In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of, ordination is sometimes called an ordinand. The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordinal.

Ordination is one of the seven Sacraments, variously called Holy Orders or Cheirotonia ("Laying on of Hands").

Apostolic Succession is an essential and necessary concept for ordination, consisting in the belief that all ordained clergy are ordained by bishops who were ordained by other bishops, and so on, tracing back to bishops ordained by the Apostles who were ordained by Christ, the great High Priest (Hebrews 7:26, Hebrews 8:2), who conferred His priesthood upon His Apostles (John 20:21-23, Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-18, and Acts 2:33).

There are three "degrees" of ordination (or Holy Orders): deacon, presbyter, and bishop. Note that both bishops and presbyters are priests and that in common speech the latter term is used, presbyter being used only in rites of ordination and other places where a technical and precise term is required.

Dwight K. Nelson is a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist and author.

He has been the senior pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University since 1983. Before coming to Andrews he served as a pastor in Oregon for ten years. He was the preacher for the Adventist satellite evangelistic series The NeXt Millennium Seminar in 1998. In 2004 he, along with former BBC News presenter Gillian Joseph presented a discussion-style series called Evidence: Through My Experience held at Newbold College, Berkshire. Later that same year he hosted another discussion series at Newbold College called Mind The Gap. He currently hosts the television program The Evidence Nelson serves as adjunct professor of homiletics at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, of missionary parents, Nelson converses in Japanese. He attended Far Eastern Academy in Singapore and graduated from Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1973. He attended Andrews University where he received a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree in 1976 and a doctor of ministry degree in 1986 from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. His books include Outrageous Grace, Countdown to the Showdown and Built to Last. In 1994, the Pioneer Memorial Church hosted ABC Television's National Christmas Eve service. He is the speaker for a weekly radio and television program, New Perceptions. He is married to Karen Oswald Nelson, a registered nurse. They have a son Kirk, and a daughter Kristin. In 2010, Kirk graduated from Andrews with a BA in Communication.

Georg Gänswein (born 30 July 1956 in Riedern am Wald, Waldshut, Baden-Württemberg) is a German Priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and the personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI. He was named a Monsignor in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.

Known to Italians as "Padre Georg" or, due to his handsome looks, "Bel Giorgio" ("Beautiful George"), Gänswein was born in a small town in Germany and ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1984. Upon his ordination, Gänswein dedicated himself to rigorous academic activities. He received his J.C.D. degree from Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich in 1993, and arrived in Rome in 1995 as an official of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

In 1996, Gänswein was invited by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to join the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. After being appointed to Cardinal Ratzinger's staff, Gänswein became professor of canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

In 2000, Gänswein was elevated by Pope John Paul II to Chaplain of His Holiness. He replaced Josef Clemens as Ratzinger's personal secretary in 2003, upon Clemens's appointment as secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Ratzinger was elected to the papacy in 2005 and Gänswein was appointed to the office of Principal Private Secretary to His Holiness. A year later Pope Benedict XVI honoured his secretary with the distinction Prelate of His Holiness.