The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1948-10-13
SholI Lay Leaders
Compete With
Clergy?
EDITORIAL

The church must have its
clergy leadership. It must also
have lay leadership. But the
church cannot afford to have
clergy leadership and lay leader
ship in conflict with each other.
There is distinct place for
clergy leadership in the church,
and there is a distinct place for
lay leadership. Both places of
leadership are equally important.
They differ, however, in sphere
and they differ in degree. There
is never need for conflict between
the pastor as a leader and the
laymen as leaders when they
fully understand the nature, the
scope, and the limitations of
their respective types of leader
ship.
Clergy Leadership Leads
Clergy leadership heads the
church. The nature Of religious
activities, traditions, scriptural
basis and church laws naturally
place clergy leadership at the
helm of the church.
The key to the success of the
church is the pastor. He is the
head of the church. The pastor
is "the man of God" He called
of God to preach the word and
administer sacred things.
The law of the church gives
him a standing different from that
of a layman. He is the natural,
the Scriptural, the legal leader
of the church. He is not one of
the local flock. He goes before
the flock as a leader. The men,
zership looks to the pastor as a
spiritual advisor. They look upon
him as a leader to help him con-
serve that which is good. They
look upon him as a reformer of
that which needs rectifying. The
pastor Is the head that thinks
and plans for the spiritual well
fare land not Financially of the
congregation. Each individual
member looks to the pastor as
their spiritual leader, advisor,
counsellor; as a big brother, as
a father, as their shepherd. No
layman can fill such place as
the pastor.
Church Depends on Lay Leaders
The success of the church de-
ponds upon active, vigorous, con-
secrated lay leadership. Accord
ing to apostolic practice, laymen
were deputized by the apostles to
preach and spread the kingdom.
Laymen, like Erasmus, Calvin,
: Melanchthon and others, led the
reformation because they b e.
lieved every Christian had direct
access to God. The most vital
and fruitful periods of church
history have been those in which
laymen have most wildly realized
and discharged their duty.
Lay Leadership coordlnates
Lay leadership in the church is
a coordinating leadership. II
works with and under the clergy
leadership. 1t is basic; 1t is the
| foundation of church leadership
Without adequate lay leadership
there could be no church. Lay
leadership must coordinate with
and sometimes subordinate to
clergy leadership. But is is just
as important as ones body is to
the head; they are inseparable.
Sources of Conflict
Conflicts between clergy and
lay leadership occur whenever
either Attempts to usurp the power
of the other Conflict arises when
any one laymen or small group
attempts to head the leadership
of the church and dictate its pol
icies over and above the clergy
leadership. Conflict also arises
when the clergy disregards the
coordinating place of lay leader
ship in the church program. A
dictator clergyman retards the
progress of the church; a dictator
layman wrecks the harmony of
the church Dictatorship from
clergy or from the laity is out of
place in the church and brings
failure.
The leadership in the church
cannot be ahead of the clergy
leadership. Lay leadership should
be with the clergy leadership;
both working together for the
good of the Kingdom.
The Christian Index