 Empowering the laity  The Layman – Volume 40, Number 3 – Posted November 13, 2007
Barna says a “second coming of the church” is possible if it can attract entrepreneurial and revolutionary leaders. This leadership, he says, will not come from the clergy. “Ultimately, the moral and spiritual revolution that will produce the new church will emerge from among the laity. The impetus to change and the creative focus and force reside among the frustrated masses, not among the distracted professionals. Marrying the resources of both the laity and the clergy could introduce an exciting era of Christian renewal. But the catalyst for this new reformation will be the people, not the professionals.”1 Barna sees the future church growing out of existing local churches that are gifted with strong lay leadership. “Congregations are currently our best organizational resource,” he says. “As we develop the church of the future, our best strategy will be to grow the new formations from the resources and assistance provided by these present hubs of strength.”2 Think about Jesus’ ministry. Did He try to reform the religious orders of the day by appealing to the clergy? No, He recruited lay people – from fishermen to merchants and even a tax collector. These were the people whose hearts burned within them as they witnessed the Word made flesh and dwelling among them. The women among them were the first evangelists, announcing the empty tomb and telling of their encounter with the risen Lord. From its inception, the Church has been a movement of resurrection faith, traveling from one lay person to another in an unending flow of God’s grace. And by the power of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus, these simple, ordinary and uneducated laypersons changed the world. Two major events Fifteen hundred years later, two major gifts opened the eyes of the laity and sparked a seismic shift in the life of the Church. One was the invention of the printing press in 1450 and the other was Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible into the language of the people in 1534. With this access to the Word of God, a Biblically informed laity fueled the Protestant Reformation. Today, the printing press is considered by secular historians to be the greatest invention in the history of mankind because information and knowledge could be widely distributed. But, as Christians, we believe it is the greatest invention because God’s Word could reside with the people and not with just a select few. With the advent of the Reformation and its upsurge in lay leadership, Protestant churches experienced a wave of vitality and growth. In the centuries that followed, lay movements stepped to the forefront of church growth and revivals, especially in America. Not only did lay initiatives strengthen the ministry of church institutions, they also sparked many parachurch organizations in student work (such as the YMCA, YWCA and InterVarsity Fellowship). Dwight L. Moody was a layman evangelist and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has been primarily a lay organization. In Christian education, for example, Presbyterian layperson Henrietta Mears led countless college students into the faith and many into the ministry. Church history is full of other examples of lay people making a tremendous impact on Christianity. Many may have forgotten that Augustine was a layman. The early church credits Augustine’s leadership in defining its clear position on the deity of Christ. “John Calvin was first and foremost a layman. Although he became a member of the clergy later in his career when he was required to be vested with that office in order to continue teaching theology at Geneva, Calvin always understood himself to be a layman. … When he wrote his powerfully influential Institutes of the Christian Religion, he was a lawyer, not a member of the clergy.”3 This is not being said to minimize the impact of the countless clergy on the life of the Church. It is to emphasize how powerful the Gospel can be when it is in the hands of all people. Armed with Scripture and the great tradition, it is the laity that historically has returned the ship of faith to an on-course heading. A return to clergy dominance The vitality that characterized Protestant denominations in the United States reached its peak in the early 1960s. During this period of the institutional church’s prosperity, a priestly class of leaders grew rapidly. By the 21st century, denominations became – much like the medieval church – clergy-dominated institutions. In local congregations, clergy dominance is the rule rather than the exception. Ministers often assume an administrative role, viewing themselves as CEOs of an organization, and sessions act like corporate boards, granting passive approval and disapproval to ministerial initiatives. Clergy who play the CEO role tend to exhibit a maintenance mindset, keeping peace within the congregation and making sure that the organization runs smoothly. Such orientation tends to be risk averse and the avoidance of conflict becomes a priority. Thus, many ministers assume gate-keeping functions, often shielding their people from wider issues that might disturb the congregation. On the contrary, the ministers who recognize the power of an informed and active laity see their churches grow and they see a bright future. Consider what happens when the laity is empowered and professionals work in unison with the laity as the Body of Christ, all using their God-given talents in accord with God’s will (Ephesians 4:11-16). To illustrate, assume a congregation with 800 members has two pastors and eight other staff, for a total of 10 professionals. If the professionals can inspire 25 percent of the congregation to become active in the work of ministry (200 people), the church would have 20 times the impact of the staff. The professionals would serve as they should, like play-er/coaches on the sidelines giving guidance and inspiration (but without the yelling!). One consequence of a passive congregation observing the empowered 25 percent is it will not stay at 25 percent. It will turn into 35 percent or 50 percent as spectators turn into lay servant/leaders on fire with the Gospel. The present turmoil common to most mainline denominations is in large part due to an inactive and Biblically illiterate laity. Unfortunately, many lay people are content to leave matters of theology to the theologians. Had the laity been “in the Word” and acting as an equal with the clergy/staff in recent decades, the infiltration of alien beliefs into denominational institutions would not have found a foothold as it has today. The question of who Jesus is and questions over the authority of Scripture would not be matters of debate with a highly energized, Biblically literate and outspoken laity. So, the blame for our mess lies with both the clergy and lay people. Opportunity But what will create the opportunity for the laity to be empowered? It will be God using the laity itself. One of the most effective ways lay people impact their local churches is through small groups formed to study God’s Word, minister to one another and the community, and to grow in their faith by worshiping the Lord Monday through Saturday. Small groups give believers the opportunity to connect regularly, to be accountable to each other and to empower the laity. The deeper parishioners are in the Word, the greater the impact they will have on friends, family and other church members. God will use small groups to influence pastors, sessions and even presbyteries. So, we at the Presbyterian Lay Committee encourage believers to become active in small groups in your local church. Promote the concept with your session and ministers. There is a wealth of resources available for small groups in your local Christian bookstore. The lay ministry movement has been written and talked about for at least the last 30 years. But it has not taken root and flourished as it should because it has not been empowered through a consistent, sustained, institutional effort. The Presbyterian Lay Committee’s future mission includes the development of resources that will equip lay servant/leaders to properly fulfill their responsibilities in the church as they are historically and Biblically understood in the Reformed tradition. By developing resources to equip the laity to carry out the work of ministry, we can assist in growing mature disciples of Jesus Christ. The Presbyterian Lay Committee also is looking to form an alliance with Reformed seminaries that have developed expertise in “distance learning” – an online, home study degree program that makes use of some of the world’s best Biblical scholars and theologians. It is geared not toward the development of professional clergy, but the development of an informed and equipped laity. For 40 years, the Presbyterian Lay Committee has been a ministry of the laity. All of our directors are laypersons. However, we have been inspired by the dedication and deep devotion of a theologian by the name of Parker Williamson who has served as our top staff person/consultant since 1989. The PLC is truly an example of what is described above – lay people highly motivated to do the work of ministry with clergy, working side by side with a common view of the mission. At this time, the Presbyterian Lay Committee seeks your prayers and support as we embark on our strategic plan to expand our efforts to equip and inform the laity to do the work of ministry. At the same time, we will be praying that small groups blossom in your church. Then, as George Barna predicts, “the catalyst for this new reformation will be the people, not the professionals.” Thank you and may the Lord bless all of us as we seek to do His will. Stephen G. Brown is an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Haines City, Florida. He is chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee. Footnotes
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