¶877 A SERVICE OF INDUCTION
THE EXCHANGE OF COMMITMENTS
Bishop (or designee):
Christian friends, we have come at the invitation of this church for the
induction of (the Reverend) ________________________ as pastor of
this congregation. Inasmuch as this solemn act involves mutual
obligations, I call upon all of you to unite in a covenant of dedication.
(The pastor will stand.)
My colleague in Christ, by the will of God and the appointment of The
Free Methodist Church in Canada, you have been appointed as
_________ pastor of this church. In order to fulfil this calling, do you
now promise to seek the help of Almighty God and submit yourself
unto Him who is the Head of the Church, even Jesus Christ our Lord?
Do you promise to labour faithfully and diligently in proclaiming the
Gospel, both in word and deed?
Answer: I do so promise, the Lord being my helper. Willingly and
gladly, I do this day affirm my (ordination vows/call to Christian
ministry), believing with all my heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of the Living God, and accepting the Holy Scriptures as inspired of
God through the Holy Spirit. It is my sincere desire to devote my life
to the ministry of the Word of God, so as to bring credit and not
dishonour to the Gospel which I preach, and to fulfill to my utmost
ability the office of a good minister of Jesus Christ.
I believe that you, the congregation of ________________ Free
Methodist Church, are the people among whom I am primarily
intended by God to live, to serve as __________ pastor and to lead in
ministry. It is in this belief that I now affirm my acceptance of the
Conference’s appointment.
Bishop (or designee):
Dear Friends, are you persuaded that _______________________ is
the person whom God has brought into this time and place to be the ______ pastor among you and the leader for your ministry? Will you
please indicate your positive reply by standing?
Chair of the Official Board:
Members and worshippers, let us affirm our commitment to our new
__________ pastor.
The Congregation:
We affirm our membership in the Church of Jesus Christ, renewing
this day our vow of faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ and to His
Church in our city and throughout the world. We believe that you are
the person(s) intended by God to be our pastor, and the leader of our
ministry. In this belief, we now affirm your appointment as our pastor.
We solemnly covenant to share Christ’s ministry with you. We shall
endeavour to be sensitive to you and your needs as our co-labourer in
the work of Christ’s Church. We want to assure you of our
confidence, our encouragement, our patience, and our prayers. We
promise our strong support to both you (and your family).
Pastor:
I promise to give myself, by the strength and grace of Jesus Christ our
Lord, to be sensitive to your needs, singly, in families, or as a
congregation. I shall endeavour to help you to grow toward Christian
maturity, to stimulate you to love one another and serve one another,
to share the fellowship and ministry of the wider Church of Christ in
our city and throughout the world. I accept you, the people of this
church, as my people.
The Congregation:
We accept you, Pastor __________, as our pastor and the leader of our
ministry.
Bishop (or designee):
We who are here as fellow Christians and friends bear testimony that
we have witnessed your responses and commitments to each other as
pastor and congregation. As an expression of testimony, and to
declare our joy and confidence in your coming together for the
ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to commit ourselves to
supporting you in the mission we share, we stand with you.
(All others now stand for the Act of Induction)
Bishop (or designee):
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, on behalf of The Free Methodist
Church in Canada, I declare you
(name of pastor)
duly inducted and appointed as _______ pastor of this church and
congregation. May the blessing of Almighty God be upon you!
(All remain standing for the Induction Prayer. Pastor ___________
will kneel. Members of the church board will stand behind Pastor
___________.)
THE INDUCTION PRAYER
Name of person praying
THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW PASTOR
Name of person presenting
