15.You have agreed as a candidate for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness of the gospel, and in consideration of their influence as ministers, to make a complete dedication of yourself to the highest ideals of the Christian life, and to this end agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity, integrity in all personal relationships, fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God. What is your understanding of the agreement?
My mind turns immediately to Wesley’s concept of “Holiness of Heart and Life.” When Wesley spoke of holiness there were two dimensions that naturally followed – “heart and life.” By “heart,” Wesley meant our character – intent, attitude; by “life,” he meant what we do that is observable – behaviour, conduct. He insisted that an inner intent that was not outwardly observable was useless, while an attempt at an outward show of holiness, that was not the result of an inner transformation, was nothing more than self-righteousness. It is the basis of Christian ethics – “doing right and being good.” It is what should follow justification – a transformed life. Of course we recognize this as a process. Wesley called it “going on to perfection” and recognized that it can be a lifetime in the making.
As someone who has been recognized by the church as being called to ordained ministry, I bear a particular responsibility to exemplify the highest ideals to which we have all been called. The very first way in which I proclaim the gospel is in the way I live my life. If I do not live the Gospel in my day to day life, then no amount of pastoral ability on my part will convince others that the Gospel is worth hearing. If I cannot be faithful to my wife or truthful in my personal relationships, then it really does not matter how well I preach or what my bedside manner is like, I have shown the Gospel to be a lie in my life. This cannot be the basis for any type of long-term effective ministry.
Because I recognize “holiness of heart and life” to be integral to who we are called to be as Christians, United Methodists, and myself personally as a pastor, I dedicate myself to the “highest ideals of the Christian life, and to this end agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity, integrity in all personal relationships, fidelity in marriage, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God.”