Ministerial Ordination
MINISTERIAL CREDENTIALS FOR MEN AND WOMEN CALLED BY GOD:
God has always called, equipped, and raised up leaders among His people to proclaim His Word and to do His Will.
When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and He said, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few! Pray that laborers will be sent (thrust) forth into the harvest” (Matthew 9:35-38). Other translations say, “The harvest is great, but the workers are so few.” Thus we see the Scriptures depict the crop as large, but the reapers are scarce!
Jesus also said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:1). Now, anyone knows there are a lot more fish than fishermen.
Souls are dying and going to hell everyday; and all the devil needs to succeed is that good people do nothing! There is a need to recruit more men and women to “Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in…” (Luke. 14:23).
Throughout history, every great religious revival has been spear-headed by those inspired individuals who left the huge stained glass cathedrals to carry the Gospel of Salvation and Healing to the lost, the sick, the poor, and the hurting—those in the streets, market places, hospitals, jails, and prisons. Do you care about men, women, boys, and girls? Do you want to win souls to Christ?
There are three phases of entering the ministry
1. A calling time.
2. A preparing or training time.
3. A sending time.
PRACTICALITY
In John 15:16, we see it’ is Jesus alone who ordains us; so one might ask, “Is that not sufficient?” Yes, if every time you witness, teach, or preach, you can back it up with some sign, wonder, or miracle. The sinner man has little inclination to read the Bible, and if he does, he doesn’t understand it much (Corinthians 2:14). So he doesn’t know what to believe in this world of religious confusion. When you enter a city to do something for God, one of the first questions people ask is, “Where are you from, and who are you with?” If you say, “I’m with God.” They say, “Yeah, that’s what all the kooks and cults say too.” We are not of this world, but we are in it, and we must deal with people the way they are, not the way we would like them to be. If you have Heavenly approval, why not get earthly approval too, especially if it can lend you more credibility in this skeptical, secular world? The fact is, that credentials can be very helpful in opening doors of opportunity. Also, in most states you cannot perform wedding ceremonies without them. So, it’s a great advantage to be recognized by an established and reputable Christian body.
The Victory New Testament Fellowship, International is an established and legitimate non-profit, tax-exempt Christian organization. We are Bible-based, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, and inter-denominational. Dr. H. Donald Skelton, the founder, was in in full-time ministry from 1936 until his passing away in 2011. He, through the leading of the Spirit, established many churches, through many missionary trips, preaching from one end of this country to the other, and through TV and Radio outreach. God has lead us to help ministers get started and launch out for the Lord. VNTFI has been providing credentials and encouragement to men and women since 1953 and we have hundreds of ministers all over the U.S.A.
QUALIFICATIONS
1. You must be saved or born again as II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We expect our ministers to be free from self-will, lust, greed, bitterness, anger, and pride. We all must keep our old flesh nature crucified according to Galatians 2:20. We cannot license a baby in Christ (I Corinthians 3:1), nor a novice (I Timothy 3:6), so we require a person to be saved or reclaimed a minimum of 2 years.
2. God gave not the Spirit by measure unto Jesus (John 3:34) and every Christian has a measure of the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9). But the Baptism into the Holy Spirit is separate and subsequent to salvation (Acts 8:14-16; Acts 19:2; Ephesians 1:13). A survey of the Acts of the Apostles shows that the common pattern of experience when believers receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, is that they speak with other tongues (Chapters 2, 8, 9, 10, and 19). Which builds up faith (Jude 20) and brings more power (Acts 1:8).
3. As a minister you must live a clean life, free from alcohol, tobacco, and all other substance abuse. Must be a person of good moral character and conduct, abstaining from all appearance of sexual activity outside of marriage (I Thessalonians 5:22). We expect our ministers to refrain from gossip, evil speaking, back-biting, and sowing discord among the brethren.
4. You must definitely be called by God into the ministry, with a strong desire to serve others for Christ’s sake (Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 5:20; Acts 13:1-4; Acts 26:16-18). Evidence of a divine calling is a vision for God’s work, and anointing of God’s presence, and a burden to feed his lambs and sheep. If you have a desire to be used of God, out of the motivation of love, for the Glory of God, behold, you ARE called of God. If in doubt, pray and wait until you are sure.
5 You must be active, for actions speak louder than words. You ought to be doing something more than praying, reading your Bible, and going to Church; all Christians should be doing that. The ministry is also much more than standing behind a pulpit delivering sermons to a congregation. The Church needs Sunday School teachers, musicians, alter workers, home and hospital visitors, phone counselors and prayers and personal workers to witness in public. You could produce and/or distribute Christian literature, hold rest home, jail, and prison ministries, perform good works such as feeding the poor, clothing the needy, conducting home prayer meetings, preaching on the radio and T.V., the opportunities of meeting the needs of people everywhere are unlimited!
Now if you meet these requirements, we will be glad to license you as one of our VNTFI ministers. But you must also be prepared to face religious persecution. Ironically, you may find some Church pastors opposed to you becoming a licensed or Ordained minister! Some seem to have a jealous spirit like old King Saul did toward young David. As if their personal opinion is infallible, they may tell you, “You’re not ready yet. Just sit at my feet for a few years, and then I will consider the matter.” Their competitive mentality may be compared to the following examples:
In Numbers 11:24-29, Joshua bristled with resentment when a couple of men began to prophesy in the camp, instead of by the tabernacle where he was. But Moses corrected his wrong attitude.
In Mark 9:38-40, John forbid a man from casting devils out of people in Jesus’ name, because he wasn’t a part of John’s group. But Jesus rebuked John’s “party spirit.”
ORDINATION
It’s a personal, spiritual, and public ceremony (Jeremiah 1:4-10; John 15:16; Acts 10:38-43; 1 Corinthians 9:14; I Timothy 2:7).
PROCEDURE
If you live near Dallas, Texas we would love to have you come to one of our services for a “laying on of hands” Ordination Service. We also have Official Representatives throughout much of the United States, where you can go to their church, or perhaps they can come to your area. We will give you their phone number and you can work out the details for your Ordination Service. You will be presented with a beautiful certificate that you may frame and hang on your wall, and also a nice card to carry in your wallet for when you go into a hospital, jail, or anywhere else that ask to see your credentials.
Note: You may wish to invite family and friends with camera and/or camcorder.