Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-11
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One day while driving in a prominent area known for its mega churches, my friend began pointing out many famous ecclesiastical institutions. “That’s so and so’s church,” he said, pointing out one after the other. It’s interesting how we do that with churches. Many times we don’t know the name of the church; we just know its pastor. Francis Chen, Mark Driscol, R.C. Sproul, Rob Bell, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels – we may recognize their name but not know their church.
Often times companies become known by their CEOs, just like churches are recognized by their pastors. Microsoft and Bill Gates are nearly synonymous, for example. But what happens when that pastor is no longer there? What happens when Steve Jobs steps down as the iconic hero who made Apple what it is today?
I bring up these examples, because Jesus chastises the church at Pergamum for tolerating the teachings of the Nicolaitans. This group was also mentioned earlier in Revelation 2 in the letter to the church at Ephesus. So, who were they?
Many people believe that this group was defined by the etymology of their name. Nico means to conquer. Laitans means the people. What scholars often argue is that while the church was young and vulnerable, people tried to steer it in the direction of hierarchical structure much like the Jewish idea of priesthood.
This idea might be more familiar because of the words we use today – clergy and laity.
As a church who believes in the authority of Scripture rather than tradition, I think it’s important to understand how the Bible uses these terms and how they have been misused for centuries. First, the word clergy comes from the Greek word kleros. It means portion, share, inheritance. It’s used in passages such as 1 Corinthians 1:12 – “the Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people.” It doesn’t use the word to mean an upper class, a priesthood, those who are paid for ministry, or the pastor, as we have come to use it. Secondly, the word laity comes from the Greek word laos, which means the people. It’s used in passages such as 1 Peter 2:10 – “now you are the people of God… you have received mercy.” It doesn’t use the word to refer to the unskilled, untrained, unpaid, or the regular congregant.
Reformed or not, this phrase is still being thrown around in our churches today, and I believe it to be a dangerous teaching that has become ingrained in our ecclesiastical doctrines and ways of thinking. Here’s why.
First, we must remember it is God who calls, qualifies, and gifts us for ministry (Colossians 1, 1 Corinthians 12). One of the main roles within the Body of Christ is to confirm what God is doing. While we must test the spirits and ensure that people are mature before they take leadership roles, we also need to be careful about putting our requirements for leadership ahead of God’s.
Secondly, we have to resist thinking of church leaders like CEOs. In a company, the CEO casts a vision and tells people to get to work. Similarly, in a priesthood, like we see in Israel, the priest heard from God and spoke to the people. The day of the cross meant the end for a mediator between God and man other than Jesus. When the Holy Spirit began indwelling in believers at Pentecost, God Himself began working in and speaking to the common man. For the first time, the entire laos became the priests. This is why we look at 1 Peter 2 and say “the priesthood of all believers.” You don’t work for the pastor. I’m nobody’s boss. I don’t claim that I can listen to God better or that he talks to me more simply because I have a position of authority. I’m here to help lead, but I’m not here to give orders. This is not my church. This is not your church. This is God’s church. He is the Head. He is the Chief Priest.
Thirdly, we must understand that the church thrives, survives, or dies on the back of the entire body. It is the entire church’s responsibility to be that working Body. Some people are the arms, some are the legs, some are the eyes, and Jesus is the head. If one of us becomes dysfunctional, the whole body will lose its functionality.
When Jesus admonishes these churches for some of the evil that was occurring, who is He talking about? Is He talking about the pastor or elders? Perhaps. Perhaps He’s talking about even the new believer who’s putting the entire church at risk. Remember the story of Achan in Joshua 7? One commoner’s sin brought judgment on the entire people of Israel. Suddenly, the layman doesn’t seem just like an insignificant commoner; does he?
Likewise, when Jesus praises these churches, He doesn’t just laud one individual. It’s the entire church that earns His accolades.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to say that the Bible doesn’t prescribe leadership for the church. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, Paul points out various leadership positions like apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, helpers, pastors, and overseers. But there’s a difference between hierarchy and leadership. There’s a difference between ruling over and shepherding, as 1 Peter 5 discusses.
The revolutionary idea of church isn’t to dictate or to entertain; it’s to teach and disciple. Paul tells us exactly what the goal of the leader ought to be in Ephesians 4 – “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” This is not obtained through a project of a church leader dictating a goal to his congregation. It is obtained through the impact of personal discipleship, and a desirable measurement is that everyone has reached the same playing field in faith and knowledge of Jesus.