Ordinance (Christianity)
Religious rituals in Christianity / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
An ordinance is a term used by certain Christian denominations for a religious ritual that was instituted by Jesus for Christians to observe.[1]
Examples of ordinances include baptism and the Lord's Supper, both of which are practiced in denominations including the Anabaptist, Baptist, Churches of Christ, and Pentecostal denominations.[2][3] Some churches, including those of the Anabaptists, include headcovering and footwashing as ordinances.[4][5][6]
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]