The Equipping Ministry, Student Workbook, SW15

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T H E E Q U I P P I N G M I N I S T R Y

Clergy and Laity : Clarifying or Confusing Categories?

It is common in our churches today to distinguish between the clergy, ordained, usually seminary trained professional ministers and the “laity,” the rank-and-file, non-professional lay members of the church. This is a well-known and oft-used category difference which many traditions acknowledge and follow. While it need not lead to a radical break between and among Christians in community, often the designation confuses members of the Church in regard to their roles and status in the ministry. For instance, the teaching ministry is one of the most significant ministries in the entire Church, and yet it often is not clearly associated with either group. In regard to the “Christian education” work of many churches, the teaching ministry may be led by ordained clergy, or it may not. Those engaged in the teaching ministry themselves may be members of the pastoral staff, or not. Because of the strong assumptions associated with each group, it is oftentimes unclear just what the status and role of the teachers are in connection to the ministers or ministry of any given church. What do you believe is the appropriate designation for the teaching ministry, is it better to be associated with the clergy or laity, or does it have a separate role altogether? It is becoming clear that the fastest growing, healthiest, and most missions-minded churches in the city are “churches of a kind,” church communities bound together by their allegiance to a common worship, doctrine, and mission. More and more, churches of tradition are looking for loyalty in their teachers, that is, teachers who teach the Word with their own distinctive history and belief in mind, and who in fact faithfully represent that tradition to their students. While in a lot of evangelical settings many teachers function in a kind of “Have Bible, Will Travel” format, willing to teach the Bible separate from any allegiance to any kind of tradition or Church history, it is becoming more clear that the churches that grow possess a deep identity and sense of belonging to a particular biblical and communal vision . What is your opinion about the nature of teaching and the need to be allied to a particular tradition? Can a teacher be effective if they are unwilling to submit to a particular tradition which they represent and defend? I Believe: Teaching within a Distinct Biblical and Theological Tradition

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