More from The Essence of the Church: A Community Created by the Spirit:
The Reformers’ intent was to return the Word to the center of life within local congregations. But singling out preaching and sacraments can produce several problems in how the ministry of the church is understood and practiced. These include (a) the tendency to limit the primary communication of the Word to the activity of preaching; (b) the tendency to see only ordained persons as qualified to minister through communicating the Word of God and dispensing the sacraments; and (c) limiting the focus of worship to the act of preaching. (144)
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