Order of Service in the Church: Bible VS Traditions

Order of Service in the Church: Exploring Biblical Foundations vs. Traditions: A study conducted by Barna, a Christian research organisation and published in the New York Post in 2022, indicated that pastors are struggling with burnout at unprecedented levels. The group observed that in March 2022, the percentage of pastors who considered quitting full-time ministry within that year stood at 42%. For those of us who are not familiar with the word, “burnout,” it simply means emotional exhaustion. Causal factors advanced by Gravity Commons, another Christian group included long hours of ministration, culture wars, loneliness, and the gap between expectation and reality.

         I do not agree with Gravity Commons, nor do I accept the premise that any pastor called by Christ could be subjected to burnout under any circumstances. Someone would argue that even Elijah the prophet had an experience that could be classified as burnout. Yes, Elijah fled from Jezebel, but he was not a pastor! The church of Jesus Christ was not established until after the Day of Pentecost.

Moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ did not establish a church with vertical leadership structure, with any man at the apex of a pyramid. He is the only One who occupies that position. His church was intended to have a horizontal leadership structure. That is why He said in Luke 22:25-26, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.”

 He amplified the same theme in Matthew 23:8-10: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven, Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.” Paul the apostle equally stressed the need for horizontal leadership in the church by calling on believers to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Does horizontal leadership invalidate the role of church elders or the five-fold ministry gifts? Certainly not.

God is not the author of confusion. He conceived the church as a body for a reason. Each member of the church is supposed to operate as a joint that supplies nourishment to the entire body (Ephesians 4:16). Paul alluded to this in 1 Corinthians 12:21, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, I don’t need you” (1 Corinthians 12:21). In essence, all parts of the body have specific functions to perform. Is this the reality in the modern church?

Order of Service in New Testament Church

This is clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “How is then, brothers? When you come together, every one of you has a psalm, a teaching, a tongue, a revelation, and an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” The order of service unveiled by Paul made provision for believers to operate in the ministry gifts enumerated in chapter 12:7-10, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.”

       The five-fold ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers operate in unison with these gifts in leadership capacity, but they do not usurp the function of the body. For instance, the pastor of a local church is not expected to be the only joint supplying nourishment to the body by being its eyes, ears, mouth, legs, hands etc. In fact, he must not present ‘sermons’ or teaching series every Sunday or whichever day the church chooses to meet. Thus, he is not under pressure to meet anybody’s expectation since all members attend the meeting with something from the Lord.

          They meet to fellowship with each other and with the Father; and not to feed on the pastor. There is no way the pastor of this local church can experience a burnout. The house church movement, which is blossoming in many parts of the world, comes close to providing members with the nourishment required for them to grow and mature in their relationship with God. This is because each member is expected to have a deep relationship with God and to share his or her experiences with others whenever the church meets for fellowship. 

Order of Service in Traditional Church

         The Pastor, General Overseer, Apostle or whatever title men give to themselves, is the central figure in this church. He is the alpha and omega; the “junior Holy Spirit.” He decides what hymns should be sung, and in some cases, the choruses the worship leader should raise during service. He decides what theme to raise in his messages.

In fact, the Holy Spirit takes a back seat in this church as everything is organised by the pastor or other people performing this function. This is the minister, who is susceptible to burnout because he does not have the grace to perform the function of the body of Christ. He has usurped the responsibility of other church members and cannot draw strength from Christ, the head of the church. This is the prevailing situation in most institutional churches. Is it any wonder that most of their members are malnourished and do not have any light to shine on their world?

           It gladdens my heart that many believers across the world are leaving these man-made institutions to establish houses churches that align with the New Testament pattern. The church of Jesus Christ lost the New Testament order of service after Emperor Constantine of Rome made Christianity a state religion. After he established the Roman Catholic Church, he incorporated into it, all rituals and traditions of the pagan religion he claimed to have discarded.

That was the starting point for the church being identified as a building, the separation of members into laity and clergy; the use of pulpits and introduction of sermons, and other rituals still practiced by the Roman Catholic Church and its offspring- Orthodox and Pentecostal churches. Even when Luther left the Catholic Church over the payment of indulgence to get people out of the Catholic purgatory, he did not tamper with these rituals, including the division of the church into laity and clergy. 

 I counsel our readers to be like the Berean believers who were commended by the writer of the Acts of Apostles for studying Scriptures for themselves after Paul preached to them (Acts 17:11). If you are not convinced about what we have discussed here, take up the matter with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will open your eyes to the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit.                  

***** Some materials sourced from Why Pastors Are Burning Out, https://www.nytimes.com; What is Pastor Burnout? https://gravitycommons.com.