Revision #7665
Ordination Offering
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Definition and Meaning
=
- An ordination offering is an offering made by a person newly receiving a church office such as elder, kwonsa (exhorting deaconess), or deacon (particularly ordained deacon)—that is, by the ordinand—around the time of the ordination service. The Korean term *imjik* (任職) means "entrusting with an office." In Korean churches the offering is often understood as a form of thanksgiving offering, expressing gratitude for the office received and a commitment to dedicated service.
+ An ordination offering is an offering made by a person newly receiving a church office, that is, by the ordinand, around the time of the ordination service. The offices involved include elder, kwonsa (a female lay office in Korean churches), and deacon, particularly ordained deacon. In Korean churches the offering is often understood as a form of thanksgiving offering. It expresses gratitude for the office received and a commitment to dedicated service.
=
= ## Biblical and Historical Background
=
- No passage of Scripture directly prescribes an ordination offering. Supporters of the practice cite passages concerning offerings given willingly, such as Exodus 25:2, and describe it as a voluntary offering arising from a grateful heart.
+ No passage of Scripture directly prescribes an ordination offering. Supporters of the practice cite passages about offerings given willingly, such as Exodus 25:2. On this basis, they describe it as a voluntary offering that arises from a grateful heart.
=
- Critics point to the account of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:18–24. Simon offered money for the power to confer the Holy Spirit, and Peter rebuked him. In church history, the buying and selling of church offices or holy orders came to be called "simony" after Simon. Simony was repeatedly prohibited in the medieval church and was also condemned during the Reformation as an example of ecclesiastical corruption.
+ Critics point to the account of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:18–24. Simon offered money for the power to confer the Holy Spirit, and Peter rebuked him. In church history, the buying and selling of church offices or holy orders came to be called "simony" after Simon. Simony was repeatedly prohibited in the medieval church. During the Reformation it was also condemned as an example of ecclesiastical corruption.
=
= ## Practice in Korean Churches
=
- In Korean churches, it is widespread for ordinands to make an offering in connection with the ordination service. The offering goes into the church finances and is reportedly used for purposes such as church construction, missions, and relief work. In some cases ordinands also help cover the costs of the ordination ceremony or of commemorative gifts.
+ The practice of ordinands making an offering in connection with the ordination service is widespread in Korean churches. The offering goes into the church finances and is reportedly used for purposes such as church construction, missions, and relief work. In some cases ordinands also help pay for the ordination ceremony or for commemorative gifts.
=
= The practice varies from church to church.
- - Some churches allow ordinands to decide the amount themselves and give voluntarily.
+ - Some churches let ordinands decide the amount themselves and give voluntarily.
= - Some churches reportedly set de facto amounts for each office.
= - Some churches have abolished ordination offerings altogether.
…
= Opinions on the practice are divided.
= - **Supporters** hold that church office is received by grace and that the offering is an expression of gratitude and dedication in response.
- - **Critics** point out that when the amount is fixed or large, members of limited means may find it difficult to receive office. They also argue that linking church office to money gives the practice a character resembling simony.
+ - **Critics** point out that when the amount is fixed or large, members of limited means may find it difficult to receive office. They also argue that linking church office to money makes the practice resemble simony.
=
- Such criticism has been voiced persistently, chiefly by church reform organizations and some pastors.
+ Church reform organizations and some pastors have persistently voiced such criticism.
An ordination offering is an offering made by a person receiving a church office, such as elder, kwonsa (exhorting deaconess), or ordained deacon, on the occasion of the ordination service. Some regard it as an expression of gratitude, while others criticize it as a way of buying church office with money.
An ordination offering is an offering made by a person receiving a church office, such as elder, kwonsa (a female lay office), or ordained deacon, on the occasion of the ordination service. The practice is widespread in Korean Protestant churches. Some regard it as an expression of gratitude, while others criticize it as a way of buying church office with money.
Full revision
An ordination offering is an offering made by a person receiving a church office, such as elder, kwonsa (a female lay office), or ordained deacon, on the occasion of the ordination service. The practice is widespread in Korean Protestant churches. Some regard it as an expression of gratitude, while others criticize it as a way of buying church office with money.
Definition and Meaning
An ordination offering is an offering made by a person newly receiving a church office, that is, by the ordinand, around the time of the ordination service. The offices involved include elder, kwonsa (a female lay office in Korean churches), and deacon, particularly ordained deacon. In Korean churches the offering is often understood as a form of thanksgiving offering. It expresses gratitude for the office received and a commitment to dedicated service.
Biblical and Historical Background
No passage of Scripture directly prescribes an ordination offering. Supporters of the practice cite passages about offerings given willingly, such as Exodus 25:2. On this basis, they describe it as a voluntary offering that arises from a grateful heart.
Critics point to the account of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:18–24. Simon offered money for the power to confer the Holy Spirit, and Peter rebuked him. In church history, the buying and selling of church offices or holy orders came to be called "simony" after Simon. Simony was repeatedly prohibited in the medieval church. During the Reformation it was also condemned as an example of ecclesiastical corruption.
Practice in Korean Churches
The practice of ordinands making an offering in connection with the ordination service is widespread in Korean churches. The offering goes into the church finances and is reportedly used for purposes such as church construction, missions, and relief work. In some cases ordinands also help pay for the ordination ceremony or for commemorative gifts.
The practice varies from church to church.
- Some churches let ordinands decide the amount themselves and give voluntarily.
- Some churches reportedly set de facto amounts for each office.
- Some churches have abolished ordination offerings altogether.
Opinions on the practice are divided.
- Supporters hold that church office is received by grace and that the offering is an expression of gratitude and dedication in response.
- Critics point out that when the amount is fixed or large, members of limited means may find it difficult to receive office. They also argue that linking church office to money makes the practice resemble simony.
Church reform organizations and some pastors have persistently voiced such criticism.