Lessons from Pagan Christianity part 2 or How Noah is a theological bipolar

It really is strange the way we view clergy. I pretty much understood the priesthood of all believers pretty early on in life. I remember hearing in high school youth group that Martin Luther was revolutionary in the fact that he made statements that brought the people up to the level of a priest. This notion obviously caused quite a stir and a lot of hell for Luther.

Since that time however, the church has made great strides in digressing from this position. Many of the evangelical circles that I have been around have held in high esteem the pastor, missionary, and fulltime pastor's wife. Although I believe that these are all worthy callings or vocations, there is no distinction between clergy and the lay person. I really liked that Viola help bring this to light a little more.

The job of the leader of a church is to push for everyone to realize their priesthood and their respective roles in the body of Christ. I think there is definitely better ways to assist in this and perhaps Viola's perspective on organic house churches is the best way. I am not sure.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not a huge fan of large churches. I think that there is a lot lost. But I wonder if the communal aspect of the gathering is fulfilled, for lack of a better word, by small groups. My concern for a mindset that is as extreme as assuming that there is only one type of church model is that it becomes another form of legalism.

Here is the rub. Although my opinion of the church functioning as authentic church looks very different than say an Episcopalian, Eastern Orthodox, R.C., or Presby; it doesn't mean that I am right and they are wrong. I am too aware of my own dogmatism and failures, to be so arrogant to believe that I am right about everything. In this same light, I don't believe that anyone has it all figured out like we would think. It just isn't my bag.

That being said, I would love to be a part of a community in which lives are lived together. My dream for church would be a lot like Viola's idea of organic house church communities. Every voice would have the same power, every action would be done by everyone, and the church would be actively serving together those who are on the fringes of the Empire. This community would laugh a lot and cry; would work together and play; would serve and be served. I am not sure that I really like being a church that gets together once or twice a week; much to the same degree that I don't like it when I have to spend huge amounts of time away from my wife. But using the analogy of a marriage, there is no right model in which to be married. Some couples spend a lot of time away from each other and others spend 24 hours a day.

So what is the responsibility of a pastor or church leader? Again, I believe it is about teaching others to lead and giving away all power and responsibility. I think that the pastor's job is to push for others to be church.

Sometimes I almost want to laugh when I go back and read what I just wrote. I laugh because I think to myself that three years ago I wrote out my beliefs. I am sure that if I could find this, "Treasure" that it would be laughable. History, things I have learned, and obviously following the Spirit has led me to become a different person. I know that the same will also be true of this blog. A year from now I will look back and think, "Man! I was so far off." But this is the nature of the journey. I hope and pray that this will happen all my life.