GA06053

Committee recommends referral of Christian educator ordination overtures

Would be included in ongoing study on the ministry of all church members

by Erin S. Cox-Holmes

BIRMINGHAM, June 17 — A familiar issue is back this year.

Time and again, presbyteries have asked the General Assembly to establish an ordination track for certified Christian educators. This year presbyteries offered two visions for an additional "fourth office." One would establish "educating elders," while the other called for a new office of minister of Christian education.

Recognizing the significant and often undervalued role Christian educators play in the life of the church, the Committee on Church Growth and Christian Education voted Saturday to recommend that the 217th General Assembly refer both overtures to the Office of Theology and Worship for inclusion in an ongoing study on the "relationship between Baptism and the ministry of all church members both ordained and not ordained."

Overture advocates Lisa Hedrick and Sylvia Washer were optimistic about the recommendation. "We’re grateful that this issue is alive in the church and that discernment will continue," they said.

Why the persistent call for a fourth office?

Susan Andrews, executive of the Presbytery of Hudson River and a former General Assembly moderator, captured the gist of opinions voiced by many educational leaders during the public hearing on the overtures. Noting it was her third time to stand before an Assembly Committee on Christian Education, she claimed it is "time to give voice and visibility to educator colleagues, to affirm the apostle Paul’s understanding of teaching as a unique gift to the church and Calvin’s vision of a teaching office."

"Educators have the vocation to nurture the spiritual formation of disciples," said Andrews. "Ordination confers through the laying on of hands the apostolic authority of blessing and purpose."

The parade of speakers at the hearing spoke, often movingly, of the concerns shared by Christian educators and those who minister with them.

The persistent theme: In a time when biblical illiteracy is widespread, the church needs to reclaim its historic focus on the ministry of teaching. John Calvin’s ecclesiastical orders included a fourth office of "doctor" or "teacher," said Linda LeBron, a certified Christian educator.

Forrest Palmer, associate executive from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, pointed out that educators have no standing within Presbyterian polity, since the policies of many congregations prevent ordaining staff members as elders serving on the church session.

This issue of place within the church structure is a central concern. While those considering a vocation of Christian education ministry are often counseled to fulfill the requirements for ordination as minister of the Word and Sacrament, proponents of a separate office argue that route dilutes their specialized call. Also at issue are concerns about representation in higher governing bodies, accountability, oversight and support standards.

As they referred the overtures for more study, the committee expressed deep appreciation for the ministry of Christian educators.