Reformed Ordination Vows
Provided by Bishop Karl Ludwig.
Their promises are especially poignant given the history of those Hungarian Ministers who became Galley Slaves rather than renounce their Reformed Faith.
Since these were originally written the “Evangelical Catechism” is no longer used as a Confessional standard in the Calvin Synod or Hungarian Reformed Church in America. Congregations from the “Evangelical and Reformed” heritage in the UCC at times refer to the Evangelical Catechism as one of their historical documents. In general it contains nothing contrary to the other standards.
ORDINATION VOWS
I, __________ _____________, do solemnly swear by Almighty God,
the searcher of all souls,
who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one eternal and true God,
that in discharging the pastoral office entrusted to me,
I shall always be a faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I shall honor and diligently study the Holy Scriptures and our symbolical books:
The Second Helvetic, Heidelberg, and Evangelical Catechisms.
I shall teach the Word of God according to the articles of faith of our Church
and shall preach it intact,
both at opportune and inopportune times.
I shall serve the Sacraments,
namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper,
according to the regulations of our Church.
I shall submit to and obey the Constitution and By-Laws,
and carry out the lawful orders of the Church in all my activities,
willingly and without reserve.
I shall aspire to build our Church and spread the Kingdom of God
with my speech, teachings, pastoral activities, good examples, and my whole life.
I shall humbly accept disciplinary chastisements of the Church
should I offend or transgress the Constitution and By-Laws of the Calvin Synod
or the directives of its lawfully constituted officers.
I shall never leave my pastoral office without important reason;
I shall never deny the Reformed Christian Faith acknowledged by me to be the true faith,
for reasons of fear, Grants, worldly possessions, or any other causes or motives whatever.
So help me God.