Preface
In the past, the successful pastor fulfilled the role of a teacher of…
What is doctrinal tradition or denominational heritage?
This was affirmed by Martin Luther and is a basic belief coming out of the Protestant Reformation.
What is... "we are all priests" or the priesthood of all believers? Also -- we can approach God directly; we do not need a human intermediary to reach God.
According to 1 Cor 12:12 the body of Christ displays these two qualities.
What is... (1) oneness or unity and (2) diversity?
The three mistakes of church institutions.
What is... hierarchichal, sacerdotal, and clerical? (Hierarchical – the leaders are the ones set apart to be the dispensers of grace. Sacerdotal - priest acted as an intermediary between God and people as exclusive celebrant of the Mass. Clerical – Ordination viewed as a second baptism that lifted clergy to a higher stage of Christian achievement, while laity lived a compromised life)
The popular image of saint and biblical usage of saint.
What is... Popular: a person who is spiritually elite /Biblical: all the people of God, based on the work of Christ in our lives. ?
In the past, the successful pastor fulfilled the role of a caregiver in times of...
What is crisis (grief, illness, accidents, divorce, death of family member)?
This movement has been described as a rediscovery of a direct encounter with the living God.
What is.. the Charismatic Movement? (The Holy Spirit has been rediscovered as a means of direct encounter with the living God)
Three ways the church as the body of Christ becomes a living reality.
What are... gifts, services, and working together?
In an organism, the starting point is said to be this.
What is ... the whole body of Christ, the church, the people of God, "from the bottom up" / All ministry is lay ministry?
The Popular image of minister and Biblical usage of minister.
What is... Popular: is a person who goes into the ministry, associated with a certain honor, has a title, set apart into a spiritual realm / Biblical: service or ministry is rendered on behalf of the whole body, the particular task or call we have been set apart to perform
In the past, the successful pastor fulfilled the role of a public symbol of…
What is... the sacred; the church in public life? (Title carries weight and power)
This movement saw the Church as a living organism and moved from being pastor-focused to people-focused.
What is... the Small Groups Movement? (Recovery groups, support groups, discovery groups, study groups, cell groups, neighborhood groups, house churches)
These are two attitudes that undermine the living reality of the church as the body of Christ.
What are... (1) inferiority and (2) superiority?
Inferiority – low self-esteem – detrimental to a healthy body. Remove themselves from participation because they feel unimportant: Comparison or Copying
Superiority – look down from above and treat the lower as lesser. Treating self as more important than others.
In an institution, the starting point is this.
What is... leadership offices in the church? (Where the Word of God is rightly proclaimed and the sacraments are rightly administered, "from the top down" -- Lay ministry is secondary to ordained ministry.)
The Popular image of priest and Biblical usage of priest.
What is... Popular: one who enters realm of holy order to be set apart through taking vows / Biblical: Jesus fulfilled and completed the role of priest in his substitutionary death. (1 Peter 2:9 – You are a royal priesthood…) We are now priests to each other.
In the past, the successful pastor fulfilled the role of a presider over rites of passage, such as …
What is... baptism, confirmation, marriage, funeral, leading in weekly worship services, priestly role in communion? (name any of these)
The Worship Renewal Movement saw worship moving from _______ to _______.
What is... performance to participation? (People are the actors, the worship leaders are the prompters, and God is the audience)
Gifts are given for this reason.
What is... for the common good, to be given away; to build up the body of Christ?
The conclusion is that ministry differs in an organism, compared to an institution in this way.
What is... Organism = one people/one ministry; Institution = two people (clergy/laity) two ministries.?
The Popular image of clergy and Biblical usage of clergy.
What is... Popular: formally designates leadership caste / Biblical: kleros – used in regard to new community in Christ as body of men and women who share God’s gift of redemption and glory, which is their inheritance.
Now there is a shift in understanding in who does ministry. It is a shift from _______ to __________ .
What is... a SHIFT from Teacher/Caregiver to Equipping Leader? (One who assists the people of God to grow into full adulthood as disciples and ministers of Christ)
The Ecumenical Movement saw a shift of loyalty that became first to _____ instead of to ______.
What is... spiritual unity, or the movement of the Holy Spirit -- instead of to -- denominational or structural loyalty? (We are loyal first to the movement of God’s Spirit, wherever His work is being accomplished, and loyal only secondarily to structures.)
This is the middle ground between inferiority and superiority. It is needed in the church.
What is... INTERDEPENDENCE? (None of us is complete in and of ourselves. We are whole only in relationship to other parts of the body. We need each other.)
This is the subtitle to the book Unfinished Business.
What is... Returning the Ministry to the People of God?
The Popular image of laity and Biblical usage of laity.
What is... Popular: contemporary usage has pejorative ring / Biblical: filled with dignity and honor in Scripture.