Christian layman
By: Dr. L. M. Murry
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The most popular word used in the Baptist Church vocabulary in Nagaland is “layman”. There is serious misunderstanding of its meaning. It has created confusion among believers. We are accustomed to use our terminology very loosely. Layman is always used in connection with the ministry of the Clergy. The division of Clergy and Layman is not found in the Bible. The ministry of clergy and laymen came only in the second century of Church history. In the beginning, Christianity had no separate priestly order. All the first converts went everywhere, preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wherever, sufficient numbers of believers in a place was found, a community of those believers was formed. They came together in the name of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, on the first day of the week to “break bread” and to edify each other in love (Acts 20:7). When the Apostles found an opportunity to visit such assemblies, they entrusted the elders to take spiritual oversight of the assemblies (Eph.4:10-17). Several elders were entrusted to look after the assemblies. It was never a single leader but always several of them in each assembly. From the scriptural references just made above, we can discern the divine order for Church life. Nowhere, there is any indication of separation of “clergy” and “layman”. All believers stood in the same ground as to the priesthood of all believers, worship, and nearness to God. Both Peter and John clearly stated very clearly what it means to be believers in Christ. “Ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” 1 Pet.2:5, 9. “Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood; and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen, Rev.1:5-6. Priesthood in the New Testament is that of “the priesthood of all believers” 1 Pet.2:9-10. The lowliest, if washed in the blood of Jesus Christ is whiter than snow and fitted to enter the most Holy place and worship within the “Veil” There is no “Outer Court” worship now. There is no privilege class of Sarcerdoral order in the Scripture. The distinction of Clergy and laity came out of Judaism. The Episcopal ordination firmly established this order. This original sin of the Church has made the Church suffered for the last two thousand years. The Bishops gradually assumed the title of Pontiff. It became a sacred order. The place of mediation was assumed by the priestly caste. By the year 245 AD the Bishops started getting salaries and they were forbidden to follow any secular employment. But some believers continued to follow the practices of the Church of the apostolic days. Many of them were persecuted by the organized Episcopal Church but there had always been silver lining of God. Those few Christians who did not align with the established Church were banished and executed. They were classed as dissenters, Separatists and were given different names like Ana-Baptist, Pietist, Calvinist, Baptists etc. The division of believers in the ministry of Christ as official and non-official is unbiblical. It is merely human invention against the Divine order. The body image of the Church is the only Divine Order. It is the ministry of the whole people of God The love of office and pre-eminence, in the Baptist Churches in Nagaland has now become a thing to be sought for through many observances of mere official human inventions. The pre-eminence of the Holy Spirit has already been edged out in the periphery. The separation of Clergy and Laity has now taken a new turn. Our Naga Christian understanding of the separation is that of academic. All those believers who had no seminary education are termed “Laymen”. Those who studied in seminaries are termed “theologians”. They have now assumed the prerogative of preaching the gospel and for any ministry in the church. There is hoarding of the Word of God while the majority of the people of the World are starving for it. A famine of God’s word has set in. The prophecy of the Prophet Amos is being fulfilled in our own life time Amos 8:11-12. If we are to go by the real meaning of the separation of clergy and laity, not all seminary graduates are in the Church ministry. They are therefore laymen because they are not clergy. Let there be no confusion about the ministry by the distinction of seminary studies and other studies. Church ministry does not depend on formal education in different institutions. The term “Layman” according to dictionary is someone who is not in the profession of that particular job. In the Church a layman is who is not a clergy. A theological graduate who is not a clergy is also a layman. In Nagaland today, any seminary graduate is called a theologian. Nobody becomes a theologian just by studying in a theological seminary. Not all who studied in theological Seminaries become theologian. There are lay theologians like our former Governor of Nagaland late M. M. Thomas. He was not a church employee. He was a theologian but a lay theologian. The famous Christian writer, late C. S. Lewis was a lay theologian though he did not study in a seminary. To be a theologian one has to make specific original contribution about the concept of God. In fact the word “Theologian” is not a prerogative of Christians. There are Hindu, Buddhist, Jains, Parsis, Jewish, Muslim theologians. They are those who had contributed original understanding of the concept of God in their own beliefs. Let us be clear, all those who are ordain to discharge Church ordinances are clergy and all others are all laymen irrespective of what ministry they perform. Dr. L. M. Murry, Chairman, OBCMS.
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