Ministry Ranking
 

I watched a sermon from camp last year in which the evangelist told the campers that the men that sat behind him on the platform were no more important than they were, in the Kingdom.

I guess I have always thought of Pastors as being on a higher plane than the regular saint. Looking at Eph 4:11, what say ye on this.

They are human. They would like to create that higher place. It is a respect thing not a kingdom position thing...

could you help me out a little by expanding what "on a higher plane" means to you?

It would seem inconsistent (and difficult) to imagine that those who serve are on a HIGHER plane than those who are the recipients of their service.

When talking on this subject at my church, my Pastor once stated that he is no better than the saints, but he has a higher rank. That puts him to the front of the line, kind of like a chain of command, not superiority as though he is better than us.

Michlow is going to love this thread.... :D

What Jesuswins said defines it as in rank.

Wouldn't more/deeper knowledge come with such a rank?

can you vote for both?

I have always seen the Apostles as being better than the rest of us but at the same time, I see their personal failures and take solice in that if the Apostles were not perfect, I dont have to be.

Just to make sure I am reading your words correctly...
You are saying that a higher plane = a higher rank.
and
A higher rank comes with some implied completion of a set of prerequistes.

If your view of the Body of Christ is a congregation of people with a whole continuim of possible ranks within some kind of hierarchy, I can understand your use of the word "rank" as a description of "a higher plane".

I view the Body of Christ as a body.

A body does not have rank or hierarchy. A body has a multifacetted collection of roles and functions; a diversity of callings and elections. Authority does not dictate function in a body; the roles (calling and elections) dictate function.

Do we read 1Co 12 and come away with a hierarchial assembly?
Do we really believe that God has prepared a body as his own habitation?

If we believe that our shared experience is as a spiritual body, there is no higher plane or rank among the members of a singular body.

If we embrace rank as being in operation, then our shared experience is SOMETHING OTHER THAN a body.

:killinme

I got fired up the second I read the first post!! :club

You are a deep individual.