First, my apologies for not posting in so long. Just been one of these seasons for me…Now onto, the post:
For those reading this outside the Susquehanna Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, I’m not sure how much of this will interest you. However, I feel compelled to write it any way in hopes that somehow these words might make an impact and enact appropriate change.
We just wrapped our annual conferencing together yesterday in our traditional way: the ordination service. I love the idea of this service. It can and should be the highlight of holy conferencing: the welcoming in of new members of our annual conference as fully ordained members! However, as I have now attended 5 of these services, there are some glaring problems with this service, which are holding it back from being a fully, embraced and celebrated part of annual conference. To be honest, I do not know who exactly puts this service together, whether it is our Sessions committee, a member of that committee, or the bishop. I love all these people dearly, but that doesn’t mean changes do not need to be made.
Frankly, to hear and talk with so many clergy looking for ways to get out of this service should be a huge red flag for whoever puts this service together. Clergy should be tripping over themselves to be a part of this blessed event, but often, the opposite is quite often the practice. Why is that? Well, I think a part of the answer is time.
Some might argue the timing of the service on a Saturday afternoon is the best, but I don’t think this is a deal breaker. I think the major time issue is the length. Typically, our ordination service takes 2 hours. 2 hours may not be out of the question if it is a well-spent 2 hours without any elements that might be filler. However, yesterday there was quite a bit of filler, especially when one looks at the music for this service.
Yesterday, we had 9 songs. 9! I love music but 9 songs is over the top. Not only did we do 9 songs, we did most, if not all, of the verses of these 9 songs! Seriously, I am not kidding you. If we as pastors did this within our local churches, we would no longer be in the disciple-making ministry. We would be in the church-clearing ministry.
I wish that were the end of the critique, but these 9 songs also gave little consideration to how mutli-facetted we worship. This strictly traditional worship, which I understand for the memorial and retirement service at this point as those we are remembering and celebrating worshiped in this way for most, if not all, of their lives. However, if we are celebrating the wonderful, multi-faceted vocation that is ordained ministry, why do we so constrain ourselves within the ordination worship service? How many folks attend this service are friends or family who may never attend a worship service, and then we ask them to sing 9 hymns that they probably have never heard of, and a number of which were difficult to sing unless you have grown up singing them? Is it so profane to think of putting some music in written in the 2000s?
I know I’m touching on people’s toes here, and I wish I knew who these toes were as I would go right to them instead of using this public forum. However, I do not know who to go to with this. Please, understand this comes from the heart of someone who loves what the Ordination service could be come. I do not believe we need MAJOR changes to this service, but I do think with some tweaks in time and music, we’d have something that would be great. I could be completely wrong, though, and I would be anxious to hear other people’s thoughts. Am I off base here?
All I want is the end of the annual reminder from the Bishop each year on Saturday morning of annual conference, “Clergy are reminded that attendance is required for the ordination service this afternoon.”
A UMC Deacon's Reflection 