Good thoughts on "the minister"

Christopher Dryden has some excellent thoughts on the man we call "The Minister" and his problem with it: My Problem With ‘The minister’

Christopher sez:

Here he is – ‘The minister’, the final authority of the local church, the fount of all wisdom in the local church, the one with all the answers in the local church, the dude in charge in the local church. He is the preacher, he is the teacher, he is the one to pray for the sick, he is the one needed for all emergencies, for if ‘The minister’ cannot do it, then no one else is spiritually qualified. If baptisms are to take place ‘The minister’ must officiate. When God speaks it is usually through ‘the minister’ after all he is the preacher. In the event of someone else hearing from God only ‘The minister’ can discern and verify its authenticity and grant it his blessing. Should anyone have an idea for personal or church development unless ‘The minister’ ordains it they labour in vain that attempt it.

He is ‘The minister’ and he ministers in church gatherings made distinguishable by his adherence to the sanctified dress code. For we know if you don’t wear the shirt, tie, and trousers (suit jacket is also essential unless temperatures are too hot and special dispensation has been given to go without) and carry a Bible bigger than your head in a dignified briefcase then you are not fit to stand before God’s people to ‘minister’ to them.

The problem, as Christopher points out, is not so much in the men themselves, but rather the way we exalt these men and create a separate class of believers over and above the rest of us. The blame for this falls mostly on the shoulders of "regular" Christians rather than the "clergy". Wherever the blame lies, it is unhealthy and unbiblical. Give the whole post a look if you have a language translator on your computer to convert "British" into "American"...