Program / Course 3: The Rule of Life / Lesson 5.5
What you will learn
- State which acts the Catholic and Orthodox churches reserve to ordained ministers.
- State the Lutheran, Reformed and Baptist positions on who may administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- Explain the idea of the priesthood of all believers and how traditions read it.
- Write an honest statement of what you will do about acts your tradition says need a church.
The big idea
Traditions differ sharply on which acts of worship need a church and an ordained minister. Catholic and Orthodox Christians teach that the Eucharist, absolution, ordination, confirmation and the anointing of the sick require a bishop or priest, while baptism may be given by anyone in an emergency. Lutherans and Reformed Christians require a lawfully called minister for the sacraments. Baptists and Quakers differ again. This lesson states each position as its own members hold it, without ruling on which is right.
Key terms
- Ordination
- The rite by which a person is set apart for ministry in the church, usually by prayer and the laying on of hands.
- Sacrament
- A rite believed to convey or sign God’s grace. Catholics and Orthodox count seven. Most Protestants count two, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- Ordinance
- A term used by many Baptists and others for baptism and the Lord’s Supper, stressing that they are commanded acts of obedience.
- Priesthood of all believers
- The teaching, based on 1 Peter 2:9, that all Christians have access to God through Christ and share in his priesthood.
- Apostolic succession
- The teaching that bishops hold authority passed down from the apostles through the laying on of hands.
- Validity
- In Catholic and Orthodox usage, the question whether a sacrament has been rightly performed so as to be genuine.
Background
This subject requires care. Many students come to this course because they have no church or have left one. They will want to know what they can do alone and what they cannot. The honest answer is that it depends on the tradition. The course does not claim that private practice replaces every form of communal or sacramental life. It also does not claim that a person must join a particular church. It states what the major traditions teach so that the student can think for himself or herself.
The key ideas are ordained ministry and church authority. In Catholic and Orthodox teaching, Christ gave the apostles authority to teach, to baptize, to forgive sins and to celebrate the Eucharist, and they passed that authority to bishops by the laying on of hands. In the Protestant Reformation, the reformers rejected a distinction between priests and laity as a distinction of spiritual rank, while keeping a ministry of word and sacrament by call and ordination.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: Catholic teaching
The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist can be validly celebrated only by a validly ordained priest or bishop. Absolution in the sacrament of Penance, the anointing of the sick, confirmation and holy orders are likewise given by bishops or priests, with bishops the ordinary ministers of confirmation and ordination. Marriage is conferred by the spouses before the Church, with a priest or deacon as the Church’s witness in the usual form.
Baptism may be given by anyone in an emergency, if the person uses water and the Trinitarian words and intends what the Church does (Catechism 1256). Lay people may lead prayer, offer certain blessings, read Scripture, teach and lead the Liturgy of the Hours. The Catholic Church holds that the common priesthood of the baptized differs in kind from the ministerial priesthood of priests (Lumen Gentium 10).
Step 2: Orthodox teaching
The Orthodox Church holds that the mysteries are given in the church by bishops and priests. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated by a priest or bishop, and confession is heard by a priest. Baptism is normally given by a priest, and in an emergency a lay person may baptize, with the baptism later completed by the church. Chrismation, which follows baptism, is administered by a priest.
Orthodox teachers stress that the church is not an association of individuals but the body of Christ gathered around the bishop and the Eucharist. For this reason they teach that salvation is lived in the church, and that private prayer, however good, is not a substitute for the Liturgy. They do not, however, claim to judge what God does outside the visible boundaries of the church.
Step 3: Lutheran, Reformed and Baptist teaching
The Augsburg Confession (Article 14) teaches that no one should teach publicly in the church or administer the sacraments unless properly called. The Westminster Confession says that neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper may be administered by any but a minister of the word lawfully ordained. Both reject the idea that a lay person may ordinarily preside, although they do not hold that the ministers’ ordination makes them a different kind of Christian.
Baptists, who call baptism and the Lord’s Supper ordinances, generally teach that the local congregation authorizes who may administer them, and that nothing in the New Testament sets a rigid line between ordained and lay for these acts, though most congregations have pastors who preside. Quakers practice no outward baptism or Lord’s Supper at all, holding that the true baptism and communion are inward. Pentecostal and other independent churches vary.
Step 4: Priesthood of all believers and what a person can do
First Peter 2:9 calls Christians a royal priesthood. Luther took this to mean that every baptized person has access to God and may pray, read Scripture, and proclaim the gospel to others. He did not conclude that every person should preside at the sacraments, and he held that order required a call. Others, including some Baptists, draw a wider conclusion about lay ministry. Catholics and Orthodox affirm a common priesthood of all the baptized as well, while distinguishing it from the ordained priesthood.
A student who belongs to a tradition holding that some acts need ordained ministry has several choices. The student may take part in a church that offers them, or wait until that is possible, or come to a different conviction after study and prayer. Each choice has consequences, and the tradition will say what they are. The assignment asks the student to state honestly which choice he or she makes and why, without pretending that the question does not exist.
