Presentation of Stoles Liturgy
July 31, 2023
In the Global Methodist Church, elders and sometimes deacons are presented with stoles during ordination. On a following Sunday, the local church may present the preacher with more stoles for the other seasons of the church year.
Below is a liturgy I wrote to be used for such an occasion for a church member to present stoles to the pastor on behalf of the church. This is not an official Global Methodist liturgy. You are free to use and adapt this as you see fit. Attribution is appreciated.
Since my church had multiple services I was given different stoles in each service. All stoles may be presented at one service.
Appropriate prayers are encouraged to be prayed following the presentation.
Liturgy for Stoles
Hello, my name is ________ . Today it is my joy to present to Pastor ______ this (or these) stole(s) in recognition of his/her ordination by Bishop _______ recently at ________ (location of ordination).
Ordination is “the action by which the church sets apart those who have been so elected to a particular order of ministry for the good of the whole church.”1
Pastor _______ is now an ordained elder/deacon as of ______ (date of ordination).
To be read for presentation to deacon:
- “Deacons are to witness to the Word in their words and actions, and to embody and lead the community’s service in the world for the sake of enacting God’s compassion and justice. Within and beyond a local church, deacons may, among other ministries, lead in worship, preach and teach, conduct marriages, bury the dead, care for the sick and needy, and interpret the needs of the world to the church.”1
To be read for presentation to elder:
- “Those called to the ministry of elder bear authority and responsibility to proclaim God’s Word fearlessly, to teach God’s people faithfully, to administer the sacraments, and to order the life of the church so that it may be both faithful and fruitful”1
Pastors wear vestments called stoles to signify they are part of the ordained clergy.
Pastor ______ was presented a red stole at his/her ordination. It is my joy to present to him/her this/these ________ stole(s) on behalf of the church to celebrate his/her ordination.
- The white stole is worn during high holy days such as Easter, Christmas, weddings, and funerals.
- The green stole is worn during a season of church life between Pentecost and Advent. During this time the church focuses on Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry.
- The purple stole is worn during the seasons of Advent and Lent. These seasons are key in reminding us of the importance of understanding who Christ is through his incarnation and His journey to the cross.
Pastor _______ , thank you for responding to God’s call. May the Lord bless your new season of ordained ministry.
Sources
1 Quotes are from page 51 of the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Disciplines of the Global Methodist Church.
Thanks to Rev. Jack Varnell for looking over an early draft.
Resources
For a printable pdf click here.
For a word document of this liturgy click here.
More From David
Methodists Moving Forward in South Georgia
April 28, 2023
One of my passions has been writing about the future of Methodism. Methodists all over Georgia are sensing God’s leading and moving forward. Here is a sample of a few beautiful snapshots of where Methodists are heading after church disaffiliation votes in the past year. These are all happening around my area of ministry.
New Church Groups Starting Up
In Savannah, after a majority vote did not reach the required 2/3rds majority hundreds of Methodists planted a new church on Isle of Hope in Savannah, GA. The new church is called Good Shepherd of Savannah.
Rev. Scott Tucker will be the lead pastor of Good Shepherd of Savannah. Rev. Sam Paul has joined the team to lead worship and youth ministries. The church is temporarily meeting at Isle of Hope Baptist Church (22 Rose Ave., Savannah, GA).
The pastor’s shared about their excitement in recent church social media posts. Rev. Scott Tucker said, “I believe Good Shepherd Savannah will serve our city with the kindness and the truth of God’s healing work in Jesus Christ.”
Rev. Sam Paul in his church staff highlight social media post said, “I have loved every minute of leading the band and singing songs to our Lord, and I have especially loved the chance to work with students and watch them grow in their faith. I never would have imagined this opportunity to help build a new church plant, and I can’t wait to see where God takes us!”
The church plant is aligned with the Global Methodist Church (GMC). See Good Shepherd’s Savannah’s website for the most up to date meeting locations and times.
In Statesboro, a group consisting of hundreds of Methodists have been meeting together after another majority vote did not meet the required supermajority. Under the leadership of a board of thirteen members they have been organizing speakers as they continue to worship together.
“We just want to keep everyone together” says Warren Ball, a member of the new communities leadership board.
Statesboro Worship is the name of the Christian group. They are meeting at the Home Builders Association of Statesboro in the Market District (1223 Merchants Wy, Statesboro, GA 30458). They meet at 9:00 a.m.
The Statesboro group is discerning where they want to align. The majority of the group want to remain Methodist or in the Wesleyan stream. However, they are still discerning what this may look like moving forward.
Local churches are aligning with the Global Methodist Church
Rev. Paul Broussard aligned quickly with the Global Methodist church. His church, Bethesda Church (Guyton, GA), took more time to discern where they wanted to realign moving forward.
“Back when I returned to the Methodist church I knew then I wanted to align with the Global Methodist Church. It just felt right. Reading the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Disciplines. I just felt deep in my Spirit that the Global Methodist Church will usher in a new great move of God,” Paul said.
