Article XXIII
Called and sent to minister
Public ministry belongs within accountable church order.
The Article
OF MINISTERING IN THE CONGREGATION
IT is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of publick preaching, or ministering the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called, and sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which be chosen and called to this work by men who have publick authority given unto them in the Congregation, to call and send Ministers into the Lord’s vineyard.
In modern English
No one may take on the public ministry of preaching or administering the sacraments in the congregation without first being lawfully called and sent to do so. We should recognise as lawfully called and sent those selected and commissioned by people who have public authority within the Church to call and send ministers into the Lord's service.
Scripture readings
- Acts 13:1–3
- Titus 1:5–9
- 1 Timothy 3:1–7
Understand the teaching
A calling that the church recognises
Article XXIII addresses public preaching and the administration of the sacraments within the gathered church. These ministries carry responsibility for what the congregation believes and how it receives Christ's appointed signs. A person should therefore be called and sent through recognised church authority before assuming them. Enthusiasm, confidence and personal ambition cannot establish that authority. The church has a duty to discern and commission those entrusted with its public teaching and sacramental life.
This principle does not mean that only ordained people may speak about Jesus. Christians are called to witness, encourage one another and teach in many appropriate settings. Parents teach children; believers discuss Scripture; small-group leaders help others learn. The Article concerns taking upon oneself a defined public ministerial office. Its distinction protects the church from self-appointed control while leaving room for the gifts of the whole body. Everyone has a part to play, and particular responsibilities require particular recognition, preparation and accountability.
The New Testament pattern
Acts 13:1–3 describes the church at Antioch worshipping and fasting when Barnabas and Saul are set apart for missionary work. The Holy Spirit calls, and the church responds through prayer and sending. Acts 14:23 describes the appointment of elders in the churches. Titus 1:5 likewise connects the ordering of churches with the appointment of qualified leaders. Across these passages, ministry is both a work of God and something recognised in a visible community.
First Timothy 3 and Titus 1 make character central to that discernment. Leaders should be self-controlled, hospitable, faithful and able to teach. The lists give little encouragement to selecting someone simply because they attract attention. First Timothy 5:22 adds a warning against haste in laying on hands. These passages support a patient process that observes a person's life over time. Gifts matter, and training matters, yet suitability also appears in relationships, honesty, willingness to receive correction and the ability to care for people without exploiting them.
What makes a call lawful?
The Article identifies lawful ministers as those chosen and called by people who have public authority within the congregation to call and send them. “Congregation” here should be read with the church's corporate life in view; the word does not by itself require a congregational vote in the modern denominational sense. Within Anglican practice, episcopal ordination and authorised appointment give this recognition a particular form. That practice needs to be understood alongside the wider Anglican formularies and church order.
The wording of this Article is less detailed than a complete theory of ordination. It does not spell out every stage of episcopal succession or settle every dispute about the validity of other Protestant ministries. Anglicans can affirm their own ordering of ministry while recognising genuine gospel ministry elsewhere. The central claim is clear enough: a private conviction of calling requires public discernment and authorised sending. Someone saying that God told them to lead a church has offered a claim for testing, rather than an exemption from testing.
Authority and accountability belong together
Recognised authority can itself be misused. A person may complete a selection process and later become domineering, dishonest or careless with doctrine. Article XXIII should therefore be read alongside Article XXVI, which requires inquiry and discipline when ministers do wrong. Ordination is a solemn commission into accountable service. It never places someone beyond challenge. First Peter 5:1–4 tells elders to shepherd willingly and by example, avoiding a domineering relationship with those entrusted to them.
There is also a danger at the opposite end: an institution may protect its routines so strongly that it fails to recognise emerging gifts. Acts 13 reminds us that sending can involve releasing valuable people into unfamiliar work. A healthy church combines careful discernment with readiness to support mission. For a church planter, this means seeking genuine sending, clear relationships and a shared understanding of responsibility. For an established congregation, it means making pathways into service visible enough that a gifted newcomer can discover how to grow and be tested.
Discerning your own next step
Suppose someone in your church feels called to preach. A constructive response includes listening to their story, observing their Christian character, arranging appropriate training and giving supervised opportunities. Feedback should examine biblical accuracy, clarity and the effect on hearers. Can this person explain the gospel? Do they listen when corrected? Are they becoming more patient and dependable? A call develops credibility as the church sees gifts and character working together in ordinary service.
If you sense a calling, begin by serving where you are and inviting honest assessment. A desire for public ministry should grow alongside love for the people whom ministry serves. If you help appoint leaders, resist urgency that bypasses discernment. Churches can suffer for years from a rushed decision made under pressure. Pray, examine, train and send with care. The vineyard belongs to the Lord, as the Article's closing image reminds us. Ministers enter his work as servants entrusted with a task, and the congregation helps recognise whether that trust is well placed.
Bring it into everyday life
- Who helps test your gifts and character, and to whom are you accountable?