Presbyters or priests represent Christ and his church by participating in Christ’s ministry sacramentally, prophetically, and pastorally.  Historically, priests also represent the bishop in a local congregation.  Today, priests share with bishops, deacons, and the laos the responsibility of overseeing the Church.  In proclaiming the gospel by word and example, priests may be called to assume prophetic stances toward injustice in the church and the world.  They bear the ultimate responsibility for the administration of the sacraments and for blessing and declaring pardon in the name of God.  These and other duties emerge from the character and nature of priesthood and the community which the priest serves. 

Presbyters or priests serve the church by presiding in the Christian assembly; they are the collectors of the faithful and help focus its worship.  As presbyters, they lead the baptismal and eucharistic life in congregations, join with other presbyters in a college, and share the bishop’s oversight of the diocese.  As priests, they have a symbolic role, expressing the priesthood of Christ for all the baptized.  Priests must be strong, loving, and wise leaders in the assembly, teachers where appropriate, the collectors of the congregation’s intercessions and thanksgivings, proclaimers of pardon to repentant, reconcilers and peace-makers among God’s people, and pronouncers of God’s blessing.  In all of this, priests are called to be committed men and women of deep and sincere prayer as they pursue Christian holiness and maturity. 

Symbolically, priests are threshold persons, who—both personally and as a communal representative—effect the thinning of the boundaries of heaven and earth so that our prayers can rise like incense to God and God’s grace can flow back in pardon and reconciliation and the nourishment of the eucharist.  They stand with the community, reminding God’s people that, in fact, the whole laos lives on this boundary between God’s realm and the world.  On this threshold, the people of God minister and serve.       

A priest’s pastoral oversight is grounded in having first and final responsibility for making the community aware of the sacramental presence of the Word of God in their midst.  This shapes every priest and every facet of priesthood.  Priests exercise pastoral oversight in congregations where many of the baptized—only some of whom are ordained—exercise leadership and all are called to ministry.  It is the priest’s duty to animate and “keep in unity the charisms of the laos of God.”[1] The effectual pastoral oversight of the priest brings together a personal facility for leadership and specific gifts that are exercised, in coordination with the gifts of the whole laos, in building up the church for mission, through liturgy, preaching, teaching, pastoral care, service, and other aspects of ministry. 

Two qualities have been proposed as foundational examples for all effective leadership.  They are perseverance and the acceptance of realistic limitations: holding on and letting go.[2]These two qualities are held in dynamic tension in the lives of successful leaders.  Some words used to describe qualities of perseverance are: steadfastness to call; persistence; capacity to grow; stamina; a commitment to an ongoing covenant relationship in a specific time and place; discipline; ability to live with ambiguity; faithfulness.  Some words used to describe acceptance of realistic limitation are: an awareness of sin; ability to forgive and be forgiven; ability to live within the sense of the comic and the tragic; eschatological awareness; a theology of the cross; patience; adaptability; a manifestation of joy, humor, personal wellness and a healthy household and family.  While these are qualities of leadership for all ministry, they are indispensable for effective pastoral oversight and example of priestly ministry.  Both should be basically present in persons chosen for ordained ministry, and both require intensive theological and spiritual formation. 

When these qualities are brought to the practical responsibilities of priesthood, whether performed, shared, or delegated—preaching, celebrating the sacraments, teaching, pastoral care—a priest is able to act independently of his or her community while remaining committed to the goal of the gathered community: the on-going process of transformation of all the baptized (including the ordained) into the likeness of Christ.  Out of this independence grows true interdependence and mutual ministry.  Effective pastoral oversight takes risks and acts decisively on behalf of the church’s life and mission—even knowing that particular actions may result in conflict.  The courage for risk-taking is a spiritual matter, as all the baptized know.  For the priest, it is a corollary to the representative nature of ordination to the priesthood, manifested most fully in the presidency of the eucharist.  To represent God’s kingdom and God’s people simultaneously, through the power of the Spirit invoked by the laos, is to stand on the boundary and speak and act under Christ’s authority.  It is to be an icon, a living reminder of the positive traditions of the Church and Christ’s own boundary behavior.  It was this behavior that characterized Jesus’ road to the cross and his high-priestly sacrifice of himself once offered.  

Like deacons, priests or presbyters are joined collegially not only with the laos, but also with the bishop and other priests and presbyters, who share in pastoral oversight of the diocese.  This shared oversight provides an essential living link between the local church and the broader church and world, connecting and challenging congregations to know and think beyond themselves.  The collegial life of priests is expressed in clergy conferences and other gatherings for prayer, discussion, and mutual support.  Formation and continuing education are essential components in the lives of priests, promoting growing effectiveness as examples and in pastoral oversight.