believe it and can teach and defend it” (3.5). They must also have an ability to teach: “Such an ability to teach implies a basic ability to organize ideas, accurately exegete the biblical text, and communicate this in a way that encourages, instructs, and even inspires other believers” (3.5.3).

The ordination process for the churches of Sovereign Grace is intended to protect the integrity of our doctrinal commitments and values, to guard against being hasty in the laying on of hands (1 Tim 5:22), and to ensure that called and qualified men are filling our pulpits, leading our church plants, and pastoring our churches. All current elders in the churches of Sovereign Grace have a vested interest in the quality of our future elders. The theological maturity and biblical fidelity of our pastors is fundamental to the health of our union of churches.

For this reason, there must be ordination standards that accurately assess a man’s knowledge and handling of Scripture, his ability to understand and apply sound doctrine, and his fundamental doctrinal commitments. There must be doctrinal standards for eldership that are higher than what is required of church members (Jas 3:1). There should be a process of careful study, preparation, and examination. Candidates should be assessed for their ability to bring God’s Word to bear on a range of theological, pastoral, and contemporary issues. The examination should also cover our Statement of Faith, BCO, and our shared values.

Such a process is faithful to the standards of Scripture, is in keeping with the Sovereign Grace BCO,and promotes the future health of the churches of Sovereign Grace.”

Sovereign Grace Churches Ordination Guide Pg. 3

Pastor’s College Graduation Photo