Clergy and Laity

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     It is significant that modem religious leaders are beginning to lay great stress upon the importance of "the laity." There seems to be a spontaneous and universal re-discovery of the ideal of "the priesthood of all believers." Perhaps the moral and spiritual decadence which is so prevalent points up the futility of trying to save the world by the ministrations of a top level echelon of professionals who are paid to assume the responsibility which belongs to all. The clergy system has been with us for centuries but has made little impact upon the world at large for the simple reason that it has been apart from the world of mankind, speaking its own theological jargon which is not understandable to the man in the street.

     The real strength of the primitive church of God lay in the total commitment of the whole membership. Every member was a priest. Every member was a minister. Each one, in imitation of the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and if need be, to give his life. Every one had enlisted as a soldier. All were active fighters. There were no gold bricks or mess hall loungers. There were no side line coaches whose only duty was to call out information to those who agonized in the heat of the day. They encouraged and strengthened one another, but they did that while running. There were no spectators among the saints. True, there were those who watched them, but these were in the world, and thus were in the bleachers and the grandstand. The church was the arena, and in the race course there were no stopping places. When one of the world, moved by the sacrifices of the Christians, left his place and joined the runners, he did not again retire to be seated in luxury or to bask in ease. He forsook all and followed Jesus. He looked unto Him, and not back at the place which he had left.

     It was the taunt of the enemies of the faith once delivered, that there were no philosophers or learned men to propagate it. They spoke in derision of the shoe cobblers, tentmakers, and skin-dressers, who carried the Good News to distant climes. When the holy ones met for edification, plain men in plain garb, stood up among their fellows to exhort and comfort. The lessons taught were drawn from the field, the vineyard, the marketplace, or the shop. The hands lifted up in simple gesture were stained and blackened from daily toil, blistered and calloused by hard labor at an honest trade. There was no thought of speaking for gain, or of exploiting the many for the financial profit of the few.

     Every home, even a lowly hut or a slave's hovel, was a "minister's home." Every such humble dwelling was a "minister's study" for here a servant of God sought the means by which he might instruct his brethren or share with them a nugget of knowledge. The whole realm of nature constituted a library from which the untutored mind could draw lessons of life, and these lessons, delivered in homely language, destitute of the embellishments of oratorical phraseology struck home to the hearts of the listeners and inspired them to imitation.

     But a great change was wrought with the creation of the clergy. Now the majority no longer actually worshipped, but a ritual was performed in their behalf. The speaker's stand became a stage upon which a polished performer gave a declamation. The bulk of God's people became an audience. They were seated as spectators in a theater. They no longer gathered about a table as a family, they sat before a pulpit as observers and auditors. Their chief contribution became one of money. The scriptures were twisted and wrested to make a public donation a corporate "act of worship." The threat of damnation hovered over those who would not conform.

     The clergy stands as a monument of decaying spirituality and abandonment of the purity of the faith. It could never have arisen if men had not lost their

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first love. It can never be retained when they regain it. The system to which many point with pride is a testimony of shame. The body of Christ enveloped in the clergy system is like the body of man wrapped in clothing, indicating that once man sinned and now must hide his nakedness. God made the first clothes for man, but man developed the clergy system to cover up his spiritual defection and disgrace.

     That which was started to strengthen the church of God has weakened it. Men can no more worship without a clergyman present in most places than an amputee can walk without a crutch. The body has become dependent, helpless and servile. Thousands of enlisted soldiers mill about aimlessly, in utter ignorance of their duty or of the proper use of their weapons. Thousands who have been called to the vineyard of the Lord sit on the fence and pay another to gather the fruit. The Ship of Zion has more paying passengers than crewmen. The majority did not come aboard to serve but to take a conducted tour or summer cruise to heaven. The church has more spectators than servants. The slaves now sit on cushioned seats and demand service.

     It will not be easy for modern religion to remove the gulf between clergy and laity. The system appeals to the pride and ambition of the few, and pampers the spirit of indolence and indifference of the masses. It is easier to hire a skilled professional to do a job than by painstaking effort develop yourself to where you can do it. But there is an irony about doing this in the domain of the spirit, for the one who takes your money also gets the benefit. He grows while you shrink and shrivel through disuse.

      The story is told of a stone aqueduct built centuries ago to bring water from the mountains into an Italian city. The inhabitants decided it should be retired from use and serve as a monument to the skill and artisanship of the ancients. An iron pipe was laid beside it and the water diverted to run through it. Soon the aqueduct began to crack from the heat of the sun. Widening breaches appeared in the masonry and the rocks fell apart. The structure was finally in a state of complete deterioration. When it ceased to serve it fell. Unless you personally carry the water of life to others you will also perish from disuse.

     We need to make clergymen out of all the laity. The word "laity" is from laos, the people. The word "clergy" is from kleros, a lot, portion, or heritage. All of the people in Jesus are God's portion, thus all are His clergy. Let us all serve in whatever capacity we can. Let us not do it for hire, but for love. "Freely you have received, freely give." If some are able to bear the message to the world, and have no other means of support, let us share with them according to our means and their needs, but let us restore the ideal of a self-edifying, self-perpetuating church. God's plan is person to person -- not parson to persons! It is not necessary that we reduce the clergy to the status of the laity. Let us elevate the laity to the status of clergymen. That will free preachers to go into all the world, for there are few clergymen who would hire another preacher to preach to them!