Elmil Brunner interpreted the history of the church as moving from a fellowship of believers to an institution that preserved the tradition through time. What Brunner points to is the professionalization of the church. Lay members, rather than being bearers of the Good News, became seekers of the Good News which became the exclusive possession of the professional clergy. The professional clergy interpreted the tradition, including Scripture; administered the sacraments, which became the vehicle of salvation; and were the official representatives of the church to the state. They were the real Christians while the lay members were only pale reflections at a much lower level.
Organizationally this was efficient and effective, but it probably repeated the experience of Israel when they demanded a king to organize and protect them. Samuel’s warning about the way a king would absorb the resources of the people and direct their energies towards the service of the king rather than the people could prove to be a valuable basis for reflecting on the role of professionalization and its impact on the church. (1 Samuel 8) It is interesting to note that while God did not think that having an earthly king was the best way for Israel to go, God still agreed to their request. Not only that but God worked through the kings to protect Israel from their enemies.
In the end the kingship would be transformed in Christ. God, through Christ, again became the king to whom the people owed their ultimate loyalty. The effect was to limit the sovereignty of all forms of government over the people. Once again there was a higher authority to whom the people could appeal and call their government to account. The king or government was once again reminded that it was called by God to be a servant of the people. If the professionalization of the church is another version of this same story, it may be that the process of disestablishment of the church which will be described tommorow is another form of God’s returning the church to its calling as a servant community.
