JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

May 1988

Dear Friend:

You asked how one can become an ordained minister of the Worldwide Church of God.

As you may already realize, the Church of God is different from the churches of this world in many respects. Above all, it is governed by God through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church (Col. 1:18). On earth under Christ are the human leaders He has chosen specially and put in office (please see Ephesians 4:11-13).

In other words, a man cannot choose the ministry of Jesus Christ for his vocation. Jesus said, "Ye have not chosen me, but have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit" (John 15:16). It is Jesus Christ who selects those whom He will ordain into His ministry. His will in these matters is revealed through the established ministry.

Being ordained means being put into an office of lifelong SERVICE and GOOD WORKS. The apostle Paul said, "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop (pastor), he desires a good work" (I Tim. 3:1, RAV). Paul then outlined some of the basic requirements taken into account in evaluating a man's fitness to serve as a minister (verses 2 through 7).

One of those stipulations is that a man not be a novice, or, as the margin of some Bibles renders it, "not one newly come to the faith" (verse 6). To be a minister, then, a man must first have served well as a lay member of God's Church and must have grown spiritually. A man's readiness and ability to serve in the ministry will be seen by the fruits of his life (Matt. 7:16).

The Worldwide Church of God, therefore, ordains only baptized, spiritually mature members whom God is obviously calling into the ministry. James cautions brethren to "be(come) not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation" (Jas. 3:1). Because of the nature and the potential for good or for evil of those offices, God holds teachers and ministers much more accountable than the people they serve. Being a minister carries a very heavy responsibility (see Hebrews 13:17).

When Jesus chose His disciples, He did not make them ministers of the Gospel immediately. Rather, He taught them daily for about three-and-a-half years. In a similar way today, ordination follows a period of training and preparation in one of the Church's programs designed for that purpose.

Of course, there are many ways besides being in the ministry in which people can serve the Church. James said, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (Jas. 1:27). Jesus said of those who are to inherit His Kingdom, "For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me" (Matt. 25:35-36, RAV). In other words, we actually serve Christ by serving His people. This type of service is enjoined upon every member of the Church.

We sincerely hope we have answered your question adequately, and that our literature, the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, The WORLD TOMORROW program, and our other services, will help you to continue growing in deeper understanding of God's plan for mankind and how you can have a greater part in it.

Please let us know whenever we may be of further service in your study of the Bible.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT