One of the great developments from the Reformation was the affirmation of the "priesthood of the believers."

From this, Protestants held that they needed no other intercessor with their Father God other than Jesus Himself, and that when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn and eliminated as a boundary between people and the holiest location — that of the glory of God's presence.

It represented that direct access to God had become afforded to the common person regardless of education, training, status in life, privilege, family pedigree, intellectual capacity, or social acceptableness.

No one else was needed for a person to nurture this intimate relationship with God. People no longer had to rely on and go through the official Priest to benefit from God's grace in their lives.

If that is now so, then what is the role of the protestant minister or pastor in the days in which we live?

The New Testament indicates that the pastor is to have an equipping ministry in the lives of people, helping them to live effectively in this world as citizens in the kingdom of God (Ephesians 4:11).

The Pastor is to teach and preach from the Bible (1 Timothy 4: 13,14; 2 Timothy 4:1,2). The Pastor is to discipline him or herself in godliness so as to be a solid example and encouragement to others (1 Timothy 4: 6-8; 2 Timothy 2: 15,16).

This is not a perfunctory role. Its focus is not on programs, routines, calendar events that must be managed and organised, or any other number of activities that must be carried out, like the social director on a cruise ship.

Neither is this a total responsibility for "making things happen." What is left? What does such a person do when equipping the saints for the work of the ministry?

What does it take to do the work of the ministry; for that matter what is the "work of the ministry" and who are "the saints?

The saints are not just a team in the National Football League (American football).

A "saint' is someone who knows God through faith in Jesus; a saint in current vernacular would be a "Christ follower".

The work of the ministry, that which saints are given to do, is diffuse and complex.

It is to shine like a light set in a place where many people can see; thus, a saint might be sent to prison where those in captivity might observe daily the stark contrast between how the saint lives — what he or she believes and how that makes a difference — and what others believe that influences how they live.

The work of the ministry is the action that saints take that, in turn, spreads the influence of God in the world and accomplishes the kind of growth that Jesus had in mind when he compared the Kingdom to the action of leaven in bread. Jesus told His disciples that He had sent them into the world in the same manner and for the same purpose that His Father had sent Him into the world (John 17: 6-21), and so the work of the ministry is to continue the commission of Jesus Christ. There is no greater commission than that.

What does it take to do the work of the ministry? It takes an ear to hear what the Holy Spirit says; it takes an eye to see what the Spirit of God is doing in one's midst.

One cannot do that on his or her own, apart from the fact of God living in and through the person in question.

It takes sensitivity and yieldedness to God. There are no certifications, degrees, diplomas, or permissions necessary beyond that.

Thus, when the pastor stands before the congregation during worship and begins to preach, he or she is facing a room full of ministers.

What a daunting privilege! So, what might a person do when attempting to equip such ministers?

It is like taking something that doesn't belong to oneself and giving it to someone more privileged.

Imagine a child sitting in the dust with parched and dry lips. To equip someone for the work of the ministry is to stimulate that person to take the bottle of water from your hand and pour out the water directly to that child.

It's the person who pours out the water who gets to see how it meets the need of the day. It's the person who pours out the water who gets the credit and the appreciation.

It's the person who pours out the water who comes alive through such service and becomes encouraged to give more and more sacrificially of self in order to quench the thirst of still more children.

And where is the pastor in such a scenario? Out of the way.