Hey everyone, been a long time since I've posted here, and I apologize. I kept wanting to share news here, but kept waiting until I knew more before posting it here. Well, I'm still unsure about a few things, but sure enough about others that I'll let you know what I can.
As I've said before, when we moved to Denison, I came here with the intention of finishing my bachelor's degree so that I could fulfill God's call on my life to seek ordination and become a priest. Things haven't gone exactly as I'd envisioned, but last summer, I did graduate. Originally, I thought at that time that we'd be leaving Denison to go off to seminary. Things have changed, however. Every time that I have prepared to take that step, I have felt that it is not the right thing to do. It was confusing, because I thought that this was the way we were supposed to do it. Instead, I have strongly felt that God is not done with us here in Denison yet. At the same time, I still feel that He is calling me to begin my seminary education.
There are so many factors involved in what led me to the decision that I'm about to type that it would take pages of explanation to detail it all. Suffice to say that it was not an easy decision, nor one that happened overnight. It has been a process years in the making. I am prayerfully considering not pursuing ordination in the Episcopal Church.
I am, however, prayerfully considering ordination in the Anglican Church.
This may come to a surprise to some, not to others, and many of you may not even know what the difference is between the two churches. Lately, there does seem to be one big issue that divides these two churches, and my decision has little to do with that. I do, however, feel that the leadership of the Episcopal Chruch has strayed way off the path. There are questions that the ordinand has to answer during his ordination. One of them is this:
As I've said before, when we moved to Denison, I came here with the intention of finishing my bachelor's degree so that I could fulfill God's call on my life to seek ordination and become a priest. Things haven't gone exactly as I'd envisioned, but last summer, I did graduate. Originally, I thought at that time that we'd be leaving Denison to go off to seminary. Things have changed, however. Every time that I have prepared to take that step, I have felt that it is not the right thing to do. It was confusing, because I thought that this was the way we were supposed to do it. Instead, I have strongly felt that God is not done with us here in Denison yet. At the same time, I still feel that He is calling me to begin my seminary education.
There are so many factors involved in what led me to the decision that I'm about to type that it would take pages of explanation to detail it all. Suffice to say that it was not an easy decision, nor one that happened overnight. It has been a process years in the making. I am prayerfully considering not pursuing ordination in the Episcopal Church.
I am, however, prayerfully considering ordination in the Anglican Church.
This may come to a surprise to some, not to others, and many of you may not even know what the difference is between the two churches. Lately, there does seem to be one big issue that divides these two churches, and my decision has little to do with that. I do, however, feel that the leadership of the Episcopal Chruch has strayed way off the path. There are questions that the ordinand has to answer during his ordination. One of them is this:
Will you be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of
Christ as this Church has received them? And will you, in
accordance with the canons of this Church, obey your bishop
and other ministers who may have authority over you and
your work?
The answer to be given is this:
I am willing and ready to do so; and I solemnly declare that I
do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to
salvation; and I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrine,
discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church.
The simplest answer I can give for why I am contemplating this switch is that I cannot put myself under the authority of bishops that support Bp. Jefferts-Schori and I cannot, in good conscience conform to the doctrine of the Episcopal Church as it now stands.
I know some of my Episcopal friends won't understand this. Some will argue that this trend won't continue or that what's going on in other diocese don't affect us here. I wish I could feel that way. I don't begrudge any of my Episcopal brothers for staying where they are and standing up for Orthodoxy. I feel that who I am and what I believe hasn't changed, its the church around me that has.
So, I have been meeting with Bishop Ken Myers and we have discussed my coming "over" to the Anglican Church and beginning seminary at Nashota House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin. It is an Anglican/Episcopal seminary, and I won't have to move to Wisconsin to attend. The classes are online, in 12 week modules. I will have to travel up there once every 12 weeks for a one week of intensive residential study. After two years of this, I will have my Masters of Arts in Ministry, with which I can be ordained. The classes and travel expenses will cost us about $1000 a month for the next two years. I do not know where this money will come from yet, but I've learned in the last year to fully trust God in this area. If He wants this to happen, as long as I am faithful to Him, it will.
Once again, none of this is set in stone yet, but I do feel that this is where God has been leading me for quite some time now, and I'm just now seeing the path clearer. I'm very excited about it and I hope that you are excited with (and for!) me.
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