Article XXXVI
Consecration and ordination

Recognising a reformed ministry

Article XXXVI defends the English services for consecrating bishops and ordaining priests and deacons that were issued during Edward VI's reign. These services are known as the Ordinal. The immediate question concerns whether ministers ordained through the reformed rites are truly and lawfully ordained. The Article answers confidently that the rites contain what is necessary and contain nothing intrinsically superstitious or ungodly.

This is a historically specific claim. It should not be expanded into a claim that every decision taken by an Anglican minister is right, or that every later question about ordination has already been settled. In particular, the Article does not directly adjudicate modern disputes about the ordination of women. Those arguments require their own biblical and theological reasoning. Understanding the original subject protects us from making a short historical statement carry questions it never explicitly addresses.

What ordination is for

Read this Article beside Article XXIII, which insists that public ministry requires a lawful calling and sending. Ordination gives visible, accountable expression to that calling. The church discerns, prays, recognises and commissions. The minister receives responsibilities within a community that already belongs to Jesus Christ. The office should therefore be understood through its duties: teaching the faith, administering the sacraments, caring for people and exercising appropriate oversight.

The reformed Ordinal places substantial weight on Scripture and the pastoral work of ministry. David Peterson's Anglican commentary notes its emphasis on teaching, preaching and applying the gospel. This emphasis helps explain why its sufficiency was contested: different accounts of priesthood generate different expectations about what an ordination service must confer. An Anglican reading sees ordained ministry as serving Christ's people through his Word and sacraments, wholly dependent upon the saving work he has already completed.

Reading the pastoral passages

First Timothy 3:1–13 gives sustained attention to character. Sobriety, faithfulness, hospitality, self-control and good household conduct feature prominently. Teaching ability matters, yet impressive public communication cannot compensate for destructive private behaviour. These qualifications make discernment more demanding than recognising enthusiasm or charisma. A church preparing future ministers should know how they handle frustration, money, correction and responsibility, as well as how they speak from a platform.

In 1 Timothy 4:13–16, public reading, exhortation and teaching stand alongside attention to personal life and perseverance. Acts 20:28–32 presents oversight as a responsibility exercised under God, with vigilance towards danger and commitment to the word of grace. First Peter 5:1–4 adds the manner of leadership: willing service, good example and freedom from domination. Together these passages supply a rich framework for understanding the ministry recognised in ordination. Authority has a purpose, a character and an accountability beyond the person who holds office.

Valid office and faithful conduct

Article XXVI has already distinguished the reliability of Christ's gifts from the moral worthiness of the minister. That distinction helps here. Recognising someone's ordination does not mean approving every action or protecting them from investigation. Churches need processes that can address misconduct and doctrinal error. The grace given through ministry must never be used as an argument that a minister is beyond challenge.

Another question concerns Christian communities with different forms of ordering ministry. Article XXXVI explicitly affirms the English Ordinal; it does not provide a comprehensive judgement on every non-Anglican church. Anglicans can value episcopal oversight and their own inherited structures while recognising faithful gospel ministry beyond them. Serious differences about church order deserve discussion without dismissing evident Christian faith and service. Within Anglican life, titles should clarify responsibilities. They should not become substitutes for the patient work of knowing people, explaining Scripture and leading through trustworthy example.

Forming and supporting ministers

Imagine a gifted church member who attracts a following quickly. Before encouraging them towards ordination, a wise church gives opportunities for ordinary service, supervised teaching and honest feedback. How do they respond when their preferred plan is declined? Can they explain the gospel clearly? Do they notice people who cannot advance their career? Formation involves discovering whether a person can carry responsibility faithfully over time, especially when public affirmation is absent.

Congregations also have responsibilities towards those already ordained. Pray for their households and teaching, encourage appropriate rest, provide honest feedback and resist the expectation that one person should perform every ministry. Ministers should revisit their promises and ask where actual practice has drifted from them. Leadership development then becomes a shared commitment to faithful service. Article XXXVI reassures Anglicans about the sufficiency of their reformed ordination rites while directing attention towards the calling those rites recognise: accountable, prayerful ministry that equips the church to belong more fully to Jesus.

For a congregation, ordination should therefore prompt prayer for the minister and a shared commitment to faithful service. Ask whether the public responsibilities named in the rite are visible in ordinary ministry. The promises deserve continuing attention long after the ordination service has ended.