The Importance of Offices in the Body of Christ

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You don't have to hold any special office in order to hold the general office that all of us have as saints, he says. Paul tells us very clearly that's what all believers are doing in the service. The church is created by the ministry of word and sacrament; it requires people but also a shepherd's voice. You may not have the gift of teaching or encouragement right now - you can still do them for others.

Many of us were raised in churches that downplayed the clergy-laity distinction. Every member, we were told, was a minister. Now, we’re in churches that take ordination seriously and that sees the biblical rationale for “office.” Maybe we’re even relieved to find that these churches don’t fill our calendars with a busy week of “ministry activities,” but instead prioritize Sunday worship. But where does that leave the laity? And where is the spiritual formation that happens when we live in community with one another? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider how the liturgy of our worship pushes back against the liturgies of the world. And they discuss the responsibility of members to exercise their spiritual gifts alongside their freedom to receive and rest on the Lord’s day.