Who has access to the pulpit?

Briarwood · 03-23-2005, 11:42 AM

I am new to this forum and am not sure this is the appropriate place for my question, but here goes.

I am a commissioned lay Stephen Minister and will be giving the sermon at our regular church service (ELCA) in the absence of our pastor in a couple of weeks. In a run through of the service last night with the other participating laity, I was informed that I could not preach from the pulpit and must give the message from the lecturn where the lessons are read. It seems that the opinion here is that the pulpit is reserved for only ordained pastors. Is this local tradition or legend or is the pulpit actually holy ground reserved for pastors alone? I thought the purpose of the pulpit was for the reading, teaching, and preaching of the word no matter who was doing it.

It all just seems so hypocritical when the church bulletin heading lists our ministers as "all who love and worship the Lord Jesus Christ." Not only that but the topic of my sermon is a justification of lay ministry. It seems appropriate to me that the sermon should be delivered from the pulpit. Am I off base here?

Is there another web site/message board that you can refer me to for a definitve answer if I can't get one here?

Thank you
Briarwood

los angeles · 04-29-2005, 03:41 PM

I think it is great that you are going to be giving the sermon. We have many lay ministers in our church who often fill in for our pastor. I have never heard of a non-pastor not being able to preach from the pulpit. Mabey ELCA is different, but we (AFLC) don't have any rule like that. It sounds pretty obsured.

Quote:

"I thought the purpose of the pulpit was for the reading, teaching, and preaching of the word no matter who was doing it."

I agree. Pastors are people too and are no more "holy" than any other believer. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we are all priests before God. 1 Peter 2:9

ephesians5:14 · 05-15-2005, 08:24 PM

but then there is the other side of the coin...that the pulpit is a very sacred place and only a called and ordainded servent of the Lord should be there.
that's the only logical reason i can think of on why they would say u couldn't preach there.

doulos777 · 05-16-2005, 06:16 AM

Who thinks up all these rules?

**adamwagg** · 05-16-2005, 07:31 AM

Since when was the pulpit a biblically granted sacred place. I can think of no bible verse that gives a pulpit any special status.

Unless there is something to add "sacredness" to another item is dodgy in my books.

ICTHUS · 05-17-2005, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamwagg

Since when was the pulpit a biblically granted sacred place. I can think of no bible verse that gives a pulpit any special status.

Unless there is something to add "sacredness" to another item is dodgy in my books.

I can think of no Bible verse where the word 'pulpit' is mentioned either.

The reason why the Pulpit is sacred is because of the sacredness of the thing to be preached from it (namely, the Word of God)

rockon4l1fe · 05-17-2005, 05:35 PM

i have preached from the pulpit many a time.
im Roman Catholic, and i don't see why anywhere else it would be different.

ICTHUS · 05-17-2005, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockon4l1fe

i have preached from the pulpit many a time.
im Roman Catholic, and i don't see why anywhere else it would be different.

Ummmm..

I was a Roman Catholic for years - nobody except the priest has access to the pulpit..

I think your priest needs to read the GIRM. (General Instruction for the Roman Missal)

rockon4l1fe · 05-17-2005, 11:45 PM

i mite be thinking the wrong thing for pulpit. i dont wanna spread false word.

ICTHUS · 05-18-2005, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockon4l1fe

i mite be thinking the wrong thing for pulpit. i dont wanna spread false word.

You might be getting the lectern and the pulpit mixed up.

In the RCC, the laity (e.g. lay readers, those who read the announcements, etc) are allowed access to the former, but never the latter, which is reserved for the reading of the Gospel by the priest, and the preaching therefrom.

Milisha · 08-05-2005, 02:22 AM

I know that in every Lutheran church I've been to in Australia, the pulpit has been reserved for the Pastor, and the lectern for anyone else.

No, the pulpit isn't a "holy" place as such... it's just the purposes for the two are different.

Lectern comes from the Latin word meaning "to read". So from it are any readings, including Lay Reading.

Something delivered from the Pulpit is something which has official church authority. And as a result, can only be delivered by an ordained minister.

Robert Johnson · 06-02-2006, 09:33 PM

I as a laiy person, have given sermons from the pulpit of my ECLA Lutheran Church. Also, clergy of other denominations (including Catholic priests) have been accorded the access of our pulpit. A MAJOR tennent of our Christian Lutheran faith is the understanding of the "Priesthood of ALL believers").