Pacific Union Conference Ordains Theology Professor Jean Sheldon
by Colleen Uechi
On April 27, eight months after its highly disputed vote to approve women’s ordination, the Pacific Union Conference officially recognized Pacific Union College (PUC) religion professor Dr. Jean Sheldon as an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Sheldon is the only female professor in PUC’s religion department.
A recognition service was planned instead of sending her new credentials in the mail or having a complete ordination ceremony. She had previously experienced the "laying on of hands" that is the key element in an ordination, but felt simply receiving documents in the mail would not fully address the significance of the event.
“It means a lot to the students that this [ordination] is actually happening, and they need to see an example of it,” said Sheldon. “I think this is a time for celebration. We want to celebrate what the Spirit is doing in the Pacific Union.”
As part of the service, theology majors Samantha Angeles and Lauren Cline read Sheldon’s personal account of her journey to becoming a theologian, from being a secondary school student frustrated with flavorless religion classes, to a freshman journalism major asking God for signs of His desire for her to study theology. Then, when those signs were fulfilled within days, becoming a theology student with a passion for the Old Testament and teaching.
Earlier that morning in Sabbath School, as part of her honors project, Angeles also described some of the struggles Sheldon experienced as the only woman in several of her theology courses at Andrews University. “She’s a petite woman, but she’s full of so much strength,” said Angeles, in admiration of her under-five-foot professor.
Pastor Brad Newton, executive secretary of the Pacific Union Conference, presented Sheldon with her credentials and certificate of ordination. The students, faculty and church members in the sanctuary gave a standing ovation, which Sheldon acknowledge with a smile and pointed heavenward. Sheldon made a few remarks. Pastor Jonathan Henderson, a former student of Sheldon’s, preached the sermon.
“For me it was just a moment of justice,” said senior theology student Cameron Haley about the event. “She has been a pastor to me, not just a teacher. She’s someone who makes herself available even outside the class to make students feel loved and also to facilitate a connection to Jesus, and that’s what pastoring is.”
Sheldon’s ordination comes eight years after her 2005 commissioning ceremony, during which she participated in a laying on of hands—a New Testament tradition in which both lay and clergy place hands upon an individual as affirmation of the individual’s call to ministry. As a commissioned minister, Sheldon could baptize, preach and officiate at weddings. Commissioned ministers are not eligible for leadership positions such as conference president.
The Pacific Union Conference is the third union conference in the denomination to vote in favor of women’s ordination, following the Columbia Union Conference and the Northern German Union Conference. Sheldon believes that God has called her to be a theologian, citing an afternoon in college when God spoke to her and gave her such a call. After she accepted, the Holy Spirit then anointed her ear, saying, “So that you will always hear My voice” … her thumb, “So that you will do my will” … and her toe, “So that you will always walk in my ways.”
“God ordained me. It’s done,” said Sheldon, although she believes the subject of women’s ordination is anything but finished within the denomination. “I think this whole move to ordain women … is something the Holy Spirit has done,” she added. “And to me, I believe that this is not the last we will see of the Holy Spirit’s movement.”
Colleen Uechi is editor of the campus newspaper at Pacific Union College.
To me, it seems absurd that we belong to a Church that can allow a women to become a theology professor but not be ordained.
At least the Catholics have an excuse, because they believe their clergy exercise priestly functions according to notions of sacramental theology. Their priests literally help turn the water into wine – 'hocus pocus'. Their priests hold to holy orders and vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
In their Church, the focus of worship is the high-liturgy of the Eucharist, not necessarily spreading the Gospel. Their priests claim to be in an unbroken chain of Apostolic sucession back to the 12 disciples. Their Church isn't wholly concerned with what the Bible says, but elevates Sacred Tradition to an equal status. In their Church it isn't unusual to have theology professors who aren't members of the clergy, as they are very different roles.
Adventists don't believe any of these things. Then why do we cling to a system founded on Papal Tradition? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, for Protestants who claim to uphold Luther's principle of the priesthood of all believers.
Agreed. Ordination is just one of a list of Catholic traditions we've adopted.
Surprise: most Christian traditions originated with the one catholic church which was the only one for 1500 years.
It is gratifying to know that the Pacific Union Conference and PUC are on the right side of history in this far too long delayed action. If those in other parts of the "world church" are uncomfortable with these and future actions in North American and Europe, if would be helpful for them to realize that their objections are based on their own cultural values about "male headship" and other non-Biblical "interesting" concepts and can not be obtained from a careful reading of New Testament texts. If Third World delegates at the next General Conference are successful in voting down an attempt to allow Unions and Divisions the option of ordaining women on an equal basis with men, then the disunity that such an action will create will be the responsbility of the Adventist Third World. If such an action is taken, Unions and Divisions wishing to ordain women will have no choice but to ignore the results of a GC decision-makng process dominated by those who place their own cultural values over Biblical principles. (Of course, another approach would be to simply discontinue ordination as being a non-Biblical concept).
