Many feel that the church of Jesus Christ is going through the greatest transformation since the Protestant Reformation. Some feel that the changes we’re seeing may be the most significant since Pentecost. At the same time, we’re becoming more aware of new ways of doing things, inventions, and changes in our social, economic, and cultural life. Modern communication allows us to witness life around the globe in ways never before possible. A great spiritual hunger exists as people search for meaning. These times are chaotic and probably uncomfortable for many, but it is an exciting time to be alive and a time to watch for the ways God continues “to make all things new.” What will happen to the church? Will it become an anachronism, irrelevant in this time of change? These times demand total involvement—and especially of the laity—for the church to be truly the Body of Jesus Christ in the world. It is a marvelous opportunity to participate in the “new thing” God is doing. Laity will need new leadership skills and new understanding of their partnership role with clergy. Laity who understand that through baptism God calls each one to ministry will be a powerful force in leading the Body of Christ in the future, but the window of opportunity is fleeting.

In Five Challenges for the Once and Future Church, Loren Mead offers prescriptions for living into the future. Two challenges he explores are important to our conversation here. The first is “to transfer the ownership of the church.” He reminds us that lay people started the church, yet, even in the New Testament, a system was established for clergy leadership. By the Middle Ages, clergy had already led (owned) the church for many centuries. Worship was not in the language of the people, who did not even have Bibles. When Mead challenges the church to “transfer the ownership,” we might think he is proposing a coup by the laity, but his prescription is a partnership between lay and clergy for shared leadership. He calls us to reclaim our identity as the people of God, all created and gifted by God for a unique life in the body of Christ. Many clergy see the need to change the system, but it is not in their best interest to do so. In some instances, clergy do not have the power to bring needed change to the church system. The church will not change without the intervention of laypeople. There is increasing recognition from many aspects of society that partnership—shared leadership, teamwork, and collaboration—provides better results.

Mead’s second pertinent challenge is “to become an apostolic people.” The annual conference exists to educate, care for, feed, and deploy the clergy. Mead advocates that the conference get into the business of developing lay apostles as well as clergy apostles. Our United Methodist connective core develops clergy apostles who could be developing lay apostles, but it doesn’t work that way. Our seminary and conference systems often do not develop the clergy for the kind of pastoral leadership we need. Lyle Schaller says, “Today, at least 30% of churches want a pastor who also excels as an entrepreneurial leader, but fewer that 10% of all parish pastors are both comfortable and competent in the role” (cited in Newscope, Vol. 27, No. 5, 1/29/99). What is needed right now is for laity to work with their pastors to develop their congregations as learning centers focused on the means of grace. This means active involvement of laypersons who insist that both church and connectional system focus on their respective missions. It is hopeful to note that there are pockets of folk who have recognized this need and have begun to work toward it.

In working with lay and clergy leaders in annual conferences around the church, we see a growing realization that laypeople must learn things that help them become true congregational leaders. The primary task of each annual conference is to find, develop, deploy, and nurture spiritual leaders for local congregations. It is important now that laity work within conferences to make the system truly responsive to the laity. It is time for conferences to make the development of lay leadership a high priority.

Both laity and clergy must learn what the spiritual/servant leadership role means and what it involves. This model embraces a body of knowledge and skills focusing on enabling and empowering others, and it helps persons work effectively as partners. Some of the skills needed:

  1. Ability to listen. The key is to be a good listener, listening to the voices and the “heart-song” yearning of the people.

  2. Ability to identify a vision. At Pentecost, Peter remembered Joel’s description of the movement of God’s Spirit: “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17 NRSV). We are all visionaries, yet a specific process for developing corporate, community vision that involves focused listening can be learned. A corporate vision to which a congregation widely subscribes is compelling and attractive to both members and visitors. It focuses on a desired future and energizes the planning and work needed to realize it. Fundamental to shared vision is an understanding of current reality—a snapshot in time of how things are and what is going on in the congregation or the conference, in the community, or in the world.

  3. An understanding of the history, theology, and polity of The United Methodist Church. United Methodism has a rich history, an interesting political structure and methodology, and a wonderful body of theological thought, and our leaders and members need to become more familiar with it. Understanding our church makes for rooted/ grounded people.

  4. An understanding of the nature of spiritual formation. Enthusiasm and the energy needed to successfully change the church come from transformed lives. Thus the nature of spiritual formation and the means of growing in faith in the congregation must be understood by spiritual leaders, lay and clergy.

  5. Experience in and knowledge of ways to share one’s faith. Transformed people also make effective evangelistic witnesses as evidenced in the ways they live, serve, and speak. Thus, leaders need to know how to call forth the faith stories of the people in the congregation.

  6. A knowledge of the Bible. All who would be disciples need a working knowledge of the Bible—how to use it, study it, find things in it, and apply it to daily living.

  7. An awareness of cultural changes. Leaders in the church must be aware of what is happening in the existing culture. Age and generation theory, educational level, geographic origin, family structure, and socio-economic level—all enter the cultural equation. Knowledge of cultural shifts and changes will be vital to leaders of the church in the future.

