by Sandy » Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:23 am
There are only a few references to qualifying and choosing elders and deacons in the New Testament, but what is lacking in all of them is a specific instruction or example of separating the overseer, or Bishop, from "laity." Elders were called to service right out of the congregation they came from, and they were designated based on their qualifications. Paul tells Titus to "choose elders in all the towns," but in Timothy and Peter, the elders appear to be selected by the congregation based on the qualities he outlines in his epistle to them.
The clergy/laity distinction is an evolutionary practice that, for Protestants, is a holdover from the Catholic system that developed as the Bishop of Rome progressed and evolved from being simply a pastor, to being the infallible Vicar of Christ. So a special designation was needed to separate the elite from the common people in terms of ecclesiastical authority. For Baptists, and most other Evangelicals, there is no ecclesiastical class system with "clergy" or "laity," the designations are occupants of an "office" by virtue of meeting the scriptural qualifications and leadership ability, not by title or position. So pastors of Baptist churches are Elders, and by designation and qualification, others who serve the church vocationally in ministry, or voluntarily as the case may be, would be also. But they serve as members of the local body of believers, not as "clergy". Baptist churches are independent and autonomous, and if the pastor doesn't join the local church, there is no "church" structure to which he can belong outside of it.
Baptists, including Southern Baptists, do have foundational doctrines. They are rooted in a belief that the Bible is the written word of God, not that it "contains" the written word of God, and in the interpretation of it in its literal sense rendered by its historical context. There is wide acceptance of the idea that learning is progressive, and as the church moves forward and meets the challenges presented to it by shifts in culture, it is constantly evaluating its position and its relevance, as well as continually studying the scripture, and it is correcting itself with the guidance of the Holy Spirit as it moves forward. Those churches and denominations that are locked into doctrinal positions and practices which are only examined at the highest level of clerical authority, and depend on some kind of historical assertion have seen millions of church members leave because they are looking for significance and relevance in the practice of their faith, not some historical mile post marker that represents a faulty prior doctrinal position that wasn't open to examination or reflection because only the clergy can do that, and because their authority rests on prior interpretation, not on the scripture.
Being congregational is a part of this. If there is a separate clergy class, it isn't anywhere in the New Testament. In Acts, when the deacons were chosen, the entire assembly (Ecclesia) participated. In the Jerusalem council, when the final letter was drafted, the assembly (Ecclesia) again approved.
Last edited by Sandy on Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.