Ordination has had various permutations in the Adventist Church. As missionaries in older times we were well accustomed to the "ordaining" of physicians and accountants, etc., with the understanding that these offices were to function "only within a specified geographical area" and only for the duration of the person's term as a missionary. It would seem that there is awareness that the "permanent, lifetime, global" ordination argument has by no means been the absolute norm and in some cases is definitely not the best way to go….
Many are aware of the "use" of ordination that Ed mentions. This makes ordination a farce used for whatever means the church needs or desires and is unrelated to any biblical principles.
Elaine
I think you go too far in your conclusion. Our thinking on ordination has been confused at various times, and our practice has been likewise. I would say our current practice of reserving ordination solely for evangelists and (usually male) pastors is no more in line with the Bible than our previous practice of recognising others by ordination as well. Our theory and practice has always had a connection to biblical principles, we just haven't looked very deeply or systematically at ordination. I hope the current study will move us some way towards a coherent theory.
In real life here in the US, the "average" ordainee, upon receiving his/her ordination, stays within or close to the union of ordination, unless the individual is viewed as "general leadership material." Those deemed to have general leadership charisma (usually with family in the ministry already, pushing at least a few buttons) often seek/accept calls to other conferences en route to a union and maybe a GC post.
In our mission days, we discovered yet another reality about ordination. In cases where an aspiring young intern in the US was deemed to fall short of standards generally associated with ordination, friends in high places would intervene and arrange for that individual to be called to mission service. Then the hiring division would contact the home conference and ask, as a favor, that the incoming missionry be ordained prior to his departure abroad. This request was generally honored, in part because the home conference by then was glad to participate in any orderly transfer-out of an ineffective man of the cloth. Ordination has many uses in the tradition of Adventist administration, and undoubtedly would be sorely missed if discontinued.
Undoubtedly books of stories could be written about the political use of ordination as a tool for accomplishing organizational goals for the church….
It is a well known fact that the GC in Official Session declined to approve of female ordination. To engage in defiance of that decision is mutiny, no less. Mutiny is destructive of unity.
Maranatha
Is it equally 'mutiny' to argue it is wrong to ordain women as elders/deacons? That is something the
GC approved decades ago, but those who see ordainining women as pastors as being 'mutiny' seem to see no problem in opposing the GC in the former case. Should the next GC allow the ordination of women, will those who refuse to accept that decision be in 'mutiny' and guilty of 'destroying unity'?
"That is something the GC approved decades ago,…"
No way Jose. That has been debunked long ago.
Maranatha
Are you saying women have been ordained as elders without GC approval? Or making a distinction between the GC in session and the GC between sessions?
The GC has never 'declined to approve of female ordination'. It has voted not to move ahead 'at this time' in an attempt to preserve unity, and not to allow Divisions to do so separately. There has never been a vote on whether women can be ordained. If it goes to the vote in 2015, that will be the first time the church has voted on this issue.
Are you saying women have been ordained as elders without GC approval? Or making a distinction between the GC in session and the GC between sessions?
The GC has never 'declined to approve of female ordination'. It has voted not to move ahead 'at this time' in an attempt to preserve unity, and not to allow Divisions to do so separately. There has never been a vote on whether women can be ordained. If it goes to the vote in 2015, that will be the first time the church has voted on this issue.
What are your plans when WO is a fact? Better plan, as it surely will and already is in several unionsl
Will you leave the SDA church then? Or will you mutiny?
"Then the hiring division would contact the home conference and ask, as a favor, that the incoming missionry(sic) be ordained prior to his departure abroad. This request was generally honored, in part because the home conference by then was glad to participate in any orderly transfer-out of an ineffective man of the cloth."
Ed, if what you claim is true, and I have no current way to prove or disprove, isn't it disingenuous for a Conference to act in such a fashion?
Maranatha
Let's not get all wrapped up in semantics.
"In 1995 at Utrecht, the GC session voted to keep the world church united, thus *denying* the NAD’s request to ordain women pastors in its territory. In brief, “the church has not taken an official position on the biblical support (or lack of it) for the ordination of women to the ministry. It has simply voted against leaving the decision up to each world division” (Angel Manuel Rodríguez,
“Can We Talk?” Adventist Review, October 2010).(Emphasis Supplied)