  8. An understanding of a caring ministry. United Methodists have long prided themselves on their social consciousness and social activism. John Wesley declared, “The world is my parish.” Most of us give our money and participate in a mission project or outreach ministry. Yet we still ignore much of what is going on around us. Sometimes rapid social change catches us off guard. Even when our churches feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, visit prisoners, and care for children, the people we serve are often not embraced on Sunday morning as we worship God. Thus leaders need to develop a deeper understanding in the area of caring ministries—issues of peace, justice, and physical need; and these ministries need to be aligned with the church’s mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.

  9. A knowledge of specific gifts and calling to ministry. Every person who would be a disciple eventually has to struggle with the issues of gifts and calling to ministry. We are all called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, but to what kind of ministry? We are given gifts to carry out the ministry God calls us to, but what are those spiritual gifts? Leaders need the skill to help people identify, embrace, enhance, and use their gifts and calling for ministry.

  10. A knowledge of skills to enable congregations, conferences, and all the committees, teams, and covenant groups within them to become learning organizations. A learning organization has a clear sense of mission and vision and is willing to try many things to move toward its desired state. Some efforts will succeed; some will fail. A learning church reflects on successes and failures to evaluate and to design improvements. New insights will lead to new ideas for ministry. And new ministry leads to living more faithfully as the Body of Christ. Opportunities for learning must be created throughout the life of the congregation. Even more important is the need for reflective dialogue and action to solidify and practice the use of new knowledge and skills.

Lay Leadership Development and The General Board of Discipleship:
Partners in Discipleship

The General Board of Discipleship is committed to developing and supporting the ministry of the laity. The agency offers resources and services that support lay leadership development. A sampling of resources and services is outlined below.

  • FaithQuest: A Journey Toward Congregational Transformation.The aim is to increase congregations’ effectiveness in living out the ministry to which God has called them.The benefit of FaithQuest is a new vision of leading the church—team leadership and faith-filled congregations learning and improving their Christian ministry in the world. Lay and clergy leaders begin the FaithQuest journey as partners with a 17-week study of Scriptures and the writings of John Wesley. They are challenged to envision the congregation as a faith-forming community centered in Christ and focused by the practice of classic spiritual disciplines. They learn tools and strategies for improving the mission and ministry of the congregation. The FaithQuest Network links conferences, the General Board of Discipleship, and FaithQuest congregations.

  • Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation (Cokesbury, 800-672-1789). A series of booklets that provide specific, position-related or ministry-related information for administrative and program leadership in a local church.

Three print resources are worthy of mention here because they effectively address both the spiritual attributes and skills involved in servant/spiritual leadership, partnership, and the need for change in the church. They are:

Lay Speaking Ministries is a transforming and empowering learning system in the church. It encourages spiritual growth, exposes laity to many possibilities for serving, and helps them identify their calls to ministry. Lay Speaking Ministries training helps people develop leadership, communication, and caring skills—skills that equip laity to minister in the congregation and in the world. Lay speaker training is recommended for all involved in church leadership. Many resources are available from Discipleship Resources, www.discipleshipresources.org, (800) 972-0433, and Cokesbury, (800) 672-1789.

  • Lay Speaking Ministries Basic Course. Designed to provide general exposure to potential areas of ministry.

  • Advanced lay speaking courses offer the individual indepth knowledge and practice in a wide range of specialties, including worship, stewardship, evangelism, personal discipline, preaching, interpreting United Methodist heritage, caring ministry, and servant leadership. All are available from Discipleship Resources, www.discipleshipresources.org, (800) 972-0433, and Cokesbury, (800) 672-1789.

  • Lay Speaking Ministries: Guide for Conference and District Committees is an authoritative document for managing a conference or district lay speaking program. Discipleship Resources, www.discipleshipresources.org, (800) 972-0433, and Cokesbury, (800) 672-1789.

Covenant Discipleship resources for children, youth, and adults offer laity and clergy support for leadership in spiritual disciplines. Covenant Discipleship groups offer accountability structures that enable participants to learn and to practice discipleship and the means of grace. Specific resources are available from Discipleship Resources and Cokesbury. Call the Covenant Discipleship Office for additional information and resources, (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1765.

Consulting Services are available in almost any area pertinent to local church life and the connectional system of The United Methodist Church. Call (877) 899-2780; write to Sandy Zeigler, P.O. Box 340003, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, or go to www.gbod.org/laity.

Upper Room Ministries Support Lay Leadership

Several magazines offer support for spiritual formation. Alive Now, Devo’Zine, Pockets, and Weavings, (800) 925-6847, help individuals and groups grow in faith through individual devotion and Christian community.

The Pathways Initiative is a system for supporting, supplying, and strengthening spiritual leaders. It includes Pathways Spiritual Growth books, the Pathways Center for training spiritual leaders, Leading from the Center newsletter, and the Pathways Network, a worldwide association of ecumenical lay and clergy leaders who wish to find support in their own spiritual journeys and to help minister to the spiritual formation of others.

The Upper Room Living Prayer Center offers opportunities for people to submit prayer requests by calling (800) 251-2468. There is also opportunity to participate in prayer ministry wherever you live by phone, email, and snailmail. For information, call (877) 899-2780, ext. 7214.

Betsey C. Heavner (bheavner@gbod.org) is Director, FaithQuest, General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, TN.

Timothy E. Moss is retired from the staff of the General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, TN.

 

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