I read an fascinating book (maybe Biblical Eldership by Alexander StrauchZ) which commented that Protestants often function as though their pastors are Protestant priests.
It's both an interesting and thought-provoking comment. As I understand Catholicism, the priests are different than the members: Only the priests are able to perform the sacraments - marriage, Eucharist, last rites, baptism, etc. In some rituals, there's the idea of the priest acting as the person of Christ.
In the Old Testament, the priests were the mediators between the people and God. If one had sins to atone for, one brought an appropriate sacrifice to the priests - which was how the priests were fed. Since priests were God's mediators for Israel, they had special rules for being holy.
I'm not entirely sure what the book meant about Protestant priests (I need to find the comment and re-read the section), but here's some things I've been thinking about:
- Do I believe there is certain ceremonies (Lord's supper, baptism or marriage) that only pastors should perform? If so, why?
- Do I believe pastors are more holy than other church members?
- What ministry do I believe only pastors should perform? Why?
- What do I actually think is different about someone once they've been appointed a pastor?
Confession: Marriage is actually the one that tripped me up here. I'm used to something like "By the authority committed to me as a minister of the Church of Jesus Christ, I declare that ________ and ________ are now husband and wife" or " I, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state and the church, declare you to be husband and wife". (Here's a whole list of wedding pronouncements.")
I tend to think of "minister" and "pastor" an interchangeable, although I'd accept that those needn't be identical words. A quick Google search for "define: minister" suggests my first impression is reasonable. So what exactly is the authority committed to a pastor to declare a couple man and wife? Is it merely the state law requiring a pastor* for marriage? (* - Yes, the actual legalize is a bit more complicated. Judges can marry, some churches offer anyone a "minister" status, and there's actually a difference between the state requirements for officiant and pastoring - I've known churches that have been willing to let non-pastors receive "minister" status so that they can perform marriages. Nuance aside, pastors are the primary officiants at the weddings I know of.)
If the authority is merely state law, what do statements like "...and by the church" mean? Does the pastor have a special authority from the church regarding marriages? Or can I claim that authority? If this authority is special to pastors, where do they derive it from? And how is this different from having a special "holy" class of people - priests?
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3 comments:
The author is that which you give a (good) church's leadership when you become a member: the permission, the right, and the responsibility to speak into your life, to monitor and advise you your spiritual well-being. A pastor marrying a couple (should) does so because he believes that God is present in their relationship and that it is His will that the two be joined as one.
The requirements for such a person ought to be the same as for elder, because that's what this really is, although a good small group can also serve the purpose of spiritual barometer, the elder has more authority to take action when you just won't listen or are being blind. For those, see Timothy, et al.
The state's authority is a legal government that we must submit to, and therefore we must follow their procedures as well, but the pastor has the real authority, because Christ has established his church here and works through pastors, elders, etc. as people with "spiritual authority." They earn that authority as a function of committing themselves to the service of the church, and it is the responsibility of not only the other leaders of the church, but also the entire laity to call the elder out when his life is not in line with the qualifications/responsibilities of his job.
Having a "holy" class of people like priests is different, because Scripture does not give us requirements or definitions of what a "preist"'s qualifications and responsibilities are. Also, in most Evangelical churches employing some sort of consistory, the laity elects the leaders and holds authority over them, whereas Catholic priests are persons who have gone through special training (which is not a bad thing) and been appointed to a local parish by an individual who has authority over the priest. It removes the responsibility from the laity to take some proactive steps in making sure their spiritual needs are met. When a congregation chooses a leader, they give that leader the authority that goes with that position: "I believe that you are qualified to be a leader of this church, to look out for my spiritual welfare and that of my brothers and sisters, and I turn will pray for you and strive to look out for your spiritual welfare." The pastor or elder ALSO accepts that the congregation has granted that authority but maintains its authority over him. It's a mutual submission in a way--although there is a leader figure, both parties have responsibilities to uphold, just different ones.
... reminds me of marriage. :)
I don't think that pastors/priests/elders/etc simply by virtue of their position have a unique and God given right to conduct some ceremonies and those of the congregation do not have that right.
Having said that, I do think it is wise to voluntarily place restrictions on what non-clergy can do. Like marriage. Elders (ignoring the I'll-marry-anyone-for-$300 elders) have a much greater understanding of marriage than most Christians, and if they refuse to participate in a wedding it's for a good reason - the couple is not ready or is not right for each other. Lots of study and counseling experience go into that. Those non-clergy who do not have that understanding probably are not capable of such filtering and as a result I can easily see many couples make a covenant before God that would result in a pretty unhappy marriage.
However, in terms of what would displease God, I do not think there would be a problem for a spiritually mature and wise Christian to officiate a wedding. I wouldn't have had a problem if my Dad, whom I know to take theological study seriously and be well grounded, were to officiate my wedding.
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