Ordination. We're Listening.

Background

For all of its history, our church has ordained men to the office of the public ministry. Conventions have voted on the ordination of women three times – in 2000, 2006 and 2015. According to the constitution, such a decision would need a two-thirds majority of those registered at Convention.

The 2015 Synod, however, did not let the matter rest there. In a subsequent resolution, delegates voted, by a large majority, that the theologians of the church be requested to develop a draft doctrinal statement that presents a theological basis for the ordination of both women and men, and why this need not be church-divisive.

---

Resolution of the 2015 General Convention of Synod

2015:0216 RESOLVED that Synod requests the CTICR to build on its earlier work regarding the ordination of women and men to develop a draft doctrinal statement for GPC and the 19th Convention of Synod that presents:

• A theological basis for the ordination of women and men.
• A theological basis for why the ordination of women and men need not be church divisive.
• And that GCC resource it.

Outcomes

In fulfilment of this resolution the CTICR has prepared two documents:

1. A Theological Basis for the Ordination of Women and Men – Draft Doctrinal Statement
2. That the Ordination Issue Need Not Be Church Divisive.

Documents

These two documents, together with two supplementary documents, are available on the General Convention website.