Ordination is the process by which individuals areconsecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from thelaity class to theclergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by thedenominationalhierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform various religious rites and ceremonies.^[1] The process and ceremonies of ordination vary byreligion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called anordinand. Theliturgy used at an ordination is commonly found in a book known as anOrdinal which provides the ordo (ritual and rubrics) for celebrations.

In Catholicism and Orthodoxy, ordination is one of the sevensacraments, variously calledholy orders orcheirotonia ("Laying on of Hands").

Apostolic succession is considered an essential and necessary concept for ordination in the Catholic, Orthodox, High Church Lutheran, Moravian, and Anglican traditions, with the belief that all ordained clergy are ordained by bishops who were ordained by other bishops tracing back to bishops ordained by theApostles who were ordained byChrist, the great High Priest (Hebrews 7:26,Hebrews 8:2), who conferred his priesthood upon his Apostles (John 20:21–23,Matthew 28:19–20,Mark 16:15–18, andActs 2:33).^[2][3][4]

There are three ordinations in Holy Orders:deacon,presbyter, andbishop. Both bishops and presbyters arepriests and have authority to celebrate the Eucharist. Incommon use, however, the termpriest, when unqualified, refers to the order of presbyter, whereaspresbyter is mainly used in rites of ordination and other places where a technical and precise term is required.^{[citation needed]}

Ordination of a bishop is performed by several bishops; ordination of a priest or deacon is performed by a single bishop. The ordination of a new bishop is also called aconsecration. Many ancient sources specify that at least three bishops are necessary to consecrate another, e.g., the 13th Canon of the Council of Carthage (AD 394) states, "A bishop should not be ordained except by many bishops, but if there should be necessity he may be ordained by three,"^[5] and the first of "The Canons of the Holy and Altogether August Apostles" states, "Let a bishop be ordained by two or three bishops," while the second canon thereof states, "Let a presbyter, deacon, and the rest of the clergy, be ordained by one bishop";^[6] the latter canons, whatever their origin, were imposed on the universal church by the SeventhEcumenical Council, theSecond Council of Nicaea, in its first canon.^[7]

TheCatholic Church teaches that one bishop is sufficient to consecrate a new bishop validly (that is, for an episcopal ordination actually to take place). In most Christian denominations that retain the practice of ordination, only an already ordained (consecrated) bishop or the equivalent may ordain bishops, priests, and deacons.^[8] However, Canon Law requires that bishops always be consecrated with the mandate (approval) of thePope, as the guarantor of the Church's unity.^[9] Moreover, at least three bishops are to perform the consecration, although the Apostolic See may dispense from this requirement in extraordinary circumstances (for example, in missionary settings or times of persecution).^[10]

In the Catholic Church, those deacons destined to be ordained priests are often termedtransitional deacons; those deacons who are married before being ordained, as well as any unmarried deacons who chose not to be ordained priests, are calledpermanent deacons. Those married deacons who become widowers have the possibility of seeking ordination to the priesthood in exceptional cases.^[11]

While some Eastern churches have in the past recognizedAnglican ordinations as valid,^[12] the current Anglican practice, in many provinces, ofordaining women to the priesthood—and, in some cases, to the episcopate—has caused the Orthodox generally to question earlier declarations of validity and hopes for union.^[13] The Catholic Church has never recognized Anglican orders as valid.^[14] Anglicanism recognizes Catholic and Orthodox ordinations; hence, clergy converting to Anglicanism are not "re-ordained".

With respect toLutheranism, "the Catholic Church has never officially expressed its judgement on the validity of orders as they have been handed down by episcopal succession in these two national Lutheran churches" (theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden and theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) though it does "question how the ecclesiastical break in the 16th century has affected the apostolicity of the churches of the Reformation and thus the apostolicity of their ministry".^[15][16]

SomeEastern Orthodox churches recognize Catholic ordinations while others "re-ordain" Catholic clergy (as well as Anglicans) who convert. However, both the Catholic and Anglican churches recognize Orthodox ordinations.

