The Priesthood of All Believers and the Missio Dei

The priesthood of all believers is a pillar undergirding Protestant ecclesiology. Yet the doctrine has often been used to serve diverse agendas. This book examines the doctrine's canonical, catholic, and contextual dimensions. It first identifies the priesthood of all believers as a canonical doctrine based upon the royal priesthood of Christ and closely related to the believer's eschatological temple-service and offering of spiritual sacrifices (chapters 1-3). It secondly describes its catholic development by examining three paradigmatic shifts, shifts especially associated with Christendom (chapters 4-6) and a suppression of the doctrine's missional component. Finally, the book argues that a Christian doctrine of the priesthood of all believers should be developed with a Christocentric-Trinitarian understanding of the missio Dei. This suggests there are especially appropriate ways for the royal priesthood to relate to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. A canonically and catholically informed priesthood of all believers leads contextually to particular ecclesial practices. These seven practices are 1) Baptism as public ordination to the royal priesthood; 2) Prayer; 3) Lectio Divina; 4) Ministry; 5) Church Discipline; 6) Proclamation; and 7) the Lord's Supper as the renewal of the royal priesthood.

""Through union with Christ, all believers are ordained to his royal priesthood to serve in the eschatological temple and offer spiritual sacrifices. Hank Voss does a masterful job of presenting and defending this doctrine through careful exegesis of the biblical texts, setting 'priesthood' in the larger context of biblical theology, and showing how the priesthood of all believers has been understood, misunderstood, and often neglected in the history of the church. The implications of this study are profound for the life of the community of God's people. All pastors and church leaders should read this book as a lens to help reevaluate how they do ministry.""
--Clinton E. Arnold, Dean and Professor of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

""At a time when narcissism and schism seek to undermine our church life, it is important to rediscover the biblical perspective of the universal priesthood of all believers in the context of God's grand design for his people. Dr. Voss's insightful text provides a clear path to avoid the lethal effects of individualism, and to develop a vital spiritual formation that will inevitably lead to healthy spirituality and effective ministry in the church.""
--Don L. Davis, Director, The Urban Ministry Institute; Senior Vice-President, World Impact

Hank Voss (PhD, Wheaton College) is national director of church planting at World Impact and senior national staff with The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI). He is the co-author of Representing Christ: A Vision for the Priesthood of All Believers. His ministry experience includes fifteen years in urban ministry and contextualized theological education. Voss is married to Johanna and they have four children.