- Which acts does my tradition reserve to ordained ministers?
- What do I actually do about each one at present?
- If I hold a different conviction from the tradition I grew up in, how did I come to it?
- Am I treating a convenient answer as if it were a settled one?
- What would taking part elsewhere require of me?
- What would waiting require, and for how long?
Examples
A Catholic in a remote place
A Catholic living far from any church prays the Liturgy of the Hours and reads the Mass readings on Sundays, makes an act of spiritual communion and plans to attend Mass and confession when he next travels. He does not pretend to celebrate Mass himself. (A constructed example.)
A Baptist with a house church
A small group of believers meets in a home and shares the Lord’s Supper after prayer, led by an elder chosen by the group. They believe that Scripture permits this. (A constructed example. Other traditions would disagree.)
An honest statement
A man raised Lutheran writes that he believes the Lord’s Supper needs a called pastor, so he will not hold it at home. He will attend a Lutheran church twice a year and meanwhile keep prayer and reading. (A constructed example.)
Different perspectives
The Catholic view
The Eucharist, absolution, confirmation, orders and the anointing of the sick are given through bishops and priests. In an emergency anyone may baptize. Catholics hold that Christ established the structure of the Church and that sacraments received outside it are, in various degrees, defective.
The Orthodox view
The mysteries belong to the church, gathered around its bishop. Orthodox Christians see the Eucharist as the center of the church’s life and the priest as a servant of the gathered body. They do not tend to specify what happens outside the church’s bounds.
The Lutheran and Reformed view
Sacraments are administered by a lawfully called minister of the word, in the gathered congregation. This is a matter of order rather than of rank. Lutherans and the Reformed both reject the claim that ordination bestows an indelible spiritual character.
The Baptist and free-church view
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances given to the local congregation, and each congregation judges who administers them. The emphasis is on obedience and on the gathered believers, and on freedom from hierarchical control.
The Quaker view
Friends hold that the inward baptism of the Spirit and communion with Christ do not require outward rites or ordained ministers. They gather in silent worship, and ministry arises from any member as the Spirit leads.
Why it matters
A rule of life for someone outside a church must be honest about what it does not include. Readers have been led by various voices to think that private devotion contains everything. The traditions say otherwise in different ways. Setting down the positions plainly lets each student make an informed, honest decision, and supports the program’s commitment not to claim that private practice replaces communal and sacramental life.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: The priesthood of all believers means no one needs ordained ministers.
Correction: Luther, Calvin and the confessions held that all believers have access to God while still requiring a called ministry for word and sacrament. Some Baptists and others draw wider conclusions. The doctrine is read in different ways.
Misunderstanding: Catholics and Orthodox forbid lay people to baptize in any case.
Correction: Both allow lay baptism in emergencies, under conditions the churches state.
Misunderstanding: This program tells students which tradition is right.
Correction: It does not. It states each position as its members hold it and leaves the decision to the student.
Knowledge check
Which acts do Catholics reserve to ordained ministers?
The celebration of the Eucharist, absolution in Penance, the anointing of the sick, confirmation (ordinarily by a bishop) and holy orders. Baptism may be given by anyone in an emergency. Lay people may lead prayer, read Scripture, teach and pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
What do the Augsburg Confession and the Westminster Confession say about administering the sacraments?
Augsburg Article 14 says no one should teach publicly or administer the sacraments without a proper call. The Westminster Confession says baptism and the Lord’s Supper are to be administered only by a minister of the word lawfully ordained. Both treat this as a matter of order.
How do Baptists and Quakers differ from the above?
Baptists treat baptism and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances given to the local congregation, which decides who administers them. Quakers hold that the true baptism and communion are inward and practice no outward rites. Both reject an ordained priesthood in the Catholic or Orthodox sense.
What choices does a student have if his or her tradition requires ordained ministry for an act?
Take part in a church that offers it, wait until that is possible, or come to a different conviction after study and prayer. Each choice has consequences according to the tradition, and an honest student states the choice and gives reasons rather than ignoring the question.
Think it through
- Is there an act of worship you wish you could receive but cannot at present?
- What does your tradition say, and do you accept it?
- How can you remain honest about what your private practice does not provide?
Independent assignment
An honest statement
In your notebook, write 350 to 500 words. State your tradition, or the one you study. List the acts it says require a church or ordained minister (such as the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper, absolution, baptism, blessing). For each, write what you will do: take part elsewhere, wait, or hold a different conviction, and give your reasons. This statement feeds into your thirty-day rule. Do not post it.
Further study
- Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church Read the sections on holy orders and on lay baptism.
- Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) Read chapter 2, on the common priesthood.
- Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith Read the chapter on the sacraments.
- Timothy (Kallistos) Ware, The Orthodox Church Read the account of the church and the mysteries.
- Martin Luther, The Small Catechism Read the sections on baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- 1 Peter 2:9 A royal priesthood.
- Titus 1:5 Appointing elders in every city.
- Acts 14:23 Ordaining elders.