In the Catholic and Anglican churches, ordinations have traditionally been held onEmber Days, though there is no limit to the number of clergy who may be ordained at the same service. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, ordinations may be performed any day of the year on which theDivine Liturgy may be celebrated (and deacons may also be ordained at thePresanctified Liturgy), but only one person may be ordained to each order at any given service, that is, at most one bishop, one presbyter, and one deacon may be ordained at the same liturgy.^[17]

• There have long existed orders of clergy below that of deacon. In the Eastern Orthodox andOriental Orthodox churches (and, until 1970, in the Catholic Church), a person has to betonsured a cleric and be ordained to sundryminor orders prior to being ordained a deacon. Although a person may be said to be ordained to these orders, such ordinations are not reckoned as part of the sacrament of Holy Orders; in the Eastern Orthodox, the termCheirothesia ("imposition of hands")^[17] is used for such ordinations in contrast toCheirotonia ("laying on of hands") for ordinations of deacons, presbyters, and bishops.
• The following are positions that are not acquired by ordination:
  • Becoming amonk ornun or, generally, a member of areligious order, which is open to men and women; men in religious orders may or may not be ordained. Anglican nuns may, like their male counterparts, be ordained as well.
  • Offices and titles such aspope,patriarch,archbishop,archpriest,archimandrite,archdeacon, etc., which are given to ordained persons for sundry reasons, e.g., to rank them or honor them.
  • Cardinals are simply a large collegiate body who are electors of and the senior-most counselors to the Pope, and are not a fourth order beyond bishop. At presently nearly all cardinals are bishops, althoughseveral are priests, having been granted a dispensation from being ordained a bishop by the Pope (most of these were elevated by the Pope for services to the Church, and are over 80, thus not having the right to elect a pope or have active voting memberships in Vatican departments). As recently as 1899 there was acardinal who was a deacon when he died, having been a cardinal for 41 years (Teodolfo Mertel). There have even been noble lay men, or men who only possessed minor orders (now called ministries, and carried out by seminarians and laypeople) who at one time were made cardinals. Cardinals are considered princes in diplomatic protocol and by the Church, and even if they are not ordained bishops and cannot perform episcopal functions such as ordination, they have both real and ceremonial precedence over all non-cardinal patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops. Some have discussed the possibility in Catholicism of having women serve as cardinals or, more realistically in the short-term, as sub-deacons, since they cannot be ordained^{[citation needed]}.
• In theChurch of England, the priest of the diocese who oversees the process of discernment, selection and training of ordinands is usually called the "Diocesan Director of Ordinands", commonly shortened to "DDO". He or she may have a team of assistants, who may be called Assistant DDOs or Vocations Advisers.

In mostProtestant churches, ordination is therite by which their various churches:

• recognize and confirm that an individual has been called by God to ministry,
• acknowledge that the individual has gone through a period of discernment and training related to this call (e.g. having graduated from aseminary), and
• authorize that individual to take on theoffice of ministry.

For the sake of authorization and church order, and not for reason of 'powers' or 'ability', individuals in mostmainline Protestant churches must be ordained in order to preside at the sacraments (Baptism andHoly Communion), and to be installed as a calledpastor of a congregation or parish.

Some Protestant traditions have additional offices of ministry to which persons can be ordained. For instance:

• mostPresbyterian andReformed churches maintain a threefold order of ministry ofpastor,elder, anddeacon. The order of Pastor, the only one of the three orders considered "clergy", is comparable to most other denominations' pastoral office or ordained ministry. The order ofelder comprises lay persons ordained to the ministries of church order and spiritual care (for example, elders form the governing bodies of congregations and are responsible for a congregation's worship life). In many Presbyterian churches, the pastor or minister is seen as a "teaching elder" and is equal to the other elders in thesession. The order ofdeacon comprises lay persons ordained to ministries of service and pastoral care. Those who fill this position may be known as "ruling elders".
• Deacons are also ordained in theLutheran,^[18]Methodist^[19] and in most of theBaptist traditions.^[20]

For most Protestant denominations that have an office ofbishop, including certain Lutheran and many Methodist churches, this is not viewed as a separate ordination or order of ministry. Rather, bishops areordained ministers of the same order as other pastors, simply having been "consecrated" or installed into the "office" (that is, the role) of bishop. However, some Lutheran churches also claim validapostolic succession.^[21]

Some Protestant churches – especiallyPentecostal ones – have an informal tier of ministers. Those who graduate from abible college or take a year of prescribed courses are licensed ministers. Licensed ministers are addressed as "Minister" and ordained ministers as "Reverend." They, and alsoEvangelical pastors, are generally ordained at a ceremony called "pastoral consecration".^[22][23][24]

