[I lifted this from another long thread, where an interesting discussion tends to get lost].

an Orthodox friend wrote:

-On Tue, 28 May 2002 14:51:17 GMT, -(Ninure Saunders) wrote: Unless I'm mistaken, your point is that this special catregory or office -- "priests"/clegy have some special divine rights and authority over the body of Christ....was it not?

There is NO Bibical support for that position is my point.

=== Now (even as a Baptist), I'd want to qualify that. I find quite a bit of apostolic/pastoral authority exercised by leaders in the N.T. church

=== There are episcopal, presbyterian (eldership), congregational, prophetic and apostolic dimensions to leadership in the early churches. The Council in Jerusalem actually is closer to that of the tribal chief (James in this case) acting with decisive leadership after he absorbs the comments/ethos of the group.

=== Certainly Westminster-style democracy/congregationalism wasn't known in the early churches...

=== But, yes, Ninure, I wouldn't call pastors 'priests': the whole church is 'priestly'. I wouldn't use the word 'minister' in the singular either: every Christian is a 'minister'

=== And if you're saying pastors have no prerogatives others in the church don't have I'd agree except on one point: leadership. (Which is where an Orthodox friend and I could disagree about 'ordination', I think. Every Christian is ordained for ministry: the pastor's job is to empower the church to 'minister' to itself, and to the world.

=== See my article and questionnaire on Ministry as Empowerment - http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/8113.htm

Ninure Saunders aka Rainbow Christian

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Shalom! Rowland Croucher