You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.
-Ezekiel 34:4, NIV
“They are a dime a dozen.”
I will always remember those words. They are seared into my psyche from a particularly difficult time in my life.
Those words were spoken at an Acts 29 Church Planting Boot Camp back in 2009 at Mars Hill Church – Ballard (WA).* While I remember them being spoken by a different main speaker than Mark Driscoll, they were spoken from the platform of that church to a room full of pastors or aspiring pastors.
Who were “a dime a dozen?”
Answer: Those leaders who were primarily pastoral–i.e. the priests.
The “real” important ones were the ones who were the prophets (preachers) or kings (money managers/administrators). These were the roles exalted at the Boot Camp.
What do I mean by Priest, King, and Prophet?
The Priest, King, and Prophet model of leadership was a model promoted in that event. The idea was that Christ was all three, and therefore, we needed to have all three represented in our church leadership (except, two roles were taught as more important than the one).
You see, the prophet can pack the butts in the pews through the power of their charisma and talent. They speak truth and deliver excellence in Bible teachings. This role is very important for a church plant succeeding, after all. You need the growth.
The king keeps the church afloat with wisely running the finances and such. They are the money and resource people. Like the prophet, they are very important for the young church plant to survive as well. Think of the kings as the shrewd businessmen of the church endeavor.
On the other hand, the priests are the sort that just naturally show up in small groups. At least, that is how they were presented at the Acts 29 Boot Camp. They are the type of people who genuinely care about other people. A church planter or leader does not need to worry about seeking out priests for their church as they just naturally appear in the course of developing small groups.
Also, priests can be a real drag.
They might warn the prophets about being too harsh in their messages or question the ethics of the money-management schemes. Their love of the sheep has a way of tainting them when the prophet and king have real business to accomplish. (This is my editorial thoughts speaking here.)
When the priestly or pastoral voice is openly devalued from the Mars Hill Church pulpit, literally, should it surprise us when the Mars Hill Church imploded over bullying the sheep and fellow shepherds?
My Acts 29 Boot Camp experience happened while I was still working on my Master of Divinity degree. It was very painful and invalidating as I am geared primarily towards the priestly role.
Nothing like being told that you are common and worthless at your (former) in-laws’ church!
This all took place in the context of my struggling marriage where getting a good, pastoral job took on the importance of saving my marriage (and validating my manhood per Mars Hill Church twisted teaching). It was ugly and unhealthy.
In retrospect, I am grateful that God protected me from jobs with Acts 29 churches and Mars Hill Church, in particular. Plus, God led me into a profession–professional chaplaincy–where the gifts of a priest are very important and valued.
I had a pastor mentor tell me the opposite of this devaluing statement I quote at the top of this post. Pastor Tom Buchan told me that to the degree the church does not have or listen to the priests is the degree to which it is unhealthy.
His words were prophetic as to what happened to Mars Hill Church (and many other churches who similarly devalued the truly priestly heart of God for His sheep).
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*With this now defunct church in the news recently due to a popular Christianity Today podcast, I thought I would share a little of my story regarding my experience with it.
