Thursday, January 12, 2017
Called or Commissioned?
Recently, our church has announced that we are returning to old traditions of the Mennonite culture: only those with a church title are allowed to preach on Sunday morning. For years now, those brothers in the church who were determined to have the gift of preaching and teaching were allowed to exercise their gift for the good of the church and the glory of the Lord. But no longer. This was due to the fact that someone had apparently complained that we were not following Mennonite traditions. Frankly, this bothers me greatly; that we would go back to such a vapid tradition after having left it for many years.
Note, there is no Scriptural reason that one needs a title to preach. In fact, we are told in Scripture that Spirit gives the gift of prophecy and teaching. (Ephesians 4:11) We are told that we are not to quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) No where in Scripture is it implied or stated that we are supposed to only allow those with church titles to preach. Indeed, the concept of only elected leaders preaching is foreign to Scripture entirely. There are those in Scripture who are commissioned to preach the Gospel, but only after the Spirit calls them, not when a body of some local church group elected them. The Great Commission (Mark 16:14-16) is a command that we are all called to follow, not those that are elected by popular vote once every two years.
Not only is it against Scripture to deny those with the gift of teaching to teach; it is also against Scripture to indulge those who are ignorant in the Church. We are commanded to stop following the doctrines of man. (Matthew 15:9) If someone is bothered by not keeping tradition that is not Scriptural, we should correct them in love. (2 Timothy 2:25) We are not to be caught up in our traditions, (Colossians 2:8) but instead we are to correct those who are wrong out of love. We should not alter the Church in order to help people hold on to incorrect theology, but instead train them in the truth. (II Timothy 3:16)
But if we are going to go back to abandoned Mennonite traditions, why stop there? Why not have our ministerial wear all black? Why not only preach and teach purely in High German? Why not sing in the traditional, long winded Mennonite style? Why not take up issue with head covering? At least that argument is a Biblical one. (I Corinthians 11)
I am disheartened by this decision to placate those who are still caught up in traditions that should remain dead. We are going to lose the next generation of Mennonite leaders to dead traditions in order to placate the weak. I cannot and will not stand by.
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Brother, I would like to say that it was not announced that the church was returning to old Mennonite tradition, it was said that because of others to whom it may be a stumbling block, we would only have the ones ordained as ministers preach on Sunday mornings.
ReplyDeleteDoes 1 Cor 8:9 not apply here? "9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall."
We are still commissioned to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Which is not only done by preaching across the pulpit but by many other ways. They can be corrected in love, see how we are not caught up in our traditions and training them in truth by inviting those people into our lives. Spending time with them and showing them that they matter and Christ loves them and died for them too! Once they know by the way we act that we love and care for them it works much better to correct them in love.
The church is not doing this for the sake of tradition. It is for the sake of the seeking souls around us.
Also I believe it was mentioned that we may have others who dont have the title will preach again if needed. So our church does not have a problem with them preaching.
Love you Brother!
I appreciate your reply. However, the Church is not called to make changes according to conscience of the weak, individual Christians are. Paul constantly tells Churches themselves to stand firm in doctrine and the traditions of Scripture (not men's traditions) but states he himself will change for the weak.
DeleteAs such, I will gladly step down from preaching personally, but the church is to be firm in doctrine and discipline; not bending to whatever may or may not make other people more comfortable. We as individuals are to be willing to change for the sake of those around us. The Church itself cannot change policies based on what might or might not attract a group individuals of one particular generation of one small minority; especially if it is based on the non-Scriptural tradition of a group that struggles with legalism. Legalism is a dangerous thing to encourage, as Galatians states explicitly. Paul stomps out legalism in every Church he helped, in very clear terms that leave little wiggle room to allow it to fester.
I would also like to add that most protestant churches don't allow anyone but an ordained minister to preach. Its not just Mennonite tradition.
ReplyDeleteChurches like Methodists and Presbyterians require a Masters degree for ordination, (Methodists) or 4 years of college plus 3 years of Seminary (Presbyterians) to become ordained; and they do in fact allow non-ordained speakers. The Methodist church right here in Paris had a non ordained speaker just two weeks ago. I heard him. Baptists, whose standards vary wildly, also allow for layman to preach. Which protestant church were you thinking of that does not allow lay preachers?
DeleteI don't know which specific denominations. I'm sure they all vary from church to church. Probably most allow laymen to preach.
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