Maybe I missed the post but did we ever establish that the duty of proclaiming the Word was restricted to just elders, or is it of course the duty of elders as well as the duty of the priesthood of all believers? It seems to me that there is a funnel down level of duty in that those who are more mature have the duty of teaching/discipling those who are less mature. In a teaching elder lead service are we now saying it is wrong for the elder to appoint or ask someone to share in the service by reading Scripture? If we really believe that it is wrong, then it is the responsibility of the elders to also collect the worship giving through the offering, is it not? Then we would have to say it is the duty of the elders to play the piano and organ as they proclaim the Word through music. So are the spiritual gifts restricted to elders? Harry Chad Richard Bresson <breusswane@...> wrote: 24jreisinger26@... wrote: >I attended a church service today that has a regular practice each week >of a husband and wife team reading the Scripture and praying. The wife >read the Scripture and the husband led in prayer. >1. Does such a practice violate any Biblical principles? IMHO, it does. I have come to believe that what holds true for the "Proclamation of the Word" by elders encompasses the reading of the scripture and prayer, which are ministries of the word. IOW, I do not believe the text allows us to dichotomize corporate prayer and the Scriptures from the act of preaching as is our American habit. >2. Has anyone ever seen this practiced? No. It almost seems like an "inclusive" attempt to bring women into the visible aspects of worship... last week I was at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in which Kay Arthur got up to speak and precluded her "sermon" with a disclaimer that she was under the authority of her pastor and her husband, after which she delivered an expository sermon. That disclaimer seemed to be an attempt to get around the biblical mandates about proclamation... and it would seem that having the wife reading the scriptures and praying with her husband is the same kind of an attempt. In both instances, "the disclaimer" doesn't wash, IMHO. -- Pastor Chad Richard Bresson Clearcreek Chapel Springboro, OH http://breusswane.blogspot.com -- Read the Sound of Grace pages at http://www.soundofgrace.com To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: soundofgrace-unsubscribe@... To view our online archive go to our web page at http://www.associate.com/groups/soundofgrace --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze. -- Read the Sound of Grace pages at http://www.soundofgrace.com To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: soundofgrace-unsubscribe@... To view our online archive go to our web page at http://www.associate.com/groups/soundofgrace