Army of Priests

The following seven suppositions briefly outline what I believe about Church. There is a lot of (potentially controversial) material in the following points:

1. The Church (which is Christians) exists to present itself as a complete, pure, and humble bride before God.

I propose that the Church (which is merely the plural form of “Christian”) is better understood as an organism (similar to a colony of ants) then an organisation. I believe that this organism is destined to become a perfect community as its members become perfect. I believe that the gospel is one not only of salvation but also of transformation and that this transformation from sinner to saint of individual Christians is central to the purpose of Church as a whole. In essence I believe Church exists to help Christians be transformed, and not merely saved. I believe that the end result of this transformation is a perfect new creation similar to what existed before the fall.

2. Radical Christians are self reproducing.

“Radical Christian” is the term I use to describe a Christian who puts God’s purposes before their own. (That is, they live to serve God and are not just a Christian for the sake of their salvation. In essence, a Radical Christian makes sacrifice a part of their walk with God and is a Christian who is being transformed.) I propose that Radical Christians are self reproducing without the aid of programs in that: 1) A Radical Christian will seek to spread the gospel with or without help from an organisation and 2) A Radical Christian will seek to grow and support other Christians. Not only are Radical Christians at the core of my vision for Church change, they are also the goal of it.

3. Radical Christians seek strong relationships. Strong relationships produce radical Christians.

I believe that Radical Christians will naturally seek out strong relationships. Not all personalities are conductive to truly intimate relationships, but I do believe that Radical Christians will place authenticity with others above acceptance by others. In fact, I propose that this type of relationship is essential for the growth of Radical Christians. These types of relationships encompass the idea of a “shared Christian walk” (growing in faith together).

4. It is my personal responsibility as a priest to build up the people around me.

I propose that people with direct access to God (aka Christians) have a responsibility to be a priest to the people around them. I do not believe that the work of building up Christians in the faith is the work of the clergy. I do believe that every Christian has a personal responsibility to care for, carry the burdens of, and nurture each other. I believe that this can take a variety of different forms that aren’t all (or cannot be) covered by traditional Church programs.

5. Everything I do affects the people that know me.

I propose that my every action has an influence on the people that know me. I believe that as an example of the transforming power of the gospel (which every Christian should be) that my life becomes the good news and not just the bearer of it. I believe I am responsible for what I do or do not do. I suggest that my personal walk with God (personal prayer, reading the bible, etc) will affect the people I know as it builds me in the faith.

6. God will use the ordinary to do the extraordinary through his unique gifts.

I propose that God has given the potential to “make a difference” to every Christian. I suggest that there is no such thing as a “super Christian” (i.e. I suggest that a pastor, for instance, has no more potential then a layman). I also suggest that most traditional Churches prevent Christians from reaching their potential by 1) allowing people to be lost in the congregation, 2) making a distinction between Clergy and Laity, and 3) not building relationships that nurture their members.

7. Love is the only eternal structure.

I propose that love becomes a form of Church structure as it influences the interactions of Christians. I propose that Church buildings, organisations, programs, sermons, and music are temporary, but that this “structure” of love is fundamental to the Church as an organism and will remain forever. Therefore, I believe that love between Christians (and to non-Christians) is far more important then buildings, organisations, programs, sermons, and music. I believe that our focus on programs can interfere with our love for each other. I also believe that love shown by God and Christians is the driving force of the transforming power of the gospel and hence a core part of the purpose of Church.

Continuing our list of problems with the Clergy Driven Church:

Doesn’t exercise spiritual muscle

Another problem with this is that the congregation never has a chance to exercise and learn to use their gifts! Imagine this, a new Christian in the church has a bad image, he drinks and smokes and generally has problems living the faith. However, God has given this new Christian and incredible gift of healing. Now this church has alter-calls, week in and week out, but that Christian is never asked to pray for anyone. No one ever believes God would use him like that, he’s just not suitable. As a result that Christian never learns he has this gift. He never gets the chance to exercise it, or grow in it.

This scenario is repeated constantly. The more a Christian is gagged, the less he learns about speaking out. Only the clergy is required to exercise their muscle regularly, and as such only they will grow in their gifts. This is disaster!A core goal of the church should be to grow its members potential in Christ. Church should be a gym for spiritual muscle.

What’s more, a Christian cannot be corrected unless people know he needs correction. Unless they are given the chance to explain their views, other Christians may never know there is a problem.

There are two big lakes in Israel. The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee has a number of rivers flowing into it and the Jordan river flowing out of it to the south. The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful, healthy lake with much life in it. The Dead Sea on the other hand, only has rivers flowing into it. Nothing flows out of it. Consequently the mineral content has built up and nothing can live in its waters. They don’t call it the Dead Sea for no reason.
Many Christians sit in churches all their lives hearing the Word taught. They learn Bible doctrine. They experience life and learn from their experiences, but they never pass on their knowledge and experience to others. They benefit from their knowledge and experience, but never allow others to benefit.
When we sit in the pew for our whole lives and don’t pass on our knowledge and experience to others, we become like the Dead Sea.(Discipleship Overview)

Single point of failure

Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches. Fifty percent of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce. Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors. Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living. Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years. Seventy percent of pastors feel grossly underpaid. Seventy percent felt God called them to pastoral ministry before their ministry began, but after three years of ministry, only fifty percent still felt called. Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression. Almost forty percent polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry. Seventy percent of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor. Every year, nearly six thousand Southern Baptist ministers fall by the wayside, victims of burnout, depression, marital problems and even suicide. Another twelve hundred are fired. Eighty percent think their jobs have a negative effect on their families. (1, 2, 3)

Clergy driven churches exert an unreasonable toll on their leaders. This in turn has a negative effect on the entire church. Churches have crisis when leadership problems are present, and the clergy driven church structure is not helping. If all Christians are equal, then none of them should be put under this pressure, nor should any of them cause major damage to the church if they burn out.

Doesn’t build community

Listening to a sermon does not build my relationship with the person sitting next to me. There is a sad lack of true relationships in our churches. I have become aware of churches where everyone was lonely, where everyone wanted to reach out, but where no one did. And no matter how many programs or add-ins we attempt, no matter how much we urge people to invite people to each other’s homes, we cannot seem to get past this. This is a well known problem.

When you consider the place of fellowship in the typical meeting (a ten minute time slot or after the service is finished), you begin to gain an idea of the importance clergy driven churches place on relationships. The clergy driven church simply doesn’t need its members to have strong relationships in order to function. That doesn’t mean that there has been a lack of effort, that pastors and leaders don’t want these relationships to form, it merely means that their hands are tied by the system in which they operate.

The oft repeated idea that the church is our Christian family meant nothing to me until I realised that it did not exist. How can there be a family if we only ever see someone in events that other people have organised? If the only contact we have with people is the pitiful fellowship time on a Sunday morning? Ask yourself; is there a fellow Christian, besides your closest kin, to whom you could be completely honest and open? If there is not, then you have a problem. Unfortunately in many churches we don’t even seem to recognise that Christians do sin, little less is there a safe environment in which to get help.