Toward a Compelling Theology of Lay Ministry
By Ann A. Michel

The number of lay persons with serious involvements in ministry, both professional and volunteer, has grown dramatically in recent decades. The lay empowerment movement, the growth of multi-staffed mega-churches, and the demand for specialized programmatic ministries are part of this trend. In smaller congregations, particularly those that cannot support full-time clergy, laity assume many vital ministry functions. And in some denominations, most notably the Roman Catholic Church in America, a clergy shortage has resulted in a growing percentage of lay persons in the ecclesial workforce.

While the theology of pastoral identity is well established, the identity of lay persons in ministry is often less clearly understood. Many find themselves running afoul of deeply engrained cultural expectations – that ministry is the work of the clergy while laity are objects of ministry; that clergy attend to sacred matters while laity concern themselves with the secular world; that clergy are the experts while laity are amateurs.

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VIGNETTE

It’s In the Mind
By Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

Most people know that it was Roger Bannister who first ran the mile in less than four minutes. It was on May 6, 1954, in Oxford, England, that Bannister achieved what was, at the time, the unbelievable feat of running the mile in 3:59.4 minutes.

Prior to Bannister’s achievement, it was assumed by many people that the four-minute barrier would never be broken. In fact, there had been books written contending that it was physiologically impossible for the human body to move at such a speed. One could certainly understand why such contentions were believable. Since no one had ever broken the four-minute mile, perhaps it was impossible to do such a thing.

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Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

Committee sessions are often filled with people offering all kinds of opinions on the topic under consideration. Obviously some contributions are more informed than others; but often, for the sake of harmony, ideas are not questioned sufficiently. Here are questions that may help in such settings.

What leads you to say that?

That is an interesting idea. Can you give an example?

Is there particular evidence that leads you to that conclusion?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution:  Joe Arnold

Copyright © 2007 by the G. Douglass Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Leading Ideas material may be freely distributed with attribution (exclusive of material protected by separate copyright).