Online Minister's Manual
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Marriage
The short word, “marriage,” describes man’s oldest and most honourable institution.
You will probably deal with the marriage institution on three levels:
(1) As a Bible teacher and student,
(2) as a married person,
(3) as an ordained minister responsible for counselling couples and solemnizing marriages.
As a student and teacher of the Bible, you must understand the Biblical roots of marriage. As a married person, or one eligible for marriage you’ll face the Joys and struggles of married life. As an ordained minister, you must conduct pre-marital counselling and solemnize marriages.
Each of your roles in life provides another viewpoint of this cherished and misunderstood institution. Because of the confusion in the world that swirls around the subject of marriage, a clear, Bible-based foundation is vital for your own marriage and ministry.
Below you will find five downloadable pre-marital counselling sessions as well as a wedding ceremony that can be adapted to your needs.
Downloads
The following are downloadable PDFs for your convenience.
Dedications
Ded-i-ca-tion 1: an act or rite of dedicating to a divine being or a sacred use.
2: a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose.
(Excerpt from WEBSTER’S New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Co., 1981.
Page 293.)
The dedication prayer of service is one of the most ancient and basic responses of God’s people. It is one of the most meaningful ways we have to recognize that which is the Lord’s. Often there are special persons or things which we want to publicly dedicate to the Lord.
This section of the Minister’s Manual discusses in some detail the dedication of children and church buildings.
The Bible gives examples of Samuel’s dedication to God as a young boy (1 Samuel 1:21-28), of Israel’s dedication to God by covenant, and of the dedication of “Solomon’s temple.” (2 Chron. 6:12-42). Jesus was taken to the temple in Jerusalem to be consecrated (dedicated) to God shortly after His birth. (Luke 2:22-25)
The value of the dedication service is rooted in the power of the spoken word of faith and the motives of the heart. Nothing in heaven or on earth can take away an individual’s freedom of choice in spiritual matters. But our godly actions as spiritual kings and priests can powerfully influence the course of men and make way for God’s will to be done in our lives.
Through Spirit-led prayer and Biblical dedication, we can powerfully affect the lives of our children and help ensure the proper use of institutions and possessions on the earth.
Downloads
The following are downloadable PDFs for your convenience.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens of the Christian life, but rather they are sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God’s goodwill towards us, by which he works in us, and not only quickens but also strengthens and confirms our Faith in Him.
There are two Sacraments ordained by Christ Jesus in the Gospel, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord (Holy Communion).
The Sacraments were not ordained by Christ to be gazed upon, but that we should actually use them. The Supper of the Lord (Holy Communion) is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves; but rather is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ’s death.
The Bread that we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ, and likewise the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ. The Romish doctrine of transubstantiation (or the change of the substance of Bread and Wine) in the Supper of the Lord, is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, and overthrows the nature of a Sacrament, and has given occasion to many superstitions.
The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only in a heavenly and spiritual manner. And how the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith.
Below is a teaching on Holy Communion by Pastor Bill Annis as well as an order of service for Holy Communion that can be adapted to your needs.
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The Sacrament of Baptism
Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens of the Christian life, but rather they are sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God’s good will towards us, by which he works in us, and not only quickens, but also strengthens and confirms our Faith in him.
There are two Sacraments ordained by Christ Jesus in the Gospel, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord (Holy Communion).
The Sacraments were not ordained by Christ to be gazed upon, but that we should actually use them.
Baptism is a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed.
The inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness, through union with Christ in his death and resurrection (ROMANS 6:1-11).
The minister should encourage parents not to defer the Baptism of their children.
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Funerals
For Christians, death is a defeated enemy. The Apostle Paul reminds the Church in Corinth:
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).”
When a person is near death, the minister should be notified. This is part of the Church’s pastoral care.
The burial of a Christian is an occasion of both sorrow and joy – our sorrow in the face of death, and our joy in Jesus’ promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
The Christian burial proclaims, “Life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body dies we are still alive in Christ.”
The Christian burial looks forward to eternal life rather than backwards to past events. It calls us to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and his triumph over death, even as we celebrate the life and the witness of the deceased.
Below you will find various funeral ceremony outlines.
Downloads
The following are downloadable PDFs for your convenience.
These are funeral ceremony outlines for:
Pastor Bill Annis
Rev. Tony Cooke
Rev. Tony Cooke
Teaching on Ministry to the Dying
Pastor Bill Annis
How to Receive Offerings
The church has an image problem that was created through ignorance in the church and hostility in the world. Movies, television shows, and other secular entertainment forms have made fun of “passing the offering plate” in religious services. Unscrupulous or unknowing ministers have helped create the image too.
This twisted image has robbed the church of untold blessings. God wants us to receive tithes and offerings with joy, in faith, and without apologies or timidity. Tithes and offerings release the Lord to pour out His blessings on joyful givers.
To properly receive tithes and offerings from God’s people, we must understand the fundamental purposes of giving.
Giving is an essential aspect of living in God’s Kingdom. In fact, giving reflects God’s nature: “For God so loved the world that He gave…” God is a giver; therefore, His children should be givers.
Giving preserves the attitude of thankfulness that is essential in created beings. It keeps our possessions from possessing us.
Faithfulness in tithes and offerings forces us out of the small world of our own needs into the vast universe of God’s eternal promises.
It prepares us to meet the needs of others.
Somewhere in the world, a person is dying without Christ. An unhappy couple has just decided to end their marriage in divorce to escape what they consider to be hell on earth. Somewhere near you, perhaps in your own community, another family is torn apart by the fear and the destructive force of a terminal disease.
God has a plan and a provision for these people: YOU. You are His arms, His legs, and His tool to bring healing, deliverance, and salvation to your generation!
Whether you are called as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher, be confident that
God has a purpose for you during these last, great days of the church.
If you share Jesus with that dying man, perhaps he will see the face of the loving Father instead of the jaws of despair.
The deceived couple just might avoid the pain of failure and the rejection of divorce if someone like you shows them the real problem and how to solve it.
The anointing of God could save the life of yet another terminally ill person and bring joy to weary family members if God sends you to that home with His power to lay hands on the sick.