His church leadership voted recently to move forward with a church wide vote about joining the Global Methodist Church.
Paul added, “The transition team of Bethesda went through the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Disciplines. [They] loved the conservative and traditional Wesleyan heritage. Another plus was the fact that the GMC wants the churches to begin to govern themselves more…”
Another local Methodist Church in Twin City, GA decided to align with the GMC even though that meant they would lose their pastor.
Church member Sybil Johnson talked about the Twin City Methodist Church’s decisions.
“I attended the Isaiah 43 Conference [the first gathering of the South Georgia Global Methodist Church] at Epworth by the Sea in October last year. It was a revival of blessings! I felt the presence of the Lord with us! His spirit was moving around us and within us.”
While Sybil had a great experience at the conference she elaborated on why she personally leaned to the GMC. “My faith is rooted with the John Wesley traditional teachings and beliefs. So is Global! So thankful for Global Methodist coming to our rescue!”
They are looking forward to their new minister being appointed by the GMC this summer.
The South Georgia Conference convening session is July 27th – 29th
The South Georgia Conference of the Global Methodist Church (SGAGMC) will hold it’s convening session from Thursday, July 27th to Saturday, July 29th. As of this article publishing, the SGAGMC has 99 clergy aligned or in the process of joining the conference. There are currently 92 churches aligned on in the process of joining. This list will continue to grow.
Epworth by the Sea is a historical place for Methodism. Charles and John Wesley both lived on St. Simons briefly. Epworth by the Sea also holds the Bishop Moore Methodist Museum.
During this historic conference there will conclude with an ordination service presided over by Bishop Scott Jones.
The SGA GMC is led by President Pro Tem Rev. Jay Hanson. Reflecting on the upcoming momentus conference he said, “As Methodist we are a called people, a holy priest hood, who have historically encountered and responded to God in special ways at Epworth by the sea on St. Simons Island. This is sacred soil for us. As Methodist from across Georgia gather on July 27-29 for our First GMC Annual Conference at Epworth I have deep sense that we may again experience a fresh move of God which enables us to worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.”
Other speakers will be announced soon. For the latest on the convening conference session including registration, speakers, and schedule, visit the SGAGMC Annual Conference website.
While this is just a small picture of what is happening in my area, I am curious. Do you know of a Methodist story that needs to be told? Reach out to me and let me know.
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Scripture and the Life of Ministry
March 27, 2023
There is a crisis in pastoral confidence in ministry. The Barna Group has documented this in one of their latest studies. It has shown a steep decline in the confidence of ministers in the confidence in their calling and satisfaction in ministry.
Most preachers do not need to see this graph to know this is happening. Almost every pastor I know has played the “what would I be doing if I wasn’t in ministry” game over the past few years.
So what should we do if we find ourselves in this situation?
An Answer for Me
This is not a silver bullet prescription for everyone but rather a personal testimony of one practice that works for me. Here is what I do, I try to realign with scripture in my life and ministry.
Recently on the Firebrand Podcast Dr. Joy Moore said something that has always resonated with me. In describing her advice to students learning to be pastors she says, “Let the text do the heavy lifting.”
The moments I am most whole in my ministry is when the text is doing the heavy lifting. The time when I have the most clarity is when I feel God is at work not myself.
I really appreciated recently reading Mike Bird’s book Seven Things I Wish Christian Knew About the Bible. There some great things in here.
Kindle told me I made 130 highlights. Mike Bird talks about scripture and the role it should play in our life:
“Knowledge of God begins with knowledge of Scripture; so the more you know of Scripture, the more you know of God. This knowledge is necessary if we are to have a relationship with God, to be in covenant with him, to be his children, to know his Son, Jesus Christ, and to experience the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. A lack of knowledge is not just ignorance; it is alienation from God, estrangement from God’s love, and separation from God’s offer of reconciliation.”1
Bird does make sure to clarify:
“I think it is important to stress that knowledge about God is not enough; it is knowledge of God in tandem with faith in God that matters.”2
For me, this goes back to looking at my life and asking some questions.
The first two questions are about my spiritual rhythms and come from John Wesley’s questions for spiritual formation:
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Did I give it time to speak to me today?3
The other has to do with my thoughts (and theology) about scripture. Does my life really look like I believe “the Old and New Testaments are the primary rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities must be measured”?
The times in the life of my ministry where I am the most fresh are when I am putting into practice and thinking about these disciplines.
Conclusion
Do I think these will automatically make the declining trends turn around in the opposite direction? I am not sure. However, for me, this is always a good place to start by checking in with my thoughts and rhythms.
As Isaiah 40:8 (NRSV) reminds us, “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.”
Sources
1Bird, Michael F. Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible. Zondervan, 2021. page 150
2Bird, Michael F. Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible. Zondervan, 2021. page 153
3Goshorn, Ted. Prayer Changes US. South Carolina United Methodist Advocate Press, 2022. page 115
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