25 Years of Ordination
It was twenty-five years ago today that I was ordained at Queensway Baptist Church in Brantford, ON. In case you are not sure what ordination is, it is when a denomination examines a candidate for ministry, approves them, and gives them the title Reverend. It’s more than that, but that is the basics.
It was a time of great change for me. I was married just over a year before. I finished my thesis for my Master of Theology degree the month before. Our first child (Logan) was born just after that. Then came the ordination.
I had been the youth pastor at Queensway for about three years. I went through a year of supervision and then presented my theology and philosophy of ministry to our association.
My ordination took place on my last Sunday at Queensway before I started at Mount Hamilton Baptist Church. I chose to have the ordination at Queensway because they took me as new seminary student and supported me through those years.
I was ordained originally with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec and am currently ordained with Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.
My ordained ministry has ranged from associate pastor to solo pastor to senior pastor to co-pastor to military chaplain. Twenty-five years ago, I could never have predicted what life would like.
I am thankful for the past twenty-five years. While I am not currently a church pastor, I am still in ministry and will continue to retirement and beyond.
