OPERATING A CHURCH WITHOUT A PASTOR (5)

0. Introduction

a) Can a church start WITHOUT an "ordained" person, be they a Pastor, Priest or Minister, present to lead the group? Are there certain functions and ceremonies within the church that should only be performed by those who receive a salary to serve? Below are several common practices and services that Christian churches commonly perform and how they can be handled by small groups and fellowships.

1. Counseling

a) There are no scriptures which say that brethren must go to an "ordained" person for counseling. There are none that say the advice of church leaders is God's advice. There are, however, numerous scriptures that promise answers to humble prayers seeking God's will. The Bible also says 'Without counsel purposes are frustrated, but in the multitude of counselors they are established' (Proverbs 15:22). People need to listen to a variety of wise advice and pray to make a wise choice. It can be dangerous if someone believes that all they need to do is counsel with any one "minister" and they will "receive God's will". They will tend to look around for a "minister" who will agree with what they want to do. Rather than blindly following one counselor, people must realize that they are responsible for finding multiple good counselors and then making the best decision from their advice. 

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