ORDINATION
Holy Orders: Ordained Ministry in the Anglican Tradition
From its earliest days, Anglicanism has understood Holy Orders to be a sacrament—one through which God sets apart individuals [men] for ordained ministry and equips them with grace for the service of the Church. This understanding reflects the consensus of the early Church Fathers and has been consistently affirmed throughout Christian history.
Not merely a functional appointment or professional role. It is a sacred act by which Christ, through His Church, establishes bishops, priests, and deacons as ministers of Word, Sacrament, and pastoral care.
The Threefold Ministry
Christian tradition recognizes three distinct orders of ordained ministry:
Bishops: entrusted with oversight, teaching, and apostolic continuity
Priests: called to preach the Gospel, administer the Sacraments, and shepherd God’s people
Deacons: ordained for service, charity, and assistance in liturgy and mission
This threefold structure is not a later invention. Careful reading of Scripture and the writings of the early Church makes it clear that these orders have existed since apostolic times. Anglican formularies repeatedly affirm that these are the only ordained offices recognized by the Church.
Ordination as a Sacramental Act
Ordination is ontological—it involves a real change in the person being ordained. Through prayer and the laying on of hands, God imparts a lasting spiritual character that sets the ordained apart for holy work.
When a priest is ordained, the bishop invokes the Holy Spirit and commissions the ordinand to preach the Word, administer the Sacraments, and exercise Christ’s authority in forgiveness and reconciliation. Similar language is used for the ordination of deacons, emphasizing divine calling rather than human appointment.
The 2019 Book of Common Prayer continues this theology, using language that underscores the enduring nature of ordination and its grounding in the work of the Holy Spirit.
Authority Rooted in Calling, Not Self-Appointment
Orthodox Christianity, extending all the way back in history to the early Church Fathers firmly rejects the idea that individuals may assume ordained ministry on their own initiative. No one may publicly preach or administer the Sacraments without being lawfully called and sent. It also rejects the idea of women's ordination.
This protects both the integrity of the Church, the continuation of sound doctrine, and the faithful reception of the Sacraments. Ordained ministry exists not for personal authority or prestige, but for service [by a man] within Christ’s Body under the Church’s discernment and oversight.
Witness of Anglican Theology
The great Anglican theologian Richard Hooker strongly affirmed both the threefold order and the sacramental nature of ordination. He described ordination as imparting a spiritual “character” that permanently marks the ordained and consecrates them for sacred service. According to Hooker, this character distinguishes ordained ministers from the laity—not in worth or holiness, but in function and responsibility within the Church.
This teaching helped shape Anglican identity as both reformed and catholic: reformed in rejecting abuses, yet catholic in preserving apostolic order.
Biblical Foundations
Holy Orders is firmly grounded in Scripture.
In the Old Testament, authority was conferred through the laying on of hands, as when Moses appointed Joshua to lead Israel. The New Testament continues this practice. The Apostle Paul reminds Timothy that he received a spiritual gift through the laying on of hands, and he instructs church leaders to appoint presbyters, overseers, and deacons according to clear moral and spiritual qualifications.
The pastoral epistles describe the distinct roles of bishops, priests, and deacons, showing an emerging but recognizable church structure within the apostolic era.
Christ’s Church, Not Just Individual Faith
Jesus said he came to build a church (Mt 16:18), not just tell people how to get to heaven. Just as God ordered Israel with priests and leaders, Christ ordered His Church with ministers entrusted to guide, teach, and serve.
While the New Testament reflects a developing structure, by the early second century the universal Church had clearly settled into the threefold ministry. This is evident in the writings of early bishops such as Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized unity around bishops, priests, and deacons.
Anglicanism understands this historic episcopate not as optional tradition, but as part of the Church’s faithfulness to Christ’s design.
Holy Orders and the Life of the Church
The Anglican Church affirms that the historic episcopate is essential to the Church’s fullness and unity. Bishops stand in continuity with the apostles, preserving doctrine and sacramental life. Priests and deacons share in that ministry, each according to their calling.
Through Holy Orders, Christ continues to teach, forgive, nourish, and shepherd His people until He comes again.
A Sacrament of Service
Holy Orders exists not for hierarchy’s sake, but for the building up of the Body of Christ. Ordained ministers are given authority so that the Church may be faithfully taught, the Sacraments rightly administered, and God’s people lovingly cared for.
Ordination is both gift and responsibility—a lifelong vocation rooted in Christ’s call and sustained by His grace.