Ordination: The gospel held in trust: A reformed/evangelical theology of ordination

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the necessary place of trust in a Reformed/Evangelical theology of presbyterial ordination. For much of the history of Christian ministry trust has been assumed rather than rendered explicit in accounts of this vocation. Its necessity is established on two broader grounds. In the first instance there has been a rise in a public and ecclesial lack of trust in the ordained ministry. The historical moment is witnessing a breakdown in trust across domains, not least in figures of religious authority within and beyond the church, making it a pertinent time to draw trust out of the shadows and into more critical theological consideration. The second reason delves deeper into the very theological foundations of ordination. The calling assumes the condescension of God and the placing of trust in fallible human beings – ‘earthen vessels’. Ordination is a trust bestowed of Christ, mediated through the church, for the sake of the Gospel. It is thus a gift and a vocation that presumes a life of service worthy of that trust.
The emphasizing of trust does not stand in isolation from the ecclesiology in which ordination is situated. It is not overstating the case to suggest that a large part of the church's current malaise has arisen through its forgetfulness and indifference to what makes it trustworthy. As those charged with preaching, presiding, and pastoring the community of faith into the way of Christ, the ordained especially bear the burden of holding the Gospel in trust on behalf of the church, helping retain its proper focus and not be distracted. This thesis is directed to detailing what that responsibility entails and why it is necessary to keep trust at the centre of the church's understanding.
In order to demonstrate this necessity of trust the thesis must explore the nature of pastoral ministry. It does so through the lens provided by the Reformed/Evangelical tradition. It looks back to the presupposition of trust in Calvin and how this understanding has been referenced sporadically through the work of theologians like P. T. Forsyth and via denominational reflection. The intention of the thesis is to build upon this legacy and explore a fuller rendering. For that purpose, Philippians 2: 1-11 (and its kenotic Christology) serves as an organizing text. Its insights are placed alongside and in dialogue with those taken from the extensive work done on trust in the social sciences. The constructive task moves beyond an anatomy of trust to develop a typology of the habitus of trust within which ordination exists as a public and prophetic office of the church.