Gabe Lyons and the Needed Change in Our Church Structures

RJS, over at Jesus Creed (Scot McKnight’s website), asks some VERY important questions in light of what Gabe Lyons has written in his new book, The Next Christians: How a New Generation is Restoring the Faith.
Lyons writes,

“We educate, train, and hire “professional ministers,” placing a higher spiritual value on certain jobs and professions (like direct evangelism and service) and marking others (such as entertainment, academia, and science) as off-limits to orthodox Christians.

There are many practical benefits to this approach, but their are complications as well. For example, everyday Christians can develop and overdependence on formal ministry organizations. What’s more they are conditioned to view their own job as separate from ‘real ministry.’” (p. 109)

Reflecting on these words, RJS muses,

The church needs to empower and prepare Christians to go out into the world. The job of the pastor is not to lead in mission doing the “real work” of the church, but to nurture, disciple, and prepare Christians to go out into the world to do the real work of the church… The real work of the church is done not by the leadership vision attracting large numbers into the church, but by the people of the church sent out into every sphere of society.  Back to the questions above… assuming that Lyons is right and there is a shift and transformation taking place within the body of Christ …

How does it reshape the concept of church? How does it reshape the view of the success?

How does it impact the role of the pastor?

Go over to Jesus Creed and weigh in.