Ordain a Priest
The English word priest is derived from the ancient Greek word 'presbyter', which means 'Elder'. It signifies a person who preside at the Christian celebration of the Eucharist (the holy and – in a sense – sacrificial meal instituted by Jesus Christ), and is the equivalent of what is called a Minister or a Pastor in some denominations. Spiritual direction and counseling are often regarded as parts of a priests duty. The word priest is more frequently used in Christian denominations led by bishops, and, in these, administrating unction of the sick and absolution of sins are often regarded as parts of a priests duty.
Steps
- Decide which view you have on the way Christian denominations ought to be organized.
- If you are an Ultra-Congregationalist, be aware that the presider at the Eucharist seldom is called priest among Congregationalists and Baptists: Minister, Pastor and Preacher are more frequent designations in those environments.
- If you are a mainline Protestant you probably prefer a Synodical government = A General Assembly or something like that make decisions on a regional or national level.
- If you are a Methodist or a Lutheran, you have a mixed system of both a Synodical government and a House of Bishops, although your bishops probably doesn't share the Apostolic Succession, and that is not an issue for you: You think that God gives the priestly charism independently of Apostolic Succession. Apostolic Succession is the continuity of laying on of hands from the Apostles via early bishops to present day bishops.
- If you are Anglican/Episcopal, Old Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, you have bishops in the Apostolic Succession (or so they claim), and often some sort of synodical representation of laymen as well (under different names).
- If you are Roman Catholic you have bishops in the Apostolic Succession (or so they claim), but no lay representation on diocesan or global level. The Second Vatican Council, however, invented lay representation on local level, in order to assist and advise the vicar.
- Ensure that you have the qualifications your denomination demands in order to allow you to ordain anyone to priest.The regulations of your denomination will only allow you to ordain a person with the stipulated qualifications, but both the amount and quality of studies expected by a priest, and the methods to assess personal maturity of the ordinand, varies considerably between denominations.
- If you are an Ultra-Congregationalist laypeople are allowed to ordain priests. Go ahead.
- If you are a mainline Protestant, you must have the mandate from the General Assembly (or Regional Conference, or whatever you call your synodical body) to ordain a priest.
- If you are a Methodist or a Lutheran you must be a bishop in order to be allowed to ordain a priest.
- If you are Anglican/Episcopal, Old Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, you must be a bishop in order to be allowed to ordain a priest.
- If you are Roman Catholic, you must be a bishop in order to be allowed to ordain a priest.
- Laying on of hands and prayer are prescribed in Acts 13.3 as mandatory parts of an ordination service in any Christian denomination. The wording of the ordination prayer varies considerably between different denominations. Afterwards, some denominations sign the hands of the ordinand with chrism (a perfumed symbolic oil), clothe the recently ordained priest with garments symbolic for ministry, and give him (in some denominations: or her) symbolic instruments like a Bible and a Chalice, but these practices are unusual in very reformed denominations, and they are not universal even among Anglicans/Episcopalians.
Tips
- If you regard episcopal organization and Apostolic Succession as necessary, and you are not a bishop in the Apostolic Succession, you will have a problem: Ordination of someone else will be impossible. You could probably find a bishop willing to consecrate you a bishop somewhere within the Independent Sacramental Movement – a cluster of very small – and between themselves very different – Christian denominations with bishops in the Apostolic Succession.
