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Taking a step of obedience

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According to Bev Peters, ordination is an act of obedience. That was her primary motivation as she accepted an invitation from Northview Community Church elders to be ordained Apri l 19. Her ordination was an opportunity to publicly declare that God had called her to be a pastor for life. She had to obey.

Peters has served in the Abbotsford, B.C. church for some 20 years – 13 as a volunteer and seven on staff. Her primary area of responsibility is women’s ministry. She leads a team of 12 women and offers a variety of programs in the church, including Mentoring of Mothers Society, Women of Worship, and Oasis.

Peters’ strengths include teaching, networking, and leadership. She enjoys writing and posts a weekly devotional on a website run by the Christian Women’s Network (www.christianwomensnetwork.ca), a group she co-founded several years ago to unify women throughout Abbotsford.

Peters believes ordination carries a certain level of authority and favour for ministry, which she feels is necessary as she serves on the executive of the Abbotsford Christian Leader’s Network . “It’s not like I need to be ordained to do my job,” said Peters. “But other churches feel ordination is very important, so it will help me broaden my ministry.”

“And because it’s a very male world I work in, ordination will help me live in that world,” she said.

The ceremony may also pave a way that’s been quite rocky in the past. Peters encountered some controversy at Northview when she announced her intention to be ordained – not only because she was a woman but because ordination itself was debatable.

“It made us talk about the issue,” said Peters. “It’s been a good journey for our whole church.” 

—Laura Kalmar

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