There are multiple verses in the New Testament that indicate that God’s people are able to function on their own independent of clergy.Romans 15:14 Paul writes that he is confident that the Roman Christians are competent to teach one another.
58 “one another passages” talk about what the people of God are capable of doing for one another. They are capable to teaching one another, encouraging one another, loving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, forgiving one another, accepting one another, serving one another, ect. For a complete list of the one another’s see appendix 1 for the Biblical references. If the body is capable of doing such things what do they need a professional clergy for? When the body of Christ is alive and well it does not need a professional clergy to guide a local congregation. There are only two times in the New Testament where money was being given to others. One was to help the poor and two was to support the apostles and itinerant preachers who were constantly on the move to start new congregations.
1 Timothy tells Timothy to instruct faithful men so that they will be able to instruct other men and women in the faith. The Christian faith was to be passed on by faithful believers to others. The apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5:20 said that believers are ambassadors for Christ. And it is God who has made us competent to do such things. God’s word tells believers that they are competent to learn his gospel of good news in Jesus and capable of passing it on to others. He has given every believer the ministry of reconciliation.
How is that possible? Every Christian that believes in Jesus receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8:11 and Acts 2:38 for the details. This same Holy Spirit is the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. In John 14:26, Jesus said the Spirit would guide us into all truth and bring to remembrance Jesus’s teachings. The Holy Spirit would be our teacher. This Holy Spirit would empower God’s people to believe what God wants them to believe, create within them the life of Jesus, and help them live the way God wants them to live. The Holy Spirit will help believers in their weaknesses and lead them in prayer.
Why then do we look to other men to do the things only God’s Holy Spirit can do, God’s Holy Scripture can do and God’s Holy Body of believers can do? These are sufficient to help every believer to reach maturity in Christ.