The typical concept of "ordination" is not in the Bible. Most people think of something like this: a person goes through a ceremony and switches from a "layman" to a "clergyman" and now has extra spiritual capability until he dies or it is taken away, including the ability to "ordain" others. Bible translations have no agreement on where the word "ordain" should be found in the New Testament—because there is no Greek word that has the meaning described above. Several Bibles have only one or zero occurrences of the word "ordain" in the New Testament. The word “sermon” is not found in most Bibles and the Bible records no half-hour long discourses—but many questions and answers between Jesus, His apostles and the people. Finally, there is no mention of building a church building, but frequent mentions of meetings in homes. Notice these verses:

"Jesus called them together and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25–28)

A desire to serve God, honesty, truthfulness, love for the brethren and willingness to work hard are much more important qualities needed to start a congregation. Bible knowledge and the ability to teach are important, but secondarily so. A charismatic personality, without the above qualities, can be a detriment—the congregation might grow because of a leader’s charisma, but lack spiritual substance.

The individuals involved should pray and ask if it is the Father’s will. He will likely answer in a quiet but discernible way. They should ask for Christ’s leadership, and ask Him to supply the necessary physical and spiritual gifts. People do not have to be spotless, spiritual giants to begin a local congregation. (The Bible records sins of the prophets and apostles—yet God used them.) On the other hand, each person serving must meet certain qualifications (1Timothy 3, Titus 1). He must be humble enough to recognize and repent when he makes mistakes so that the whole congregation can continue to grow (1Timothy 5:20). A person who desires to oversee a congregation desires a good thing (1Timothy 3:1–7). But he must not think that he is going to be “someone important” and rule his brethren (Matthew 20:25–28). Starting a congregation is a commitment to serving, not a "higher spiritual status".

It is easier to start a congregation when several like-minded individuals and/or families help do it. When Christ sent out disciples and apostles, he sent them out in pairs (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1; Acts 13:2; 15:39-40). On the other hand, it appears that some congregations in the Bible were established by one person—both approaches have certainly worked throughout history.