Ministers All at Brewster Baptist Church

We are all ministers, said the Chaplain at the last session of the
new member class. As such, we are expected to contribute to
the life of the church in an active capacity. She also pointed
out many practices of the American Baptist churches which
made me sit up and pay close attention. They are sharp
differences with liturgical churches.

While clergy in most of the ABC are seminary graduates,
pastors in some may not be. They may have a gift for
preaching or other attributes that enable them to form and
hold a congregation. Think Robert Duvall in "The Apostle."
The communion service may be led by anyone. It is not
a sacrament, simply a commemoration of the Last Supper.
The creeds are not read at BBC, because they do not
come directly from the Bible. Only extemporaneous
prayers are said, although it appears that the pastors have
written out some of what they wish to say.

Derived directly from all of the above is a self-analysis
that all new members are required to complete, and clergy
and laymen repeat every five years. The conclusion is
that one is able to identify the ministry area that he or she
is best suited for. I worked the thing backwards, as I
already knew what that was, to wit, adult education.

My proposed small group is cleared for takeoff. The
Dean has approved everything I have proposed, including
choice of subject and use of my group guidelines. After
the announcement appears in the church bulletin, I will
see what the response is, convene an organization
meeting, and decide upon day, time, and venue. I'm
thinking about Hebrews as a start, using the Life Study
Guide.