The Sacred Mysteries
Ordination
Holy Orders
In Holy Orders — also called Ordination — the Church continues its God-given mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Fallible human beings are given this task. Through the reception of this sacrament, the ordained is enabled to function as preacher, teacher, and celebrant of the supreme act of worship for an Orthodox Christian: the Eucharist, that is the Divine Liturgy.
The Three Orders of Clergy
In the Armenian Apostolic Church, there is a three-fold ministry. The three major orders of ordained clergy are the deacon, the priest, and the bishop.
Deacon
The diaconate traces to Acts 6, where the Apostles prayed over and laid their hands on the first deacons as a symbol of authority. Deacons were instructed to assist the Apostles in serving the people. Today, deacons continue that role — assisting at liturgical services and supporting the administrative, charitable, and mission programs of the Church.
Priest
This order evolved fully by the second century, when the growing number of Christian converts made it necessary to expand the ordained ranks. The priest's task — then as now — is to preach, to sanctify, to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and to serve as the leader of his flock in the name of the bishop.
Bishop
The office of bishop can be traced directly to Christ, who instituted it through the Holy Apostles. Originally, bishops served as heads of individual parishes; as the Church grew, bishops came to oversee groups of parishes, with priests serving as local parish leaders in their name.
There are also minor orders, including the clerk (tbir) — which encompasses four ranks: doorkeeper, reader, exorcist, and acolyte — and the sub-diaconate (gisasargavak).
Human, and Yet Called
Everything a priest does, he does with the authorization and seal of the Holy Spirit. As a mere human being, he is just that — a mere human being. But as a priest, he functions as an officer of the Church, deriving all of his authority from our Lord Himself. It is for this reason that he is ordained, and it is in this fashion that he is to serve.
This dual reality is captured in the words of Christ in John 15:16–17:
“You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”
The priesthood is not something one can choose. It is something for which one is chosen — by the Lord.
Biblical Foundation
It was clearly our Lord's intention that His work and ministry be continued — not ending with the Apostles, but carrying forward until the end of time. In the closing lines of Matthew's Gospel, Christ commands His Apostles:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The simple yet profound mechanism by which the Apostles ensured this continuation is what we call Ordination — Holy Orders, the Laying on of Hands. In Acts 6:1–6, when the Apostles needed help in their mission, they chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus:
“They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands upon them.”
Later, in Acts 14:23: “So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” These passages are Apostolic Succession in action.
Apostolic Succession
The continuation of ordinations from generation to generation is the assurance that the Holy Spirit is operating in the Church — a present and active participant at each and every ordination. For the Orthodox Christian, ordination is not simply the authorization of someone by a group of representatives. It is the very seal of the Holy Spirit upon the individual and upon his calling to service.
This unbroken chain, passed from one generation to the next, is what we call Apostolic Succession. It ensures the fidelity of the Church to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ — and it is the foundation upon which the validity of every sacrament rests.
Apostolic Succession is not something that simply looks backward. It is something which impels the Church forward — to continue the very mission initiated by our Lord and carried on to our own day. Through this process, the authority of the Church can be traced back to Christ Himself, and forward until He comes again at the end of time. It is a solemn proclamation that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Church, and that it is ultimately He who gives legitimacy to all aspects of authority within it.
Questions about Holy Orders?
Contact the parish office to speak with our Pastor about the ordained ministry of the Armenian Apostolic Church.