The
clergy-laity dichotomy is unbiblical
The New Testament simply does not speak of two
classes of Christians – "minister" and "laymen" – as we do
today. According to the Bible, the people (laos, "laity") of God
comprise all Christians, and all Christians through the exercise
of spiritual gifts have some "work of ministry." So if we wish
to be biblical, we will have to say that all Christians are
laymen (God's people) and all are ministers.
The clergy-laity dichotomy is unbiblical
and therefore invalid. It grew up as an accident of
church history and actually marked a drift away from biblical
faithfulness. A professional, distinct priesthood did exist in
Old Testament days. But in the New Testament this priesthood is
replaced by two truths: Jesus Christ is our great high priest,
and the Church is a kingdom of priests (Hebrews 4:14; 8:1; 1
Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). The New Testament doctrine of
ministry rests therefore not on the clergy-laity distinction but
on the twin and complementary pillars of the priesthood of all
believers and the gifts of the Spirit. Today, four centuries
after the Reformation, the full implications of this Protestant
affirmation have yet to be worked out. The clergy-laity
dichotomy is a direct carry-over from pre-Reformation Roman
Catholicism and a throwback to the Old Testament priesthood. It
is one of the principle obstacles to the Church effectively
being God's agent of the Kingdom today because it creates the
false idea that only "holy men," namely, ordained ministers, are
really qualified and responsible for leadership and significant
ministry. In the New Testament there are functional distinctions
between various kinds of ministries but no hierarchical division
between clergy and laity
The Community of the King [Downers Grove,
IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1977] pp.94-95
