Are we all pastors?

You have probably heard your minister say that “we are all pastors” at some point, or at least some variation of it. Which can be a very scary and intimidating idea for the average churchgoer. Is this really true from a theological standpoint though? Does it violate the body of Christ? Or is this what Peter meant by the Royal Priesthood? This begs the question, are the many troubles that the church faces partially due to mankind trying to sidestep our responsibilities, or impose our own will into God’s model? All the more reason to take a long hard look at it.

Terminology
The question itself gets complicated by semantics. Common usage is often a bit different than a true technical definition. Yet even proper definitions get a little more complicated than we may realize, which I will go over. Also, there are other non-Biblical terms like reverend, which is more of a title of educational level like doctor. As well as clergy, which seems to be a broad generic term for all faiths, not just Christianity. so I don’t think I need to say any more about them.

Priest
Used heavily in the Old Testament, yet mostly only used by the Roman Catholic Church today. Keep in mind that the entire tribe of Levi was once designated as part of the priesthood, yet there was also a high priest. The New Testament seems to flip the script though by indicating we are all part of the priesthood. (1st Peter 2:4-10, Revelation 5:10) Giving the idea credence. Even if only the Protestant church acknowledges it.

Pastor (shepherd)
Did not start being used as it is today until the Protestant Reformation. Which may simply reflect what Martin Luther thought the priests of the New Covenant should be like. Keep in mind, that Peter was seen as the first Pope of the Catholic Church. Consider also the exchange between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15-19; then one can see how he may have believed St. Peter was called to be a shepherd. With that being said, Biblically speaking the term is really more about caring for the people than leadership. Yet shouldn’t we all be caring for one another, not just the senior minister. Even if some are more gifted at it than others, and specifically set apart for it. So in that sense, this gives the idea credence as well.

Minister
While we may use this term the same way we used high priest in the past. Technically it means “servant” and refers to all people in ministry at every level. Not just leaders. So in this sense, the key idea is proper as well.

Application of the Body of Christ
When Paul talks about the different spiritual gifts in 1st Corinthians 12, he uses very different terminology than he does when talking about different positions of service in Ephesians 4. Even though he uses the Body of Christ comparison in both. Which may be part of the confusion about this idea. They are definitely not apples-to-apples comparisons as we may have assumed. Meaning, that while every minister has gifts, not every senior minister is going to have the exact same gifts. Yet I think we often expect them to. That expectation is often based on past experience and familiarity, or what we want and need. Which can be a bit self-centered and unrealistic. I personally appreciate churches with extended ministry teams, the individual members bring their own flavor to the common cause of the gospel. Allowing them to reach more types of people. Is this not what we need right now?

With this in mind, we may all technically be priests, pastors, or ministers after all. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are expected to do what the leaders do as you may have assumed though. Hence the fear of the idea. So it’s no wonder that 10% of the people do 90% of the work in church. An obvious shortfall in the church that's weakened us, and inspired overworked leaders to remind us of this truth hastily.

Yet, maybe this is a sign that our leaders need to define church, the logistics of it all, and equipping the people better than they do. Then maybe we wouldn’t have so many fearing the responsibilities of being part of the Royal Priesthood. Yet in these desperate times of a shrinking church, we are trying to skip over all that. This is obviously producing the exact opposite result we are seeking. So I think it’s past time we as the church take a step back, consider where the people are actually at, and strategize how to guide them forward. Instead of only pushing where we want them to be. Clearly, that's not the same thing.

The Visual PARABLEist

This post began with an image in my head, which is the drawing seen above. This got me thinking about the idea. After much research and meditation, this blog ended up going in a different direction than I thought it would. My point is, the drawing illustrates the fear, more than the reality.