The People - The
Church
There are many questions and concerns
about the role of the people in the Church. What is the role of lay people?
What is the role of ordained or commissioned leaders and ministers of the
Church? For the Church to function properly these roles must be clearly
understood from a scriptural perspective.
First and most important, the people
have been chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ and formed by the Holy Spirit;
they are his most prized possession - the people are the living stones of
the Church - they are the holy priesthood of the Church (1 Peter 2:4,5). The
people are the Church.
Paul makes clear the importance of the
role to which the people are called. In his second letter to the Corinthian
Church he says that his people have been appointed as his "Ministers of
Reconciliation" and "Christ's Ambassadors" to a hurting broken
world. It is through his people that he chooses to work out his mission to
the world. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
The second important point we must
always understand is the purpose of leadership and the relationship between
leaders and laity. Scripture records a very practical model which Jesus used
in teaching his disciples. In a very 'hands on' way Jesus taught his
companions, then in their turn the first apostles discipled others. This is
the pattern of relationships that has been given for the ministry of the
Church.
Leaders are ordained (chosen and given
by God) to fulfil an appointed task. Christ has called and gifted some to
equip the Church for its service to the world (Ephesians 4:11-13). Others
have been appointed to the governing roles of overseer (bishop), elder
(presbyter) or deacon. Their task is to give proper oversight to a church
and to ensure that its worship life is conducted properly. However, the
leader is called to shepherd the people with loving care and to be
responsible for their spiritual welfare. The leader is to be a servant to
the church.
Paul calls the Church 'the body of
Christ' and in his first letter to the Corinthians he uses the analogy
of the physical body, the whole of which suffers if any part is injured. In
the body all members have a vital role and no member, not lay person or
ordained minister, is more important that another, except the head who is
Christ.
As a member of the Church of the
Southern Cross we believe that you have a vital role and you are called to
discover the unique potential that God has created in you to serve as his
minister. Please read the
Rules of Association documents and
Constitution
of the Church or contact us to find out more.
