Nowadays pastors are thrust into a world with increasing bureaucratic pressures that require them to spend more time advertising, hustling new members, overseeing shrinking budgets and squeezing their pastoral duties in between. Some say the biggest down side to churches with lay leadership instead of ordained ministers is a lack of leadership when divisions develop in the church. Many Roman Catholics understand this predicament. Since the priest is hopping from church to church, he doesn't have a pulse on the community and the parish he serves. But the Rev. Gerry Battersby, who works with another Roman Catholic priest to serve three Detroit parishes, disagrees.
Every parish wants to have their priest exclusively.
But love is not a finite thing. The more you give it away, the more there is to give. Though Protestant churches are also grappling with the issue, it's a little difficult to get a handle on because there are so many different denominations. The program, which is also blossoming in Episcopal churches that have ordained leaders, trains lay people to minister to the sick, celebrate the Eucharist, teach and preach. United Methodist Churches have managed to staff their churches with elders, who are ordained, and local pastors, who are licensed to preach and celebrate the rites of the sacraments.