Description
Christ calls the Church into being, giving it all that is necessary for its mission in the world, for its sanctification, and for its service to God. Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit and Word. Christ alone rules, calls, teaches, and uses the Church as he wills. (Book of Order, F-1.0202)
The mission of Redstone Presbytery includes the important task of providing for each congregation’s worship and ministry by:
· identifying gifted preachers, pastors, and caregivers;
· educating and training them according to the high standards of the church;
· and strategically placing them in positions of leadership where they can effectively enable vital congregational life.
The Presbytery as a whole, through its Committees on Ministry and Preparation, bears the responsibility of ensuring that all its congregations are provided with the preaching and pastoral ministry necessary for its congregations to carry out their mission. The nature and responsibility of this ministry requires that such persons, whether Authorized Preachers, or Commissioned Ruling Elders, be ordained ruling elders.
The Presbytery of Redstone is responsible for providing worship and preaching the celebration of the sacraments, pastoral care and leadership for its churches. But it has come to recognize the increasing inability of some of its churches to afford and/or locate the services of a Teaching Elder, and the need and desire, therefore, for properly trained and authorized persons to provide preaching and worship leadership and other pastoral functions for such churches. To this end, the Presbytery, through its Committee on Preparation and Committee on Ministry, has developed a program to provide Authorized Preachers and Commissioned Ruling Elders for its churches.