Jehovah's Witnesses consider an adherent'sbaptism to constitute ordination as aminister.^[25] Governments have generally recognized that Jehovah's Witnesses' full-time appointees (such as their "regular pioneers") qualify as ministers^[26] regardless of sex or appointment as anelder ordeacon ("ministerial servant"). The religion assertsecclesiastical privilege only for its appointed elders,^[27][28] but the religion permits any baptized adult male in good standing to officiate at a baptism, wedding, or funeral.^[29]

Inthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a rite of ordination is performed to bestow either theAaronic orMelchizedek priesthood (Hebrews 5:4–6) upon a worthy male member. As in the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, great care is taken to assure that the candidate for priesthood is ordained by those with proper authority and ordained properly and validly; thorough records of priesthood ordination are kept by the church. Ordination is performed by thelaying on of hands. Ordination to the office ofpriest in the Aaronic priesthood gives the ordained person the authority to:

• baptize converts and children over the age of 8 into the church
• bless and administer thesacrament (the Lord's Supper)
• participate in, or perform, ordinations of others to the Aaronic Priesthood or its offices
• collectfast offerings for theBishop (usually ordainedDeacons andTeachers perform this)

Ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood includes the authority to perform all the duties of the Aaronic priesthood, as well as ordain others to the Melchizedek or Aaronic priesthood, performconfirmations, bless and anoint the sick with oil, bless and dedicate graves, and other such rites. There are five offices within the Melchizedek Priesthood to which one could potentially be ordained:

• Elder
• High Priest
• Patriarch
• Seventy
• Apostle

"Ordination to an office in the Aaronic Priesthood is done by or under the direction of the bishop or branch president. Ordination to an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood is done by or under the direction of the stake or mission president. To perform a priesthood ordination, one or more authorized priesthood holders place their hands lightly on the person's head."^[30]

Latter-day Saints believe in a line of priesthood authority that traces back to Jesus Christ and hisapostles. LDS adherents believe the church's founder,Joseph Smith, was ordained under the hands of apostlesPeter,James, andJohn, who appeared to Smith as angelic messengers in 1829.^[31]

Islam has no formal clergy or ordained religious leaders. Ordination is viewed as a distinct aspect of other religions and is rejected.^{[citation needed]}

Instead, the faith’s religious leaders are usually calledimams,sheikhs, ormawlānā—none of which imply ordination. The titleimam (when not referring to theShi'a doctrine of theImamate) is given to an individual who leadsMuslims insalah; the term can also be used in a linguistic sense foranyone who leads other Muslims in congregational prayers.Sheikh (Arabic:شَيْخ, 'elder' or 'noble') is an Arabichonorific title for a maleIslamic scholar or tribal chieftain;shaikhah (شيخة) refers to a female learned in Islamic issues. The title is usually more prevalent in Arabic countries. The wordmawlana is a title bestowed upon students who have graduated from amadrasa (Islamic theological academy) throughout the Indian subcontinent. Although Muslim schools, universities, andmadrasas might follow different graduation ceremonies upon a student's completion of a 4-year undergraduate program inIslamic studies or a 7–8-year'alim course, their respective ceremonies neither symbolize nor confer ordination.

The ordination of arabbi withinJudaism is referred to assemikhah (Hebrew:סמיכה, 'leaning' or 'laying [of the hands]'; orsemicha lerabanimסמיכה לרבנות, 'rabbinical ordination'). The term is derived from the Hebrew verb for "to lean [up]on" (לִסְמוֹך,lismôq) in the sense that prospective rabbis are "to be authorized" as Jewish religious leaders.

While the Hebrew wordsemikhah is rendered as "ordination" in English, a rabbi is nota priestper se. Rather, ordained rabbis, at least until the 20th century (when the role of rabbis expanded to included pastoral duties) primarily function as Jewish communities'decisors ofHalakha (Jewish law) andTorah teachers andscholars.^[32] For many Jewish religious purposes, a rabbi's presence is unnecessary. For example, at prayer, aminyan (quorum) of ten laypeople is both necessary and sufficient for the recital ofKaddish—thus the saying "nine rabbis do not constitute a minyan, but ten cobblers can".^[33]

Recently, in someJewish religious movements,semikhah orsemicha lehazzanut may refer to the ordination of ahazzan (cantor); some use the term "investiture" to describe the conferral of cantorial authority rather than ordination.

