We are, every one of us, called – and that calling is not to come and sit on Sunday mornings. The calling is to GO and make disciples of Jesus Christ in all the world.
Every local church member needs to feel that the service he or she does is important. People burn out in the church because they are recruited to some “work” that no longer meets a need. Churches devoted to maintenance ministries or legacy ministries – those ministries that exist just because they always have – have difficulty getting laity involved.
Often programs become ineffective and are dead, but churches have not had the courage to hold a funeral for those outdated programs. You cannot continue to do the same things, the same way, and expect a different result!
We must look forward
I was at an Annual Conference session a few years ago about church revitalization and leadership. A woman sitting nearby said out loud, “We sure need [the presenter] to come speak to our church!” It made me ask what exactly was going on.
She explained that her church had long been a medium-sized but vibrant congregation. The building sat off the main road and many years ago a sign had been erected out in front, near the road, so people could find them. The city had widened the road, and in the process had shifted the road away from their church building. Now they sat even further back from the road and a thick stand of pine trees had grown; the church and the sign were completely obstructed from view.
The Administrative Council had decided a new sign was needed. However, someone’s family member had given the funds for the original sign, and to even think about replacing it or upstaging it with a new sign was a non-starter for many. She said the church was completely divided, with half wanting to be forward looking and put up a new sign while the other was holding onto tradition and couldn’t bear the thought of disrespecting the original purchaser. There was rancor and venom spewing from both sides, with people threatening to leave or withhold giving.
While I never met the person who purchased the sign, I am sure that if they knew that having a sign built would one day lead to the church being divided or held back, they would not have given one cent for that sign!
Make changes and engage
When the method we are using to go and make disciples is no longer effective and it is not attracting people to the church, our faith should make us bold and courageous. It should provide the conviction to change our methods. How we reach people, to bring them to know Jesus, has to change with the times.
"As lay leadership, we cannot allow 'the way we have always done it' to stand in the way of effective outreach." - J. F. Knapp, III
This message is one that has to be shared by more than just our clergy persons. Our members need to hear this from their lay leaders – often we are the only ones who can get away with saying it!
The emphasis of the laity in ministry is something that should be kept constantly before your congregation. It’s a daunting task, but that’s the task to which we are called: To carry on the ministry of Jesus. It is a special function, one that has been set aside for you and me, the laity. It is not the role of your pastor or staff. It doesn’t belong to the district superintendent or the bishop. It is ours!
A call to lay leaders
As the lay leader, you should recognize that your responsibilities have been given to you, and your authority is derived directly from the Charge Conference itself. In partnership with the pastor, you form two sides of the same coin. One side brings the perspective, experience and authority of The UMC (specifically the conference and the bishop), the other brings the perspective and experience of the laity, the members of the local church.
Together, you have a comprehensive perspective and form a powerful force for growing and advancing the mission of the church. This partnership can be one of the most dynamic catalysts for change and revitalization that there is, so this must always be a partnership – not a rivalry. If the partnership is broken, then so is the catalyst for change and growth.
We are Christ’s representatives
If we call ourselves Christians, which means that we belong to Christ, then what we do reflects on him. There is a vow that is a part of the Profession of Faith that asks, “Will you serve as Christ’s representative in the world?” And people making their profession of faith say, “I will.”
For me, to serve as Christ’s representative in the world is incredibly intimidating, but that is who we are supposed to be. Christ has called us to do something extremely difficult – carry on his ministry. Eleven rather fainthearted disciples and a handful of women turned the world upside down. Imagine what we can do, together. If we are to be what they were, we must remember who we are!
Remember who we are not
We are Christ’s representatives, but we aren’t Christ. Results are not in our hands. We are not the Master. We are not the Creator.
We are not judges of any kind; that’s God’s job. But we are responsible for the message.
We aren’t responsible for the harvest; that’s God’s job. We are responsible for sowing the seeds.
We aren’t responsible for anyone else’s salvation; that’s between that person and God.
We are responsible for being the messengers of the good news.
J. F. Knapp, III is the South Georgia Conference Lay Leader and the Lay Leader of Grace UMC in Thomasville, Georgia.
The contact for this story is Laura Buchanan. This story was published on October 29, 2024.