THE PRIESTHOOD
according to the
ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

Unlike the churches of the Roman Catholic tradition, The Independent Church of Australia lays no claim to apostolic succession. While we do not question that this succession can convey spiritual grace and authority for the ministry, we are also aware of the serious misuse which has attended the concept, where the priesthood is seen as an office independent of the worthiness of the priest. Whether a priest is in a "state of grace" or not, if he gives a blessing, performs a liturgy or serves a sacrament, by virtue of the power of his office that action is considered valid. In The Centre, the inner nature of the priest and his or her relationship to God are important in the efficacy of the ministry.

The Centre, The Independent Church of Australia, therefore recognises a priesthood of another order, a charismatic ministry in which inner consecration rather than external appointment constitutes the true priesthood. The rite of ordination is both an outward confirmation of that which has already been fulfilled within the individual and a recognition by the people of God of the working of the spirit within the ordinand.

The Order of Melchizedek
This priesthood is spoken of as "the Priesthood according to the Order of Melchizedek" and is not conferred by any earthly authority. The rite of ordination is a recognition and outward confirmation of the inner ordination by the spirit.

The Centre holds the belief that certain men and women have been called to this priesthood before the beginning of the world and are, by nature, true priests "according to the Order of Melchizedek", as scripture proclaims.

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek."
Psalm 110:4

The references in holy scripture to Melchizedek are few and enigmatic: he appears and disappears suddenly and without explanation, with nothing revealed of his ancestry or descent, in a manner which suggests he represents a superior order of the priesthood which reaches its fulfilment in Christ.

He is first mentioned in the book of Genesis:

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him (Abram) and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"
Genesis 14:18-20

In this passage Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, greets Abraham on his return from a victorious battle, presents him with bread and wine and blesses him. The giving of bread and wine as a sacrament later became the hallmark of the Christ and a symbol of the outpouring of his life into the world. In presenting the bread and wine to Abraham so long ago, Melchizedek infused Abraham with the Christ principle, pointing forward to things to come.

Essentially, Melchizedek was a very high initiate, known as the Sun Initiate, who mediated between Christ and humanity and propelled the earth's evolution forward until it was prepared for the incarnation of Christ. When Christ took on the form of a man and experienced the trials of a man he attained the status of high priest according to the Order of Melchizedek. Thus we read in Hebrews 5:7-10:

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

The Christ therefore set the example of a life of sacrifice and surrender that the priest of the Order of Melchizedek must follow. At all times the priest's life is one of sacrifice and of reconciliation of people to God. Like Melchizedek himself, the priest of the Order is the intermediary between Christ and humanity.

Because of the constant acknowledgment of the pre-eminence of Christ and an intimate relationship with him, the priest is imbued with Christ's love and power; the priest is, therefore, the representative of the Christ and the channel through which the high priesthood of the Christ is poured into the world.

The Melchizedek Priesthood is eternal. Once a person has been ordained their priesthood cannot be revoked but continues from incarnation to incarnation.

In The Centre men and women who have received the call of Christ and who belong to the Order of Melchizedek on the soul level are able to be ordained into this sacred Priesthood after receiving the requisite training and discipline at the hands of the Meritus and his assistants.

To sum up what has been said so far:

The Centre does not claim the apostolic succession as a basis of its priesthood. The priest is a priest by virtue of what they are and what they have attained in this and past lifetimes through the disciplines laid upon them and through the greatest of all teachers, the experience of life itself.

A person is born with a priestly nature and no amount of training can form this nature unless it is innate. The ordination rite is the outward and visible confirmation of this inward and spiritual nature.

Ordination within The Centre is given as a confirmation of their priesthood to those who have shown the qualities and nature of a priest in their daily lives. Once bestowed, ordination cannot be taken away. The rite is a confirmation of that which is and always will be because of the nature of the ordinand.

The ordination ceremony gives the ordinand power and strength to fulfil the functions of a priest and reveals the qualities already inherent within him or her. It opens the spiritual centres sufficiently to enable the person to perform their priestly functions powerfully and effectively, giving a deeper insight into and experience of the mysteries and wisdom of God.

Through the ordination ceremony the candidate wilfully becomes part of the Priesthood of the Order of Melchizedek. That person is now a priest forever! From this life on, from incarnation to incarnation, they must fulfil their priestly nature, although not necessarily publicly or in the robe of the priest. Through ordination in The Centre, they join that company whose sole urge is to bring about the redemption of humanity. Their fulfilment inevitably lies in the service of humanity and the sacrifice of self to bring about the transformation of humanity as a whole. As Christ is the high priest of the Order of Melchizedek, the priest becomes an assistant in his redemptive work.

You may like to read an excerpt from "The Book of Hebrews" by Rev Mario Schoenmaker about the Order of Melchizedek.