Somebodies and Nobodies: The tragedy of rankism

In 2003 Robert Fuller, former president of Oberlin College, wrote a book entitled Somebodies and Nobodies. According to Fuller the two evil non-political isms of the twentieth century, that have been acknowledged, are Racism and Sexism. His book looks beyond those two isms and tackles an unacknowledged evil ism which he calls Rankism. Low rank signifies weakness, vulnerability, and absence of power.

Rankism is vicious because it, “insults the dignity of the subordinate by treating them as invisible, as nobodies.” (pg5). Laity should be subordinate in churches in certain areas. Pastors and elders do have certain biblical authority and responsibilities. But the laity is not subordinate when it comes to their Special Call To Ministry. Some lay people have ministry callings that can have a far greater impact than the ministry of their church’s pastor. I have watched as one such layman first had one book on the New York best seller’s list and now several, he travels around the world for his ministry. His reach is way beyond his local church. And, even though that is true, it is not the impact of one’s ministry calling that should be valued. Every ministry calling should be valued equally, because God values ever person equally. Of all the potential sins of a Church, Rankism is perhaps the most pernicious.

In 1939 the American Parachurch Movement was launched by a ministry imported from Great Britain. While Parachurch organizations are effective and necessary, they in some ways became part of the “mission problem” for American churches. They will continue to be a “mission problem” as long as churches, by default, continue to outsource local mission to these organizations. But churches can be part of “mission solution” if they will intentionally work with them and through the Parachurch organizations.

While 1925 and 1939 played huge roles in the death of ministry passion among the churches’ lay people; tomorrow the date I want to mention may be the biggest “passion killer” of all, i.e. the birth of suburbia in 1948.