Welcome to the fourteenth article in a series designed to enhance the use of the Small Membership Church Guideline. Ideally, this Guideline will be shared among your church leaders, read, discussed together, and utilized to strengthen ministry.
Here are some added leadership suggestions in working with laity to enhance your use of this resource in your small membership church.
Imagine a husband and wife talking in the car on the way home one Sunday morning from church:
Don: They asked me to serve on the Nurture team.
Sue: Why you?
Don: Don't know ... Told me they were desperate to get the position filled.
Sue: What do you need to do?
Don: I was told there wasn't anything difficult about the job — anybody could do it.
Sue: Then tell them to go ask "anybody."
Does this scenario sound familiar? Today's laity tend to be active, yet often confused about what the church expects from them in terms of leadership. Volunteerism is down while people say they want to participate in service that has meaning. This is why it is crucial that congregations take very seriously the time and talents of individuals and invite them (not coax or con them) into service. While people may be interested in faithful discipleship, they do not need another job to do!
If you are serving on the lay leadership area of your small church (or a pastor giving guidance to this area) look over the following material and adapt it to your setting.
Effective Invitations
Your "Lay Leadership Invitation to Serve" must have the following elements to be successful.
1. Take the time. The lay leadership group in the congregation has taken the time to understand the leadership roles the congregation has identified as vital to ministry. They begin to discern the qualities needed in a specific leadership opportunity and also list special characteristics necessary.
2. Pray. Consideration of leadership is always a matter of prayer. It is never a forced choice or putting someone on the spot. The lay leadership group makes filling leadership a matter of prayer and also asks the congregation to also pray for the specific roles needing to be filled.
3. List potential leadership. A good lay leadership group lists and investigates all "leads." Because you want the best person for the position, it takes time and energy to know the people available and their gifts for ministry.
4. Visit and invite! Throw away the "we're desperate" appeals or the "I'm standing on the church steps to catch you" approach. Simply call people you want to invite to consider leadership and ask when you can visit them to discuss service in the church. Make an appointment — don't talk on the phone about it. Go to their home. Explain the position and what it entails. Answer their questions. Be direct and let them know why the committee chooses them for consideration. Don't press for a yes or no on the spot. Ask them to pray about it for a week. Pray for the person and their discernment before leaving.
5. Check back! Return to their homes to hear the your leadership candidates' responses in the time you agreed. Remember an honest no is better than a half-hearted yes. Always thank them for their consideration whatever the decision.
6. Support the person. Beyond their decision to serve or not, leadership candidates deserve our support. Leaders are developed. Move beyond "yes ... thank you" to "yes ... you can depend on us." Leaders need encouragement and training. The job of lay leadership isn't finished when you have your leadership list filled. Stay in contact with the persons you invited to serve and make sure their time of service is a positive, growing one.
Eight Indicators of Healthy Lay Ministry
What do small churches that have healthy lay ministry have in common?
- The pastor actively supports lay ministry.
- There is an organized process that empowers people to develop ministry.
- The lay leader is a "point person" for the pastor and for church members.
- The laity direct ministry (as much as possible). This is our church, not just the pastor's.
- Gift discovery is expected.
- Leader development is high priority.
- The path for lay involvement is easy to explain.
- Lay ministry flows through the church into the community.
A small church that respects and uses these eight indicators will find that ministry is well developed and sustainable. The mission of a church is enhanced when people work together. Leaders in the church, members of the congregation, and people in the community will benefit from your hard work and dedication to discipleship when you develop a healthy lay ministry based on these keys!
Thank you for visiting our website and for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Comments and questions can be directed to Julia Wallace, jwallace@gbod.org.
Julia K. Wallace is Director of Small Membership Church and Shared Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship.
Diana L. Hynson, editor of this series of articles, is Director of Learning and Teaching Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship.
Copyright © 2004 The General Board of Discipleship. Permission is granted for use in local church training or study groups. No portion of this article may be reprinted or republished in any form for any other reason without written consent. Send requests to Julia Wallace at PO Box 340003, Nashville, TN 37203-0003.
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