Thoughts Before Ordination

It’s 1:50 a.m. on a Friday night Saturday Morning.

My ordination council begins in 9 hours, but I can’t sleep. My mind is a whirlwind of TULIP’s and canon’s, common grace and dispensations, inspiration and preservation.

Dad was good enough to give me his questions early. They’re really good and, as usual, thought provoking. I’m curious as to what your answers would be if you were in my position, so I’m posting them here. Of course, by the time most of you read this, I’ll be mid- or post-grill. I’ll let you all know tomorrow how things went. The questions for your contemplation:

  1. Do you desire the office of a bishop? (1 Tim 3:1)
  2. What are your top 3 priorities as a pastor?
  3. What do you see as the greatest challenges the church faces in the 21st century?
  4. How far should the church go in seeking to attract the unsaved to worship services?
  5. You mentioned your belief in the preservation of Scripture. In what sense is the Bible preserved: in a single translation, manuscript, etc.
  6. How should your church respond if a convicted child molester begins attending your services?
  7. Describe the process and purpose of church discipline.
  8. Explain your understanding of the Bible’s teaching on divorce and remarriage. Address ministry limitations regarding this issue.
  9. Is there any reason we should not approve your ordination?

Thoughts?

Update: Anyone got a wedding or a funeral coming up? I’m your man. Yep, I passed. It was every bit as tough as I thought it would be, only more tiring.