Installation of Church Officers

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term imjik (任職) means "entrusting an office." The installation of church officers (imjiksik) is a rite in which a church formally sets apart, before God and the congregation, the officers it has elected. Korean churches use different names for the rite according to its nature.

• Ordination service (jangnipsik, 將立式): Used when officers are set apart by the laying on of hands. The term is applied chiefly to the appointment of elders and ordained deacons.
• Inauguration service (chwiimsik): Used when duties are entrusted without the laying on of hands. Many churches use this term when appointing kwonsa (exhorters).
• Pastoral installation service (wiimsik): Used when a pastor is installed as the installed senior pastor of a particular church.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages commonly cited as the basis for the installation of church officers include the following:

• Acts 6:1-6: The early church chose seven men, and the apostles prayed and laid their hands on them.
• Acts 14:23: Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in every church.
• 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1:5-9: The qualifications of church officers are set forth.
• 1 Timothy 4:14: The laying on of the hands of the presbytery is mentioned.

During the Reformation, John Calvin set forth four offices: pastor, teacher, elder, and deacon. This distinction became the foundation of Presbyterian church polity.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Presbyterian churches, officers are generally elected by a vote of the members at the congregational meeting and are installed after completing training and examinations. Elders are usually ordained by the session after being examined and approved by the presbytery. Specific requirements are set by each denomination's church constitution. The service typically proceeds in the following order:

• Vows of the officers-elect and of the congregation
• Prayer with the laying on of hands
• Public declaration
• Charge and congratulatory address
• Benediction

In Methodist churches, officers are appointed according to the denomination's constitution, The Doctrines and Discipline. Pastors are ordained at the annual conference, with a bishop presiding.

Baptist churches regard pastor and deacon as the principal offices, and many Baptist churches have no office of elder.

Other denominations likewise differ in the names of offices, election procedures, and whether the laying on of hands is practiced.

In Korean churches, the installation of officers is often combined with the retirement of senior officers in a single "thanksgiving service for installation and retirement." It is also a widespread practice for newly installed officers to give an installation thank offering. Some regard this practice as an expression of gratitude, while others have criticized it for linking church office with money.