By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Moore
November 8, 2022
There is an interesting little debate inside the bigger United Methodist debate right now. It has to do with the ordination of a pastor. When a Methodist is ordained, the bishop lays hands on him or her and charges that person with these words: “Take authority as an elder in the Church to preach the Word of God, and to administer the Holy Sacraments…”
Now, you and I both know that just because someone has laid hands on us, that doesn’t necessarily mean it “took.” We’ve all seen examples of folks who have had hands, but not spiritual authority, laid on them. To become a spiritual elder is a very different thing than having a title or office conferred during a formal service. Becoming an elder is very much about becoming.
In the book, When Women Lead, there is a chapter on authority and in it, I share a story about discovering my deep longing to become a true elder in the church. I write about being on a mission trip with a group, and about processing together with that team what God might be calling each of us toward. I asked each person in our circle to finish this prayer: “Lord, make me __________.”
We each took time to answer from that place within where Deep calls to deep. The answer for me that day was this: “Lord, make me an elder.” To say that out loud, maybe for the first time ever, was a deeply moving experience. I’ve always sensed this pull to become a true spiritual elder in the Church. Not just professionally, but spiritually. It stretches me to even say that out loud (are we supposed to aspire to such things?); yet, I know what I know about this call. I can’t explain it except to say that for much of my life, I’ve had a hunger to walk confidently in the call of God — to take spiritual authority in that way.
I also know that taking spiritual authority is a process, not a moment. It isn’t assuming a role conferred by contract. It isn’t learning how to command the attention of a roomful of people. It certainly isn’t demanding respect or wielding power or control. It seems to me that “taking authority” is about having the kind of character — the kind of biblical wisdom, the mind of Christ — that attracts respect.
Do you hear the difference?
So the fuss in the UMC right now is over whether a pastor has to give up their ordination when they leave this denomination. The answer is no. They give up their membership in their Annual Conference, but not their ordination, unless that is their choice. Much like our baptism, an authentic ordination (a conferring of spiritual authority) is given by God. When the authority given you is authentic and of the Lord, you don’t have to give that back. It is yours until you surrender it.
So here’s my question for you, whether you are an ordained elder, a credentialed leader, or someone walking out a call where you live and work: Have you taken authority over your call? What does “taking authority” look like in your skin, and how does that differ from what it looks like in mine? Power and authority wear on each of us differently, sort of like how a shirt fits me differently than it fits the next person. We get in trouble when we try to wear someone else’s authority, just like we get in trouble when we try to wear someone else’s call. We also get in trouble when we don’t confidently receive the authority given us to walk out what we’ve been called to do. And that confidence is in the Lord, not in ourselves. In him.
The point is this: Take authority — your authority. And what I mean by “take” is: receive the authority that has been freely given to you to live out the call of God on your life. And if that is a call into spiritual leadership then pray for, work for, stretch toward your own sweet spot as a leader. Find your voice, whether it is a preaching voice, teaching voice, evangelistic voice, global voice, or local voice. Find your own voice, so you can speak confidently the message God has given you.
Taking authority begins at the feet of Jesus. Whatever your call, it begins there, with learning who you are in Christ — understanding your identity as it is defined by Christ. Practically speaking, that means spending time in prayer, silence, and “waiting before the Lord.” It means journaling what you hear and discovering the priorities of a call. It means finding the courage to say no just as often as you say yes.
And it also means finding folks whose gifts are like yours, so you can begin to get a vision for how to live out what you’ve been given. Jesus’ own apprenticeship model teaches us that mentoring and being mentored is an important part of taking authority. Who in the world follows Jesus the way you want to follow Jesus? Whose leadership do you aspire toward, not because their ministry is bigger and better, but because you can see your gifts reflected in their fruitfulness? Find someone who makes you want to be more like Jesus and then learn from them. And if they aren’t still alive, read their biographies and watch their stories.
I wish I could get back all the time and energy I spent trying to get an “attagirl,” from other leaders rather than looking for that rare person willing to challenge me at the deeper levels of authenticity and effectiveness. If I could share one thing with a younger me, it would be to more intentionally seek out mentors. I might also tell my younger self to stay after that sacred search for the treasure that is my authentic identity in Christ, because that is the headwaters of spiritual authority.
Friends, we may be in a holding pattern as we wait for disaffiliation to finally and fully materialize, but we do not have to wait to live out this call God has given us. So go ahead … take authority over what God has spoken into your life and live it to the full.
The Rev. Dr. Carolyn Moore is chairwoman of the WCA’s Global Council. She is also an elder in The United Methodist Church and the lead pastor of Mosaic Church in Evans, Georgia.