Shepherd the Flock of God: The Ordination of Ross Shannon

On Sunday, May 22, 2011, it was our pleasure and privilege to ordain Ross Shannon to gospel ministry. Ross has been serving as the Assistant Pastor for Discipleship and Evangelism at Kenwood, and he just graduated from SBTS and was called to serve at First Baptist Church, Lapeer, MI. I had the honor of preaching Ross’s ordination. Ray Van Neste’s recent post on a good shepherd laying down his life for the sheep provided my introduction, and Floyd Doud Shafer’s phenomenal 1961 Christianity Today article inspired the conclusion.

We had a number of members of Kenwood graduate from SBTS, and as I was sitting there watching them cross the stage on Friday, reflecting on Ross and some other dear friends moving on to new ministries, I started this poem for Ross’s ordination.

Commission You Do We This Day

There is, my friend, no higher call
Than this we send you on with all
Our hearts, our souls, our minds we join
Both to rejoice and also mourn

The moving on of these so dear,
You’ve loved and served us so well here
That this sweet sadness deepens now
As though the grief is right somehow

We’d love to see your children born
Watch them grow and sing and learn;
And old together we might grow,
But there’s a deeper joy we’ll know

As you answer the call and go,
Our joy and grief together show
That there’s a love worth more than life,
A truth that merits sacrifice,

So join we now the ranks of those
Whose love in leaving deeper grows
Commission you do we this day
Giving God the thanks and praise.

Saturday, May 21, 2011
Begun during graduation on Friday, May 20, 2011
For the Ordination of Ross Shannon

Here’s the link to the sermon: Acts 20:17–38, “Shepherd the Flock of God: The Ordination of Ross Shannon“