Martin Luther is remembered, and celebrated for having restored the church to fundamental biblical truths. One of those being "The Priesthood of All Believers." Yet, throughout the history of the church, this basic doctrine has continued to need the aggressive defense of church leaders. I would contend, that today, a guardianship of this truth is needed as much as ever.

Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity proclaim this lofty doctrine demandingly, yet our preaching and our practice do not always correspond. For example:

* The 20-80 rule still seems in effect in most Christian fellowships. 20% of the people doing the work (and the tithing) of the church.

* The release of the personal giftings is often only allowed in a short 2-5 minute span, even in openly Pentecostal settings.

* Weekly meetings consist of the standard format - singing, followed by offerings, followed by announcements, followed by preaching.Occasionally, we get creative by adding skits and special music, or by a rearrangement of the order, but the system remains intact - the few ministering to the many.

If the church will truly practice the priesthood of all believers, then we must develop that ministry of openness, which allows for the free expression of all. Some of the following practices are commonly used by those who are committed to open format services:

* Small circles of prayer in which each person is encouraged to share a request and pray.

* A return to the times of testimony in which we "rejoice with them that do rejoice"

* Open discussions in which individuals are allowed to voice both their questions, and their personal discoveries without fear of rejection

* An encouragement toward the release of prophetic utterance

This ministry of openness is one of the primary keys to productive discipleship. When an individual Christian has no opportunity to share, he/she becomes stagnant in the walk toward Christian maturity. We do not sit our children down at the age of 9 months, and require them to listen to 40 minute lectures, on the benefits and styles of walking. Neither should we expect radical Christian growth to occur to the new believer, who has no avenue of expression or training beyond the Sunday morning sermon.

It is at this point, that every church should mimic the natural expression of church life found within the small church. It is natural to find openness, and sharing in small groups. It is natural to find freedom of expression in small groups. Thus, smallness becomes a key to personal growth, and likewise, personal growth becomes a key to the healthy corporate growth of the church.

This is just one more paradoxical truth from the scripture - smallness is a key to growth. Jesus seriously trained only twelve (eleven, if we're really counting) to evangelize the world.

The mustard seed is the illustration of the Kingdom and its growth. So too, we will find that small groups of believers committed to serving God, one another, and the world within a ministry of openness, are one key to the exponential growth of the church.