In my last column I highlighted the "problem' we have in breaking down the great dividing wall between clergy and laity. Don't get me wrong"”I think the abolition of the clergy (or the laity, for that matter) is a great move that reflects the shape of New Testament ministry. But, with this correction comes the need to reform our structures as much as the names we use to describe them. We can't just stop using the words "priest' or "clergy'"”we need to reflect this change in the ways our churches operate.
Whilst the New Testament doesn't differentiate between priest and laity (see my previous article for more on this), it is appropriate for there to be leaders appointed within the congregations. In 1 Timothy 3, we read of the characteristics of the "overseer" (vs. 1ff.) and the "deacon" (vs. 8ff.) Likewise, we read of the responsibility of "teachers" (James 3:1) and "elders" (1 Peter 5:1ff.) And finally, we are told to remember and imitate our "leaders" (Hebrews 13:7.)
However, whilst some people will have special responsibilities over various flocks in God's church, it doesn't mean that these leaders are any more special than anyone else in the congregation. Nor does it mean that the ministry of word and prayer conducted by other Christians is any less important than the leaders in the church.
With this in mind, I have come up with a few ideas about how we might help our churches reflect the New Testament shape of ministry. In the process, I think these ideas not only remove any perception of difference between clergy and laity, but also have some added benefits to the life of the congregation.
Firstly, rather than just giving special email addresses to the staff or pastors, why not give everybody in the church an email address with the same church domain name? Most domain hosting solutions provide email aliases, so that when a person sends a mail to john.johnson@stsaintsanglican.org.au it redirects to their "real' email address. This creates the impression that everyone "works' for the church (not just the paid staff). But, as an added bonus, it makes it really easy to contact others in the church.
Secondly, instead of putting "staff' contact details in the weekly church bulletin or website, list "church contacts.' The only real need for a list of names and contact details is so that newcomers can make contact with a person for the first time. So, instead of just listing paid people, your list would include "Children's ministry contact,' "Men's ministry contact,' and so forth, with no mention of whether the individual is paid or unpaid, or lay or ordained. Even better, you could make the list more user-friendly by simply saying "To find out about the children's program contact Sue Susan at 9876 5432", etc.
Thirdly, whilst it is a great practice to pray for the church staff, why not extend this to all the "leaders' of the church, not just those on the payroll? This will have the advantage of praying for and supporting our volunteers who give lots of time and energy in valuable leadership roles in the church.
These are only three suggestions, and I'm sure there are other areas we can keep reforming the reformed church, especially with respect to ministry roles and church practice. And as we do so, we will show how much we value the word and prayer ministry of everyone in our congregations.
To share your ideas and thoughts, why not visit the discussion forum for this topic?
The Reverend Jodie McNeill is a lay minister who serves at Youthworks College as Director of the Year 13 program. Visit his website at [url=http://www.jodiemcneill.com]http://www.jodiemcneill.com[/url]
