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

Making Changes as a Teacher–Through the Front or Back Door?

(Based on a true story). One of the ministers of a local congregation, a brilliant teacher and loyal servant of the Lord, was becoming more and more influenced by the more liturgical and sacramental views of the Church calendar. Although the Church already followed a modified Church calendar along with the lectionary readings, this leader decided to add to the celebration of the Lenten season the application of ashes on the forehead as a sign of penitence and brokenness. In his weekly teaching segments, he mentioned this practice, and was determined to apply it in the congregation without consulting any of the other ministers or congregation. Although in his mind the application of the ashes to the forehead was merely an application of his always-very-good teaching, it seemed to go farther than any normal application of the Word. How would you have handled this minister’s application of the teaching of Lent with the application of ashes without the acknowledgment and endorsement of the senior pastor and other ministers? In a very controversial series on ministry and the Church, one of the adult Sunday School teachers has raised an issue that is slowly rumbling through the entire adult community of the body. Recently in a lecture to his class, the teacher said the following: “One of the most hidden yet church-harming heresies in the contemporary Church is the teaching that ordained clergy who are hired by the congregation are to be the official care-givers to the needs of the congregation.” In a powerful series of biblical teaching on the body of Christ, this teacher strongly and convincingly showed (at least to the adults in his class!) that the model that his and other churches were using to organize their life was stunting not only the growth of the body, but wounding and exhausting the leadership. As his teaching has been circulating through the church, many are concerned that such teaching may in fact undermine the authority of the pastor, and even cause dissension in the church. If you were pastor and heard about this teaching, what would your next step be? A Contemporary Heresy: Ordained Clergy as the Official Care-Givers in the Church

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The NT defines the teaching ministry through a number of terms, all of which highlight the role of the teacher as an instructor and builder of others. We can infer several models of the teaching ministry from the NT, including the model of the teacher as a scribe of the Kingdom (one who teaches or instructs in the revelation of

Restatement of the Lesson’s Thesis