Friday, October 11, 2013

The Church and the Preacher


The Church and the Preacher

R. D. ICE    FIRM FOUNDATION-MARCH 2, 1976

 

      Restoration thinking on the exact role of the "the preacher" has varied to some extent. Campbell thought initially that the eldership should assume all the duties of "the preacher." But practical experience dictated a revision of this thinking. Having a "preacher" on the local scene acts as a catalyst in a way that no group-of-men seems to be able to duplicate. Perhaps this should not be true, but facts are stubborn things. Here is some Restoration thinking about the work and mission of "the preacher" from around 1905, taken from How To Set the Church in Order, by Martin L. Pierce, Chancellor of Phillips Bible Institute. (You must make some allowance for the language.)

      1. The Office. "This office is nowhere spoken of in the New Testament. Its rise and development was a matter of expediency just as the erection of church-buildings and our present use of song books .... In the development of religious work, in a given community, the congregation continued to increase in size until at last it demanded as much time and attention as the evangelist had previously given to several congregations. . . . By this we see that the preacher should have the qualifications of both the elder and the evangelist. His work is a twofold work."

      2. The Call. "There must be, on his part, a supreme purpose to proclaim God's word to a sinful world. There must also be a willingness to be used of God; a willingness to enter every door that may be opened to him."

      3. The Qualifications. "The congregation has a right to expect that their 'man of God' be a serious-minded man. This piety (faith and holy life, rdi) must be so forceful that it will radiate into the lives of his people .... The real power of every preacher lies in his earnest godliness. and not in acquired culture or talents. . . . A loving man will always accomplish more than a merely learned one. It is not great talents that God blesses so much as it is great likeness to Christ."

      4. Educational. "The preacher must go before his congregation with a message. This must be thoroughly wrought out of his own life before it can possibly influence the lives of others .... He is to bring to his congregation, not the problems of his study, but the results of his own life's experiences.  Science, language, history, and literature are valuable to the preacher only insofar as they sharpen and assist him to drive home the divine message."

      5. Social. "The preacher should, first of all, be a manly man. A man who can meet others, and converse with them intelligently regarding the things of deepest interest to them .... The preacher cannot afford to withdraw himself from the world, because his supreme work is to draw the world to Christ.  He will observe the Golden Rule and mete out simple justice to every man."

      6. Business. "A preacher who will not pay his honest debts is not a fit man to lead a congregation morally and spiritually."

      7. Use of time. "It is an open secret that no one preacher can meet the needs of every congregation. (Or of the same congregation at all times. rdi.) Every man has his own peculiar (unique, rdi) strength. As a result, the usefulness of every man will depend, to a great degree, upon his ability to use this strength.  Every preacher should stand or fall before the congregation, on his own merits, and not in comparison with the merits of some fellow-preacher.

      8. The Church Officers. "The preacher is a member of the local congregation which he serves and has the same responsibility as other members, plus the same rights and privileges. The fact that he is to perform the duties of an elder does not mean that it is necessary for him to be an elder of the local congregation. (Thinking on this is changing, rdi.). There should be no infringement on their prerogatives and they in turn should realize the rights and privileges of the ministry. Co-operation should be the watchword .... The development (maturation, rdi) of the members of the church is a necessary part of the preacher's duties."

      9. Salary. "Preachers and teachers cannot be paid in money for their services; but they should receive sufficient remuneration so that the problem of meeting their necessary expenses will not interfere with the performance of their spiritual work."

      10. Trials and afflictions. "It is a common experience of all preachers that the more faithfully they perform their duties to God and the church, the more persistent and constant is the opposition they meet with. The ·preacher, likewise, has the trial of being misinterpreted regarding what he both says and does. (Also what he doesn't say and do. rdi.). Again, it often happens that after years of hard labor the preacher will have very little to show for his work in the way of visible results. This is one of the most severe trials that beset the path of a preacher .... Again, the 'man of God' is tried with the apathy and indifference of the church itself .... It is a trial for a man, who has turned his back upon a successful business career, to have the congregation regard him as a hireling. His commission comes from God .... It often seems easier to stir up the godless in the world than to stir up members of the local congregation."

      11. Reward. "The life of the preacher is a life of love, peace and goodwill to all men. There is no reward in this world as great as that which comes to a man who has lived such a life as this." The following is taken from the Bible Study New Testament, by this scribe, published in 1974. "It is unfortunate that many think of evangelists in terms of 'revivals.' The evangelists in the first century of the church were what we call 'preachers,' but with a little difference in the job description. The evangelist did much the same work as the apostles and prophets, but was not inspired (although he might have one or more gifts), and did not have the same authority. The mission of the evangelist is to preach the good news ( 2 Tim 4:1-5; to water ( 1 Cor 3 :5-9) ; to train other workers (2 Tim. 2:1, 2); to put things in order (Titus 1 :5); and in general to teach the true meaning of the Good News (Titus 2).

      [PS: Gospel means Good News.]

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