St. Ignatius Reality Check

Many continuing Church leaders are fond of quoting St. Ignatius of Antioch's famous saying, "Do nothing without the bishop and presbyters," as a way to keep parishioners in line, and remind them of who is in charge (i.e. the bishop and/or rector). Some jurisdictions do this more than others... thankfully the APA is not one of them. It seems to be cited in most cases as a justification for micromanagement. That is fine as long as the bishop and/or presbyter know what he is doing and is a good and godly leader. But in the hands of an inept buffoon it can be a recipe for disaster. In the long run it can really hurt a parish and diocese, because it can create in peoples' minds this idea that they literally should do NOTHING without checking with the parish priest or bishop... even simple things like moving furniture, decorating, cleaning, etc. While some clergy may relish having such "power", others (like myself) find it bothersome to have to come up with plans for fellowship activities, renovations, long range planning, etc. All of that distracts a priest from the work of being a priest - ministry, preaching, exhorting, counseling, and celebrating the Sacraments.