The tradition of the ordainedmonastic community (sangha) began with theBuddha, who established orders ofmonks and later ofnuns. The procedure of ordination inBuddhism is laid down in theVinaya andPatimokkha orPratimoksha scriptures. There exist three intact ordination lineages nowadays in which one can receive an ordination according to the Buddha's teachings:^{[citation needed]}

• Dharmaguptaka Lineage
• Mulasarvastivadin Lineage
• Theravada Lineage

Saicho repeatedly requested that the Japanese government allow the construction of a Mahayana ordination platform. Permission was granted in 822 CE, seven days after Saicho died. The platform was finished in 827 CE atEnryaku-ji temple onMount Hiei, and was the first in Japan. Prior to this, those wishing to become monks/nuns were ordained using theHinayana precepts, whereas after the Mahayana ordination platform, people were ordained with theBodhisattva precepts as listed in theBrahma Net Sutra.^[34]

Pabbajja is an ordination procedure for novice Buddhist monks in theTheravada tradition.

The legitimacy of fully ordained nuns (bhikkhuni/bhiksuni) has become a significant topic of discussion in recent years. Texts passed down in every Buddhist tradition record that Gautama Buddha created an order of fully ordained nuns, but the tradition has died out in some Buddhist traditions such as Theravada Buddhism, while remaining strong in others such asChinese Buddhism (Dharmaguptaka lineage). In theTibetan lineage, which follows the Mulasarvastivadin lineage, the lineage of fully ordained nuns was not brought toTibet by the IndianVinaya masters, hence there is no rite for the ordination of full nuns. Howeverthe 14th Dalai Lama has endeavored for many years to improve this situation.^[35] In 2005, he asked fully ordained nuns in the Dharmaguptaka lineage, especiallyJampa Tsedroen, to form a committee to work for the acceptance of thebhiksuni lineage within the Tibetan tradition,^[35] and donated €50,000 for further research. The "1st International Congress on Buddhist Women's Role in the Sangha: Bhikshuni Vinaya and Ordination Lineages" was held at the University of Hamburg from 18 to 20 July 2007, in cooperation with the university's Asia-Africa Institute. Although the general tenor was that full ordination was overdue, the Dalai Lama presented a pre-drafted statement^[36] saying that more time was required to reach a decision, thus nullifying the intentions of the congress.

In MedievalSōtōZen, a tradition of posthumous ordination was developed to give the laity access toZen funeral rites. Chinese Ch’an monastic codes, from which JapaneseSōtō practices were derived, contain only monastic funeral rites; there were no provisions made for funerals for lay believers. To solve this problem, the Sōtō school developed the practice of ordaining laypeople after death, thus allowing monastic funeral rites to be used for them as well.^[37]

The Buddhist ordination tradition of theNew Kadampa Tradition-International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU) is not the traditional Buddhist ordination, but rather one newly created byKelsang Gyatso. Although those ordained within this organisation are called 'monks' and 'nuns' within the organisation, and wear the robes of traditional Tibetan monks and nuns, in terms of traditional Buddhism they are neither fully ordained monks and nuns (Skt.:bhikshu,bhikshuni; Tib.: gelong, gelongma) nor are they novice monks and nuns (Skt.: sramanera, srameneri; Tib.: gestul, getsulma).^[38][39][40]

Unlike most other Buddhist traditions, including all Tibetan Buddhist schools, which follow the Vinaya, the NKT-IKBU ordination consists of theFive Precepts of a lay person, plus five more precepts created byKelsang Gyatso. He is said to view them as a "practical condensation" of the 253 Vinaya vows of fully ordained monks.^[38]

There are also no formal instructions and guidelines for the behaviour of monks and nuns within the NKT. Because the behaviour of monks and nuns is not clearly defined "each Resident Teacher developed his or her own way of 'disciplining' monks and nuns at their centres ...".^[41]

Kelsang Gyatso's ordination has been publicly criticised by GesheTashi Tsering as going against the core teachings of Buddhism and against the teachings of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa school from which Kelsang Gyatso was expelled^[42][43][44]

AsUnitarian Universalism features very few doctrinal thresholds for prospective congregation members, ordinations of UU ministers are considerably less focused upon doctrinal adherence than upon factors such as possessing aMasters of Divinity degree from an accredited higher institution of education and an ability to articulate an understanding of ethics, spirituality and humanity.

In theUnitarian Universalist Association, candidates for "ministerial fellowship" with the denomination (usually third-year divinity school students) are reviewed, interviewed, and approved (or rejected) by the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC). However, given the fundamental principle ofcongregational polity, individual UU congregations make their own determination on ordination of ministers, and congregations may sometimes even hire or ordain persons who have not received UUA ministerial fellowship, and may or may not serve the congregation as its principal minister/pastor.

