Peace,
Jamie

Jesus had no problem with power and indeed empowered his followers, the apostles especially in a particular and unique way and such recognition of authority seemed to be important in the early life of the church. Ultimately such authority and power derived from the Holy Spirit and his recognized workings through persons within the community. We have to wrestle with our preconditioned notion that educational and institutional credentials somehow are a proxy for and endowment of the Holy Spirit’s power while simultaneously contending with our own suspicion of power and authority generally.

I think you hit the nail on the head- that we must learn to separate leadership with hierarchical authority. I also agree that the “office” of pastor has not been helpful. The role/vocation of pastor needs to be rescued from that mess. Thanks for weighing in.

Peace,
Jamie

Of course the Holy Spirit raises up some who will lead; of course he gives some an authority in what they teach. But the way that works out depends very much on the people and the context: some of the greatest leaders of God’s people have been decidedly meek and unassuming.

The *office* of pastor (and even moreso, priest) does seem troublesome. And the honorific “Pastor John” seems to fly in the face of what Jesus said about all being brothers. The whole overblown “generation X” includes an observation that many people do not do the same thing/job throughout their lives: should we assume that there will be life-long ministry positions in the church, or take the same “for now” perspective?

I think some can be elitist and disingenuous. However, I sincerely believe that most are responding out of a genuine desire to correct the abuses of the past. I just think they have gone too far at times. I share you confidence in the need & relevance for the pastoral vocation. Perhaps our most compelling argument is embodying the kind of pastoral alternative to what so commonly fits their critique. Thanks!

Peace,
Jamie

Thanks for some great input and recommended resources. I can see where my description can point in the general direction of some Liberation Theology & Practical Theology. It does so, again in general, to affirm the best of those traditions. However, I tried to be intentionally generally so as not to point to either specifically. Ultimately, all I am try to affirm is that both the pastoral vocation and appointed leadership are important aspects of ecclesiology within the context of an understanding of the Body as equally valued & essential parts making up a unified whole.

Also, when I refer to a communal hermeneutic, I am strongly (though not exclusively) pointing towards the Anabaptist tradition. However, many other traditions feed this approach to spiritual/ecclesial formation, such as many monastic traditions. I share your concern about the potential for exclusion this approach presents, though I think that dynamic tension (inclusion/exclusion) is inevitable and essential to the work of the Church in becoming like Christ and actively living His mission as His Body.

Thanks again!

Peace,
Jamie

Your description reminds me of the approach that early Liberation Theology took, and which put it on the outs with the Roman Catholic Church. It also reaches into elements of Practical Theology which I get nervous about when discussing a communal hermeneutic since it can become exclusionary.

The other book (a pamphlet, really) you may try to find, now out of print, is The Authority of the Laity, by a woman named Verna Dozier, who died just a year or two ago. In it she “updates” (it was written 20+ years ago) the work of Heinrich Kramer, who had written “The Theology of the Laity” back in the 1950’s. She also discusses “clericalism,” which is unfortunately all too alive in this day and age, and which I agree is not a good thing.

All of these present helpful historical as well as real approaches to the question that you seem to be wrestling with in “real time.” Most folks only encounter it in the abstract, since they don’t really want to “bury the dead.” (Lot’s of folks would like to say Eucharist, however, because it seems to provide an authority they wouldn’t otherwise have! If nothing else, the Pastoral Office proves the statement “with the rights come the responsibilities”!) I find it amazing that when many folks discuss the “priesthood of all believers” they forget that the clergy are part of “all believers”! It becomes an “us” or “them” kind of proposition. Just so you know, I come from an ecumenical Episcopal context (as Episcopalian, Franciscan and Unitarian) and do have a rather broad view of the matter!

Hope this helps a little!
Many Blessings & Much Peace!

Peace,
Jamie