Are laymembers permitted to teach in the assembly?

People are given Spiritual Gifts, some are called to be teachers, others Evangalists, Pastors etc.

All have a valid claim on the Pulpit, the Teachers and the evangalists more so than the pastor who is there to shepherd the flock which is a role of visitation and counselling.

 

I thought we believed in the priesthood of all believers; why then seek to reintroduce hierarchical clergy/ laity divisions when it comes to the pulpit - or indeed anything else?

Yours in Christ

Matt

 

Surely the most important point is that the person is good at it and of good moral fibre; in our church, I've been asked to teach/ preach and I hold no formal 'title'/ 'status', our minister however does rightly insist on what he calls 'character and calling', character being the more important

Yours in Christ

Matt

 

No one other than the pastor has a "claim" to the pulpit or teaching ministry of the church. The church has called him to that role and given him the responsibility. He is to protect the flock from false teachers and the way that is done is by guarding the teaching ministry. The wise pastor will be carrying our 2 Tim 2:2 (training others to teach). He will not allow anyone unqualified to teach (in terms of character, doctrine, and giftedness). The pastor is to be a teacher. That is his primary role ... instruction and training. Visitation is never mentioned in Scripture as a pastoral responsibility. "Having charge," "teaching," "ruling," "caring for," "guarding" all are mentioned as well as others.

Qualified laymen not only are permitted to teach, they should be encouraged and perhaps just short of demanded to teach. That is their gift. If the pastor is not fanning the flame of that gift by training and giving them opportunities, then he is hurting them and the body both.

But all teaching ministry in the church is to be carried out under the direction and supervision of the pastor.

 

Agreed with both of you gentlemen. Pauls instructions were delivered at a particularly trying time for the church when it needed to combat false teaching such as gnosticism, so definitely the pastor is to ensure that sound doctrine is maintained. Not sure people need to be married though...

Yours in Christ

Matt

 

No, marriage is never a qualification for teaching in teh church. Knowledge, character, and giftedness are.

Yes, but zeal alone is never good. One must have the necessary gifts to go along with that zeal.

 

I agree with the thread so far. I just wanted to add that the qualifications for bishop and deacon are those I think every Christian should meet as an ideal. I think Paul listed them because many fall short in actual practice and he was ensuring someone with a consistent Christian walk would fill those offices.

 

A Pastor holds a Biblically recognized office that comes with God ordained qualifications. A Pastor must not only teach but also oversee and lead the flock. A guest lay preacher, while speaking authoritatively because he is proclaiming God's words, does not have these responsibilites nor does he hold that office.


In our church, for example, we would not allow a divorced man to be a pastor or deacon but we would allow (and have had) a divorced layman to preach and teach.

I do agree that all men in the church ought to strive to have the qualities that would qualify them for service as a pastor or deacon.

Andy

 

It doesn't. It means morally faithful or morally pure. It means "One woman man," i.e., a man that is characterized by purity, not a womanizer or a flirt.

 

How is that a difference?? I believe the same thing. However, that was not the question. In 1 Tim 3, Paul is not addressing how many wives a man has. He is addressing what kind of man he should be. The answer is: He should be a one woman man. There should be no hint of womanizing or immorality. He should not be a flirt. He should not be too friendly with the ladies. He should be above board in his relationships with the opposite sex.

He is addressing marriage and divorce. If a couple divorces, they should remain divorced or remarry each other. A believer has no right to divorce his/her partner just becuase he/she is an unbeliever. If the unbeliever wishes to stay married, then they are to remain married. However, as he makes clear in the following verses, if an unbelieving partner leaves, the believing partner is not bound. As he says in v. 28, if they remarry they have not sinned. However, since this thread is about something else, we should probably keep it to that.

 

Character?

Yours in Christ

Matt

 

As Matt pointed out, Character is an important qualification.