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After World War II, the Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk (NHK), by way of the Church Order of 1951, made an arrangement that made it possible for professionals to function in an orderly fashion in conjunction with the pastor. There was much discussion about this arrangement, and adjustments were made as to some of the details. However, as far as its essence is concerned, one finds this arrangement in unaltered form in the church order of the Protestantse Kerk in Nederland (PKN). The Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (GKN) does not recognize the pastoral worker in its church order, but has formulated an arrangement, the nature of which is that such a professional has a position in this church comparable to that within the NHK. The Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk (ELK), which has united herself to the NHK and the GKN to constitute the PKN, grapples with a similar challenge -though she does not belong to the Reformed tradition.
The PKN is not the only denomination in which we find pastoral workers. We also find them in the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken (CGK), Gereformeerde Gemeenten (GG), Gereformeerde Kerken Vrijgemaakt (GKV), Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken (NGK), and Rooms-Katholieke Kerk (RKK), albeit under a variety of designations. In this investigation we wish to concentrate on the churches that belong to the Protestant tradition. The CGK and the GKV, as well as the PKN, have incorporated stipulations in their respective church orders regarding the position of the pastoral worker. The NGK and the GG have made arrangements that are external to the church order. The number of pastoral workers is growing. An important factor in explain-ing all this is that their employment is cheaper and allows for more flexibility than is true for pastors. There are various institutions for professional education that offer an ecclesiastically sanctioned training for pastoral workers, the result of which is that such employees are readily available. Within the PKN one will find the trend that the number of pastors is decreasing and the number of pastoral workers is increasing.
The manner in which the church has incorporated the position of pastoral worker in her church order is creating practical problems. In order to analyze this problem, I initiated a nation-wide inquiry among the registered pastoral workers in the PKN. This yielded the conclusion that an old sticking point constitutes the essence of this problem: There is a need in the churches for someone who has the authority that belongs to the office of the ministry,
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authority a pastoral worker, from a church-orderly perspective, does not have. Research indicates that the professional profile of a pastoral worker coalesces to a large extent with that of the pastor. The church order, however, presupposes that the professional profile of the pastoral worker differs. It wishes to make a distinction. In reality, the congregation neither recognizes nor acknowledges this difference — or views the status of a pastoral worker to be lower than that of a pastor in light of the fact that he is not an office-bearer. The congregation desires one who is professionally employed to engage in the ministry of the Word — preaching, the administration of the sacraments, the pastorate, and catechetical instruction. The authority of the pastoral worker is limited to the two latter categories. In the church order of the PKN there is room for pastoral workers to function as assistants. The churches, however, are in most cases not interested in an assistant, but rather, in a substitute. This difference as to what the function of the pastoral worker ought to be is the source of discord, frustration and conflict.
The church order recognizes the possibility of granting permission to a pastoral worker to preach. Such licensure to preach means that a pastoral worker may conduct a worship service by “speaking an edifying word,” or by “preaching the gospel.” The church uses such and other expressions to describe this sort of preaching in order to make clear that this differs from the preaching of a pastor who is the minister of the Word and who engages in the ministry and proclamation of the Word on the basis of his office. It is evident that granting such licensure to preach meets a need — but throughout the years it has also generated considerable discord. The problem with this is that the congregation does not perceive that there is any difference between the preaching of a pastoral worker and that of a minister. One has difficulty with the fact that the pastoral worker is permitted to preach, but is not permitted to engage in other official tasks, such as the sacraments and officiating at weddings. This is particularly a problem in congregations that are without a minister and where a pastoral worker functions as substitute.
This means that the church is confronted with a stubborn problem: the position and jurisdiction of a pastoral worker. The church has always assumed that the Reformed doctrine of the offices only permits the function of a pastoral worker to be one that is non-office-bearing in nature. The NHK church order refers to this position as a “ministry”, whereas the church order of the PKN makes mention of “other services.” This terminology is ambiguous; it does not define the uniqueness of the position of a pastoral worker. A number of times the Synods of the NHK, GKN, and ELK have discussed the possibility of bestowing on pastoral workers the office of the ministry, and to
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make a distinction within this office between pastors who are either professionally certified or have a university degree. They have rejected this possibility, using the argument that a clerus minor — a subordinate clergy — is not desirable. Yet, the reality is that the pastoral worker functions as such. In fact, this is his position.
The position of the pastoral worker is outside of the boundaries of the offices of the church. The church derives the arguments in favor of this designation from the Reformed doctrine of the offices, thereby appealing to the New Testament. It is characteristic for this doctrine that it posits the three-fold office of pastor, elder, and deacon. The pastor is the minister of the Word, and is thereby authorized to administer both Word and sacrament. With an appeal to this three-fold office, the PKN did not wish to expand the number of offices. The church has rejected the idea of a distinction within the office of the ministry, using as argument that this would result in a hierarchy — a notion contrary to the Reformed doctrine of the offices.
My analysis of the appeal Reformed theologians make to the New Testament to establish the structure of the offices yields a large variety of opinions. These interpretations differ and in a variety of ways contradict each other. The implication is that it is a difficult task to find a blue-print in the New Testament for the structure of the offices. A majority of theologians cannot simply deduce this structure from the New Testament.
The “communis opinio” among New Testament theologians is that during the period in which the New Testament church emerges, certain functions develop as well as positions that we refer to as offices, but that a fully developed structure of the offices is certainly not present during this phase of the church's history. The offices, functions, tasks, and nomenclature indicate that the structure is open-ended, complex, and dynamic. The church has a calling, and the diversity of names and terms is a primary indication of this. An evolution probably occurred toward the direction of an official structure, such as we find in the early church: the three-fold office of overseer (bishop)/presbyter (elder)/deacon. Most New Testament theologians are in agreement that we already find this structure in embryonic form in the New Testament.
