Building a Preaching Ministry in the English Church during the Reformation

Martin Luther’s concept of “priesthood of all believers” implies that everyone who has been baptised not only becomes a Christian, but also becomes a consecrated priest. There is room for a logical extension of Luther’s concept. If every Christian is a consecrated priest and has the right to administer the sacraments for himself, is there any necessity to retain a professional priesthood for the Church? While detailing how Luther’s concept entailed the shift of clerical functions from a sacramental priesthood to a preaching ministry as occurred within the evolving Protestant Churches, this paper offers a clarification of what Luther actually meant by his formula.