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
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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