We read in the New Testament that presbyters were appointed in the churches by Paul and his co-laborers. Considering the totality of the New Testament data, we can conclude that the word “presbyter” or “elder” in practice referred to the position that we, in the Reformed tradition, assign to the minister of the Word, the shepherd of the congregation, the pastor.
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The New Testament period was a time when a functional and official structure developed within the church in response to, and by interacting with, the circumstances in which the church found herself. During the period of the Reformation, we observe the same development. In his time, John Calvin therefore developed an official structure that enabled the church to fulfill her calling. He legitimizes his structure by appealing to the New Testament and the early church. We have the responsibility to develop an ecclesiastical structure that we need within our context. We therefore have room to adjust the present official structure in such a fashion that the pastoral worker can assume a position as preacher or assistant. Neither an appeal to the New Testament, nor an appeal to Calvin can lead to the conclusion that the position of a professionally certified pastoral worker is exclusively outside of the realm of the offices.
According to the church order, the pastoral worker is authorized to carry out specific tasks within the congregation. It is not unusual to view the pastoral worker as a specialist, and the assignment of tasks to him as a form of specialization. Such terminology is not correct, however. From an organizational perspective, we do not have specialization here, but rather, differentiation. The church order of the PKN does not permit the pastoral worker to function as a specialist. A specialist is not someone who carries out one or more specific tasks, but rather, someone who engages in a specific ministry. He contributes a specific category of ministry. Such a ministry must, in order to be legitimate, encompass at least all essential services. To this belongs the conducting of worship services, as well as the authority to administer the sacraments.
The church is a professional organization. The pastors are the professionals who during a lengthy period of training and preparation are equipped to function as ministers of the Word. The churches of the protestant or Reformed tradition, thereby deviating from other professional organizations, know of no formal phases in the development of the competence of professionals from the moment they engage in their work. The early church, however, did know of such phases in the development of professional competence within her official structure: deacon-presbyter-bishop.
Pastoral workers do not have the position of an office-bearer. Consequently, they do not participate in the official assemblies. They do not belong to the official infrastructure of the church. Even though they are professionals, this professional infrastructure does not recognize them as fellow professionals. This causes friction and does not promote the functioning of the church as a professional organization.
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I am of the opinion that the formation of categories within the
office of the ministry is necessary in order to solve the
problems surrounding the position of the pastoral worker — as
well as to enable the church to function as a professional
organization. The categories I propose are the following:
a. Junior pastor
b. Pastor
c. Senior pastor
The distinction between the three categories is based on the
difference in professional competence. Such professional
differentiation makes it possible to promote the professionalism
of professionals in a focused and functional manner.
Presently the training for the ministry is offered exclusively at the university level. My proposal embraces the idea that this would be offered at a non-university as well as a university level. Reality will dictate which type of training will be most satisfactory. There are arguments in favor of both types of training — professional as well as academie training. The difference in training as articulated in this proposal does not imply a difference in remuneration. This is, however, applicable to the distinction of junior pastor/pastor — and ultimately to the level of senior pastor.
Both types of theologians — professionally certified and with a university degree — can, according to need, specialize in an area such as evangelism, mission work, church planting, youth work, or a pastorate for seniors. We are referring here to a full-fledged specialization which contributes to a specific area of ministry — a complete package of services for a specific type of ministry. In addition to the pastor being the specialist for congregational work, other possible official specialists would be: evangelist, missionary, church planter, youth worker, pastor to seniors. Such specialization must also be governed by professional differentiation. Perhaps two phases — rather than three — would suffice: a junior position and a position with full authorization. This needs to be worked out in more detail. Further development toward a position designated as “senior pastor” should not be excluded, and a different title for this position would perhaps be better. The title “bishop” is one to which the Dutch tradition is very sensitive, but is a title for a leading office which has the full support of the New Testament.
We can read in the New Testament that Paul desires that one presbyter be appointed in every congregation. For Calvin the essential task of the presbyter is: the ministry of the Word. The presbyter is both pastor and teacher, and the minister of the Word. He is an office-bearer. Considering what great importance
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Paul and Calvin, among others, attached to the position of the minister of the Word in the congregation, the church must do everything in her power to provide every congregation with such a minister. My proposal offers the professional structure for this.
In his Institutes, Calvin presents us with a four-fold official structure: Teacher-pastor-elder-deacon. In the Reformed tradition, the first of these offices has not been developed, and thus we know of three offices. Calvin developed this structure by interpreting biblical data in a rather loose fashion. The elder and the deacon are for him men whose office is that of an assistant. Given the need in the church for an assistant to the pastor, and the possibility, desired by many, that such a professional would have an official position, we are proposing a fourth office: a pastoral worker. This professional would be engaged in one or more areas of the pastorate: catechetical instruction, evangelism, or other forms of congregational work. He would not replace the pastor, but rather, would assist him.
The present possibility that pastoral workers would be appointed (as professionals, but by virtue of this title in a non-office-bearing capacity) to assist pastors on a part-time basis remains in tact in my proposal. Wherever there is a structural need for assistance, it would be preferable to appoint a (part-time) pastor, since he would have the official authorization and competence to engage in the ministry of the Word. The implication could be that another position for pastor needs to be created.