Since for my project I'm researching the influence of a pastor on his congregation, I decided to create and map out a "chart of influence" within the church.
(I noted at the top, "this map doesn't necessarily reflect what ACTUALLY exists, because the church is so differing, diverse, and vast, but rather, what I think it SHOULD look like.)
Firstly, the three inner rings: the ring on the top left represents the things a pastor can teach; it doesn't represent the pastor himself, but his influence upon people. The ring on the top right represents what a public or published theologian can teach. The ring below those two represents what a congregation or other members of the body-of-Christ can teach. The way the rings connect shows that all three can teach each other and learn from each other. If I put an X in the space where the upper-left and lower ring hook together, it means that a pastor influences his congregation while at the same time the congregation influences their pastor.
Finally, the outer ring. Even though all three of these entities are teaching each other and learning from each other, they all are included in the outer ring of the Holy Bible, meaning that the Bible solely teaches and those who read it learn from it. When the other three entities learn from it, then they too can go out and teach, but not to the extent that the Bible can, for the Bible is a living, breathing Word.
So, it's a kind of confusing sketch, but it makes a little sense to me and can help me in my research.
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