The ordination of women is often a controversial issue in religions where either the office of ordination, or the role that an ordained person fulfills, is traditionally restricted to men, for various theological reasons.

The Christian priesthood has traditionally been reserved to men. Some^[who?] claim that women were ordained deacons in the first millennium of Christianity, but their claims are disputed. After the Protestant Reformation and the loosening of authority structures within many denominations, most Protestant groups re-envisioned the role of the ordained priesthood. Many did away with it altogether. Others altered it in fundamental ways, often favoring a rabbinical-type married minister of teaching (word) and discarding any notion of a sacrificial priesthood. A common epithet used by Protestants (especially Anglicans) against Catholics was that Catholics were a 'priest-ridden' people. Hatred for priests was a common element ofanti-Catholicism and pogroms against Catholics focused on expelling, killing, or forcefully 'laicizing' priests.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in the twentieth century, many Protestant denominations began re-evaluating the roles of women in their churches. Many now ordain women.^{[citation needed]} According to the biblicalbook of Judges, a wise and brave woman namedDeborah was the fourth judge of the ancientIsraelites. She was instrumental in implementing a strategic military strategy that delivered the Israelites from the oppressive Canaanite kingJabin. Likewise,Jael was courageous and primary in the Israelite victory. Her prudent actions killed the commanderSisera after he fled on foot following the battle. Within the Book of Judges, there is a repetitive cycle of sin and deliverance. There is also a proposition regarding the cyclical offenses: "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes" (Jdg. 21:25). Based partially upon the leadership of the prophetess, Deborah, some Protestant and non-denominational organizations grant ordination to women. Other denominations refute the claim of a precedent based on Deborah's example because she is not specifically described as ruling over Israel, rather giving judgments on contentious issues in private, not teaching publicly,^[45] neither did she lead the military.^[45][46] Her message to her fellow judge Barak in fact affirmed the male leadership of Israel.^[45][46] TheUnited Church of Canada has ordained women since 1932. TheEvangelical Lutheran Church in America ordains women as pastors, and women are eligible for election as bishops.The Episcopal Church in the United States of America ordains women as deacons, priests and bishops.The Lutheran Evangelical Protestant Church ordains women at all levels including deacon, priest and bishop. Other denominations leave the decision to ordain women to the regional governing body, or even to the congregation itself; these include theChristian Reformed Church in North America and theEvangelical Presbyterian Church. The ordination of women in the latter half of the 20th century was an important issue between Anglicans and Catholics since the Catholic Church viewed the ordination of women as a huge obstacle to possible rapprochement between the two churches.^{[citation needed]}

The Catholic Church has not changed its view or practice on the ordination or women, and neither have any of the Orthodox churches; these churches represent approximately 65% of all Christians worldwide. In response to the growing call for the ordination of women, Pope John Paul II issued the statementOrdinatio sacerdotalis in 1995. In it, he gave reasons why women cannot be ordained, and defined that the Holy Spirit had not conferred the power to ordain women upon the Church. In the wake of this definitive statement, many theologians considered the issue settled, but many continue to push for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church. Some have even begun protest churches.^{[citation needed]}

Policy regarding the ordination of women differs among the differentdenominations of Judaism. Most Orthodox congregations do not allow female rabbis, while more liberal congregations began allowing female rabbis by the middle of the twentieth century.

MostAbrahamic religions condemn the practice ofhomosexuality and the Bible has been interpreted that in Romans 1 that homosexuals are "worthy of death". Interpretation of this passage, as with others potentially condemning homosexuality varies greatly between and within different denominations. Beginning in the late 20th century, and more so in the early 21st century, several mainline denominational sects of Christianity and Judaism in the US and Europe endorsed the ordination of openlyLGBT persons. SeeLGBT clergy in Christianity.

The United Church of Christ ordained openly gay Bill Johnson in 1972, and lesbian Anne Holmes in 1977.^[47]

While Buddhist ordinations of openly LGBT monks have occurred, more notable ordinations of openly LGBTnovitiates have taken place in Western Buddhism.

• Ordination exams
• Ordination (statistics)

• J. Frederick, 2001 "What Presbyterians Believe about ordination", Presbyterians Today, May 2001
• Lutheran Evangelical Protestant Church (LEPC)
• "Ordination" .The American Cyclopædia. 1879.