8/2/12 BLOG: “A CHURCH WITHOUT CLERGY?” … NOW THERE’S A THOUGHT”
Imagine a church without “clergy,” or church professionals, or those personable institution-keepers who preach sermons (and who tend to be formed by, and captive to, the clergy-seminary sub-culture).
What if, rather, there were some really cool, authentic, mature follower of Jesus, who rather naturally spotted inquirers, or new believers, or confused and struggling believers, … and moved up alongside them, made himself/herself available to them in an unhurried fashion, tuned-in to their doubts, questions, misgivings, blank spots, … then spent time walking them through the life and teachings of Jesus, his promises and demands, the meaning of his death and resurrection, so that they would know how to respond to God’s grace and love? What if she/she stuck with them until that same person had sufficient confidence needed to share that same with others in community of believers? That would illustrate the gift of the teaching-pastor, or teaching-shepherd.
And what if that person, or another, who had real skills and grace in engaging in good conversations with those god-seekers still outside of the faith, in which the gospel was sensitively shared, … and sensed that you were very insecure in such settings, and so invited you accompany him/her as he met some of these folk for coffee or beer? What if you could watch him listening to them, fielding their questions and hostilities, laughing with them, sowing gospel seed, … until you could say: “Whoa! I could do that. I think I will.” That would illustrate the gift of evangelist.
And what if that person, or another, with a keen ability to diagnose or analyze the whole cultural setting in all of its dimensions, and in which you and I live our daily lives in home, workplace, neighborhood, etc. … what with all of its preoccupations, trivia, cynicism, and even disaffection with the Christian faith, … and so could help you and the others interpret all of this in terms of the gospel of the kingdom of God? This would illustrate the gift of prophecy.
Or maybe some such person who could, maybe, get you into a supportive group of other believers meeting in someone’s home, and could, in time, propose that your own home or apartment would be the good locus for a spin-off group in which you yourself would be the facilitator. That would illustrate the gift of the missionary-apostolic-church planter.
All four of these gifts are said in (Ephesians 4) to be necessary to equip every believer to maturity in Christ.
Actually, this appears to be the pattern given in the New Testament. After all, there were no clergy ever mentioned in those records! And the invention of clergy seems to have displaced Christ’s provision of gifts for his church, alas!
(Boy! Am I ever in trouble with the clergy-union.)
* We think the technical difficulties with our Response capacity are ironed out. Try me.
