This article is about the term "ordinance" as used by some Christians for religious rituals. For the term in the canon law of some Christian faiths, see Ordinance (canon law).
The number of ordinances depends on the Christian denomination, with Mennonite Anabaptists counting seven ordinances,[7] while some Baptists may name two or three.[8]
For Anabaptists, "ordinances brought one into conformity with the truth of Jesus Christ, whose life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection had so fundamentally altered all of humanity and creation that human beings were now capable of works of loving obedience that revealed the indwelling presence of God in Christ in all people."[11]
Seven ordinances have been taught in many Conservative Mennonite churches, which include "baptism, communion, footwashing, marriage, anointing with oil, the holy kiss, and the prayer covering."[7]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) uses the term "ordinance", however the underlying belief is sacramental.[1][2] Rituals such as baptism, confirmation, initiatory (Chrismation)[see: washing and anointing], ordination, endowment (formal vows and reception of sacred vestments)[3] and marriage are referred to as "saving ordinances"[4], as they are considered transformative and necessary for salvation and exaltation. Similar to Catholic sacraments, Mormon ordinances are only considered valid if performed by ordained clergy with apostolic succession reaching back to Jesus through Peter.[5][6][7][8]
^ abKrahn, Cornelius; Rempel, John D. (1989). Ordinances. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia. The term "ordinance" emphasizes the aspect of institution by Christ and the symbolic meaning.
^Engle, Paul E.; Armstrong, John H. (30 August 2009). Understanding Four Views on Baptism. Zondervan. p. 60. ISBN9780310866985. John Calvin and most other Protestant leaders rejected the Roman Catholic sacramental system but retained its vocabulary, applying the term "sacrament" only to ordinances instituted by God himself (cf. Westminster Confession of Faith 27; Belgic Confession 33). ... Unlike Baptists and Anabaptists, who tend to speak of baptism only as an "ordinance," Calvinists have characteristically spoken of baptism not only as an ordinance but also as a sacrament or a mystery, a rite through which God applies grace.
^Howe, Claude (1991). Holman Bible Dictionary. Broadman & Holman. Christians agree universally that baptism and the Lord's Supper were instituted by Christ and should be observed as "ordinances" or "sacraments" by His followers.
^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 219
^ Chris Green, Pentecostal Ecclesiology: A Reader, BRILL, Leiden, 2016, p. 176
^ abHartzler, Rachel Nafziger (30 April 2013). No Strings Attached: Boundary Lines in Pleasant Places: A History of Warren Street / Pleasant Oaks Mennonite Church. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN978-1-62189-635-7.
^ abcCross, Anthony R.; Thompson, Philip E. (28 September 2020). Baptist Sacramentalism, Volume 3. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 35. ISBN978-1-7252-8608-5.
^Durnbaugh, Donald F. (1983). The Brethren Encyclopedia. Brethren Encyclopedia, Incorporated. p. 61. ISBN978-0-936693-04-0.
^
Volf, Miroslav; Volf, Dorothy C. (26 October 2001). Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian Life. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 139. ISBN978-0-8028-4931-1.
^Bendroth, Margaret Lamberts; Brereton, Virginia Lieson (2002). Women and Twentieth-century Protestantism. University of Illinois Press. p. 29. ISBN978-0-252-06998-7.