Yes, I took a long time in coming back to finish Part 2 of this thought process - my apologies. You can read Part 1 here and catch back up on where I was going with this, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And with saying that, I'm nervous I won't be able to fully articulate what I'm feeling, but will do my best and look to hear your input.
I believe a key in killing the terminology of clergy and ridding ourselves of the separation between clergy and laity is no longer using the word 'pastor.' Wait...what? Let me explain...
1st - We are all pastors and we all have pastoral roles to play in our families, work places and circle of friends. We are all called into the priesthood of God's Kingdom (mission) through our marriage with Christ and the Body. Thus we all have responsibility in loving, leading and caring for those we are gifted with the opportunity to have relationship with.
2nd - Because we don't realize the 1st, we have done a poor job of fulfilling our role. I believe we are all theologians too, though most would never call themselves a theologian, we are nonetheless so. Because we are human we occupy a unique space in creation, being fully physical and fully spiritual. You can be no more 'less human' than you can be 'less spiritual', which is exactly why throughout history humanity has struggled to grasp truth and either define or deny the existence of Deity. We are all theologians and we are all pastors and we need to start doing a better job of them.
3rd - This has all lead to an unhealthy and unbiblical set of expectations for those burdened with the title of 'pastor'. I have written about this aspect on my other blog (here), but when pastors become superstars and anything more than just human (another person trying to figure out this journey of life), pain and hypocrisy are inevitable. When Catholic Priests molest young boys, it is not a sign that they weren't 'holy men,' it's just a sign of the same broken human condition we all share. And it is the same when a pastor has a moral failure - they were never more than human, though we allowed them to be, and in a lot of cases, we thrusted them onto the pedestal ourselves. We shouldn't be 'more devastated' by their failure, we should be just as devastated by our own, remembering that sin is sin and we all fall short.
4th - So we must move from the title of pastor, to an understanding of leadership and influence. We need to have a more holistic understanding of what being a pastor means. We are all called to be disciple-makers and some are called to be apostles, some prophets, some teachers, some administrative, but we are all called. And changing our terminology will free the leaders of our local church communities to fit the role God designed for them and their passions. They will not have to conform to all the vague, unbiblical and unbalanced expectations that are encompassed in the title of 'pastor.' Instead, they will be free to lead us as they follow God and His calling for them - no longer having to pretend to be the marrying-burying-teaching-preaching-hospital-visiting-counseling-pastor the Church has come to expect of them.
So many more thoughts come to mind, but I'll stop here and ask you for your thoughts...
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4 comments:
Good thoughts, but sadly, I don't see the terminology ever changing. We can barely get our churches out of the "same old" ruts, that we have had. Sure churches are changing, mine is too, but We have senior pastor, executive pastor, youth pastor ect,, ect;; ect... Just the way it is I guess. Feel free to check out my church and let me know what you think. http://churchoftheopendoor.org
I love it, it has been a great place where I have learned surrender and let God continue to form me. Have a Christlike Christmas. Robin
opps ...
http://www.churchoftheopendoor.org
Hmm. This is a hefty blog. Lots of discussion could be born from this. So get to it bloggers!
I have some initial comments (there may be more to come as I mull over it and gather my thoughts):
I do agree that we are all called into the priesthood of God's Kingdom as a part of the Body of believers. We do have a responsibility to share the Gospel through teaching, loving, and living.
I also know that certain terminology over the years has hindered responsibility in the Body. I have seen many people in the church rely on the pastor for everything. The pastor does not hold a church together. The people, the Body, WE are the church. Church is not a room of spectators. We are participators in God's mission.
So yes, we all have pastoral roles. However, those roles are unique for every individual. There are going to be people that are extremely gifted teachers. There are going to be people that cannot stand in front of crowds, but quietly bear witness to the Gospel through art. There are going to be people who minister through music, and others who minister by writing books.
If we rid of the term "pastor", those who have the gift of preaching will most likely be referred to as "teachers". Is not this not just another terminology?
I do believe that while we are all responsible to share the Gospel, God does ordain certain people to preach/pastor/lead (however you want to phrase it). It is a gift. Not a more important gift, but a specific gift.
Romans 12:4-8
"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
I guess my point here is that I am not sure terminology needs to be our biggest concern. Rather, we must challenge the Body to step up and claim our identity as a part of the whole. We all bring something different to the table...but we have to be willing to bring it. We have to be willing to PARTICIPATE.
Yes, I have seen an "unhealthy and unbiblical set of expectations for those burdened with the title of pastor." However, the important thing for us to understand is that no one should feel burdened. We have a responsibility to help one another- serving one another in faith and love. We must be sensitive to the Body- taking care of each others needs and providing support.
I am verbally processing. Still trying to gather my thoughts. hope it makes at least some sense. I think i will stop here for now.
blessings.
A couple thoughts to add:
As I mentioned, our focus should be on empowering the Body once more.
In a way, we are recovering from a not-so-distant past of a institutionalized religion (basically, the Christendom era). A time when only certain people were allowed certain responsibilities within the church. Not everyone was treated as an equal participator. A certain hierarchy existed. Authority was given, and authority was taken. Division was created in the Body between the clergy and the laity.
I think part of the reason people do not step up in leadership today is because leadership opportunities were not given to everyone in "yesterdays church".
We are moving forward, but it is clear that we are still affected by some practices of the past.
Holy Spirit, enable us. Wake us up.
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