Chapter 5- The Pastor: Obstacle To Ever-Member Functioning
“… the present-day pastor was born out of a single-bishop rule first spawned by Ignatius and Cyprian. The bishop evolved into a local presbyter. In the Middle Ages, the presbyter grew into the Catholic priest. During the Reformation, he was transformed into the ‘preacher,’ ‘the minister,’ and finally ‘the pastor’- the person upon whom all Protestantism hangs. To boil it down to one sentence: The Protestant pastor is nothing more than a slightly reformed Catholic priest.” (pg 141)
This chapter, while being easily the longest, is essentially Barna & Viola’s polemic against the modern ecclesiastical position of ‘pastor’. The primary argument against the vocational position, aside from the usual ‘anti-Constantinian’ argument, being that it undermines the responsibility placed upon all of Christianity to minister the Gospel. I simultaneously agree and disagree with their assessment.
While reading this chapter I found myself agreeing with the chapter’s thesis that there has been an unnecessary and possibly harmful superimposition of a clergy/laity dichotomy in Christianity. The forcing and protection of unnecessary hierarchy within our Churches can easily be considered a problem our Churches need to overcome in order to have a viable community in the quickly approaching ‘post-modern’ world. This agreement by no means should be construed as a full endorsement though.
While, I agree that the subtle but thorough communication of incompetence to the average Christian by the hierarchy within Christianity I do not think that this is justification enough for the abolishment of the role of pastor in our local congregations.
Barna and Viola’s argument should not be considered anti-authority (the do defend a plurality of elder leadership), simply ‘anti-pastor’. And I don’ think they make enough of a case to justify forsaking over 1000 years of tradition for the propogation of ‘house-church’.
As always with this book, I love the research and history but find that the book fails to convince me of its thesis.
Earl
Check out the new spoof video for the book. Very funny.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hslswIal9u4
that’s rather funny.
I really don’t understand the desire to throw away everything about church and become house churches. I’m not saying house churches are bad, nor that traditional churches (traditional=traditionally organized) are good. I just don’t think we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Frank Viola has captured many truths about the biblical church but when it comes to the role of the elder he throws the baby out with the bathwater. He is correct to want to jettison religion. The religion that calls itself “Christian” (both catholic and protestant) is not the true church. The rightly divided word gives wonderful direction for the true church. The true church does not have a denominational name: It is the body of Christ. No middle men, no popes, no go betweens, just the one and only Jesus the anointed one as the head. Members of the true church have Christ in them (Col 1:27) and have an unbreakable relationship with God through Christ.
Will there soon be yet another new denomination based on Violaism? It like the rest of the modern ”emerging church” has a strong emphasis on social gathering with all who come welcome to spew their weird religious doctrines while the bible is avoided? We need the rightly divided word of God now more than ever. In 1 Peter 5:1-3 elders are exhorted to “feed the flock of God.” There is only one source of food for the flock of God: The Word of God. See chapter 4 Partnership One With Another: Neil Tolman 1993 at: http://www.neilshouse.com/POA4.html#4
Neil