To the question: who educates our churches about the role of the minister/pastor in relationship with the church and the wider community?

I replied:

Just to respond to this one question amongst many, the short answer, I believe, is that we pastors do about… let’s see… 90% of the ‘educating’ on such matters in our (Baptist) churches.

So when we ask a question about employment-status and lawyers respond, we get a legal perspective… interesting, that.

I have a minority view on the question of ‘pastoral clericalism’ (see http://jmm.org.au/articles/8109.htm ) and sincerely believe we reap what we sow in many of these matters… IOW what is the *unique* status of pastors, theologically-speaking- vis-a-vis the church? Only this: leadership.

In terms of role, ‘ministries’ of all kinds? Whatever the pastor-as-a-spiritually-gifted-person is gifted to do, confirmed by the ecclesial community, led by the Spirit, and in the context of (perhaps fasting) and prayer, (see Acts 13:1-3)…

Concomitant: does the pastor not have unique roles in terms of, say, teaching, preaching, chairing this and that, blessing people and groups, pastoral care, presiding at communion? Nope, unless that particular role is within the matrix of the pastor’s ‘gift-mix’ (to use a worn cliche).

Shalom! Rowland Croucher