L: There are different gifts,

P: But it is the same Spirit who gives them.

L: There are different ways of serving God,

P: But it is the same Lord who is served.

L: God works through different people in different ways,

P: But it is the same God who achieves God’s purpose through them all.

L: Each one is given a gift by the Spirit,

P: To us it for the common good.

L: together we are the body of Christ,

P: And individually members of him.

L: Though we have different gifts, together we are a ministry of reconciliation led by the risen Christ. We work and pray to make Christ’s church useful in the world, and we call men and women to faith, so that, in the end every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Within our common ministry, some members are chosen for particular work as ministers of the word or ruling Elders. In ordination, we recognize these special ministries, remembering that our Lord Jesus said: “Whoever among you wants to be great must become the servant of all, and if that one wants to be first among you, that one must be the slave of all people!”

P: Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to set others free.

Presentation of the Officers for Ordination and Installation

The Clerk of Session or the Chair of the NC:

Mr. Moderator, on behalf of the congregation, I present Names to be installed as Elder Class of ______, and Names to be ordained and installed as Elder, Class of ______.

The Moderator:

Sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ, God has called you by the voice of the church to serve Jesus Christ in a special way. You know who we are and what we believe, and you understand the work for which you have been chosen. I ask you now, before God and before those whom you have been called to serve, to respond to these questions.

Questions for the Officers

Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Do You?

Do you accept the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s word to you, Do you?

Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tennents of the Reformed fiath as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God? Do you and Will you?

Will you fulfill your office in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of scripture, and be continually guided by our confessions, Will You?

Will you be governed by our church’s polity, and will you abide by its discipline? Will you be a friend amoung your colleagues in ministry, working with them, subject to the ordering of God’s Word and Spirit? Will You?

Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world, Will You?

Do you promise to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church, do You?

Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination and love, Will You?

Will you be a faithful Elder, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture, and service? Will you share in government and discipline, serving in governing bodies of the church, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ? Will You?

Questions for the members of the church.

The Clerk of Session or the Chair of the NC asks:

Do we, as members of the church, accept these our sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ, as Elders, chosen by God through the voice of this congregation, to lead us in the way of Jesus Christ?

People: By the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we do.

Do we agree to encourage our Elders; to respect their decisions; to study, to pray, worship and witness with them, and to follow as they guide us, serving Jesus Christ, who alone is the head of the church?

People: By the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we do.

The Laying on of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination

Let us pray.

Almighty God: in every age you have chosen servants to speak your word and lead your loyal people. We thank you for these men and women whom you have called to serve you. Give them special gifts to do their special work; and fill them with the Holy Spirit, so they may have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, and be faithful disciples as long as they live.

Welcome to this Ministry

(Moderator, Ministers of Word and Sacrament, Elders and Deacons, please welcome newly installed officers with a handshake and a “Welcome to this ministry.”)