David Bosch & Churches of Christ #5: Laity Driven
Hope you had a Merry Christmas. I'm looking forward to 2010. Should be an interesting year for many reasons.
Here is a summary of Bosch's 5th key component of a Western missiology:
5. Laity-driven. Bosch believes that the restoration of a priesthood of all believers is absolutely essential if we hope to re-evangelize the West. He makes two points in this regard. First, witness will be more credible when it comes from those who do not belong to the "guild of pastors." Second, a mobilization of the membership is the only way to destroy the false dichotomy present in the lives of too many believers -- namely, the divide between public and private, between religious and secular. Too many Christians think that only pastors have to be held to a higher standard.
Wow! If you are familiar with our heritage in Churches of Christ, you know that we have always emphasized a priesthood of all believers. While there have always been those who worked as preachers or evangelists, the congregation itself has typically had a major role in shaping policy and theology. The "laity" were typically the decision-makers of our churches. This emphasis has been so strong that we even did away with the language of clergy and laity.
This pattern worked well during the first hundred years of our movement. Churches were typically rural and small. Churches acted as extended families, and leaders needed few specialized skills. With a focus on simplicity, churches functioned well and were by and large driven by the membership, not by paid preachers.
When my grandfather was hired by a thriving Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio, there was controversy in the church about hiring a located preacher. They had never before had a full-time preacher. Two of the elders were apparently opposed to his hire because they felt the church would lose its independence. They feared a fixation on the paid minister and worried that members would stop taking their responsibilities seriously.
The needs of maintaining and leading urban churches, however, are much greater than the needs of small, rural churches. Most churches today of 75 or more members have full-time preachers. And many of our large, progressive churches have inched away from a laity-driven approach to church life. Some wealthier churches have large, professional staffs that lead the activities and ministries of the church. In our fast-paced, results-driven society, this seems like the logical thing to do.
So it's interesting that Bosch would suggest a return to a practice we have some experience with. Why would this be important? I think the key here is not to do away with paid ministers -- or so says a paid minister. Instead, I think we need to reengage our churches in the task of thinking and living our faith. Paid ministers must become equippers, empowerers & facilitators rather than those who do everything on behalf of the church.
The only way to reach a skeptical world is through public discourse led by believing people who actually own their faith. As long as believers merely "go to church," they have little ability to interact with the world around them in meaningful ways. If we prop up the view of church as a quality product churned out by paid professionals, then church will continue to function as an escape from the world -- one that seems no more powerful than Hollywood or video gaming.
But we have so much more to offer! If we renew and reinvigorate the vision of church as an assembled people -- people who ARE the church -- then the church will always be in the world. In order for church to become this once again, leaders will have to intentionally make space for others. We will have relinquish power and allow others to have a voice. We must rekindle a desire for discussion and foster healthy public discourse.
This is challenging on many levels, but I agree with Bosch that it is a necessary part of the way forward. Thankfully, we have a heritage of this to fall back on even though we have to learn its application in a different time and context.
Here is a summary of Bosch's 5th key component of a Western missiology:
5. Laity-driven. Bosch believes that the restoration of a priesthood of all believers is absolutely essential if we hope to re-evangelize the West. He makes two points in this regard. First, witness will be more credible when it comes from those who do not belong to the "guild of pastors." Second, a mobilization of the membership is the only way to destroy the false dichotomy present in the lives of too many believers -- namely, the divide between public and private, between religious and secular. Too many Christians think that only pastors have to be held to a higher standard.
Wow! If you are familiar with our heritage in Churches of Christ, you know that we have always emphasized a priesthood of all believers. While there have always been those who worked as preachers or evangelists, the congregation itself has typically had a major role in shaping policy and theology. The "laity" were typically the decision-makers of our churches. This emphasis has been so strong that we even did away with the language of clergy and laity.
This pattern worked well during the first hundred years of our movement. Churches were typically rural and small. Churches acted as extended families, and leaders needed few specialized skills. With a focus on simplicity, churches functioned well and were by and large driven by the membership, not by paid preachers.
When my grandfather was hired by a thriving Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio, there was controversy in the church about hiring a located preacher. They had never before had a full-time preacher. Two of the elders were apparently opposed to his hire because they felt the church would lose its independence. They feared a fixation on the paid minister and worried that members would stop taking their responsibilities seriously.
The needs of maintaining and leading urban churches, however, are much greater than the needs of small, rural churches. Most churches today of 75 or more members have full-time preachers. And many of our large, progressive churches have inched away from a laity-driven approach to church life. Some wealthier churches have large, professional staffs that lead the activities and ministries of the church. In our fast-paced, results-driven society, this seems like the logical thing to do.
So it's interesting that Bosch would suggest a return to a practice we have some experience with. Why would this be important? I think the key here is not to do away with paid ministers -- or so says a paid minister. Instead, I think we need to reengage our churches in the task of thinking and living our faith. Paid ministers must become equippers, empowerers & facilitators rather than those who do everything on behalf of the church.
The only way to reach a skeptical world is through public discourse led by believing people who actually own their faith. As long as believers merely "go to church," they have little ability to interact with the world around them in meaningful ways. If we prop up the view of church as a quality product churned out by paid professionals, then church will continue to function as an escape from the world -- one that seems no more powerful than Hollywood or video gaming.
But we have so much more to offer! If we renew and reinvigorate the vision of church as an assembled people -- people who ARE the church -- then the church will always be in the world. In order for church to become this once again, leaders will have to intentionally make space for others. We will have relinquish power and allow others to have a voice. We must rekindle a desire for discussion and foster healthy public discourse.
This is challenging on many levels, but I agree with Bosch that it is a necessary part of the way forward. Thankfully, we have a heritage of this to fall back on even though we have to learn its application in a different time and context.
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