Laity and Revitalization

It has been quite sometime since the last post regarding the role of clergy in revitalization. In between then and now many have asked about a post regarding the role of laity in the revitalization of a congregation. Well here we go.

One of the most important understandings of revitalization is the need for a dynamic partnership between laity and clergy. Clergy alone cannot revitalize a congregation and laity alone cannot revitalize a congregation. Laity and clergy working together to follow the calling of God opens the doors of revitalization.

So what is the laity portion of the equation? Commonly laity are asked to sit on committees, attend worship and give money. All of these things are important and necessary for the church to function. However, it should be clear that these functions alone will not bring about revitalization. If functioning in this way brought about revitalization we would already be there. The role of laity is found in a move from religious consumer to engaged disciple of Jesus Christ.

For years we have tracked and celebrated membership numbers. As a result a culture exists in our congregations that elevate membership to a high place that provides rights and privileges. Laity have been conditioned by the church to be good members and to be consumers of the membership which they signup for. Let's be clear, membership is not the problem. The issues at hand is the expectations of membership and participation in the local congregation. In order to examine this a little more it is important to remember the covenant commitment members of the United Methodist Church make when they unite with a local congregation. Paragraph 217 of the UM Book of Discipline states the following:
        When persons unite as professing members with a local United Methodist church, they profess their faith in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ his only Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Thus, they make known their desire to live their daily lives as disciples of  Jesus Christ.  They covenant together with God and with the members of the local church to keep the vows which are a part of the order of confirmation and reception into the Church:
           1. To renounce the spiritual forces of  wickedness, reject the evil powers of the world, and repent of their sin;
           2. To accept the freedom and power God gives them to resist evil, injustice, and oppression;
           3. To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve his as their Lord;
           4. To remain faithful members of Christ's holy church and serve as Christ's representatives in the world;
           5. To be loyal to Christ through the United Methodist Church and do all in their power to strengthen its ministries;
           6. To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness;
           7. To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Before going too far into this we must pause to remember that clergy persons licensed, commissioned and ordained by the United Methodist Church are professing members of the church and therefore are participants in this covenant. There have been additional responsibilities added to the covenant for clergy persons.

The primary commitment of a member if the church is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, professing faith in God the Creator, Jesus the Redeemer, and The Holy Spirit the One who sustains our faith. A translation of this is that a professing  member has a primary role of  living their life in the same pattern that Jesus lived. Above all other things the church is a community of people who are journeying together to live as disciples of Jesus Christ and embody Christ to the world. This has been stated by the Upper New York Annual Conference this way, to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God's love with our neighbors in all places.

This does mean some committee meetings, and attendance at worship services. Further it means giving of our time, talent and our treasures for the work of God through the church. This also means engaging in intentional spiritual development, our personal devotional life as well as corporate study and growth. Included here is actively serving God outside the walls of the congregation. Our engagement in a local congregation is a covenantal relationship not a club membership.

So what are laity to do in order to participate in revitalization? First focus on being a disciple of Jesus Christ rather than a member of a congregation. Second, be open to change. Clearly the world around the church has changed a great deal in the past few  decades. This is not going to stop happening, and the church must be willing to change to help the changing world encounter the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In all of this the local church may have to change its expectation of laity. What if rather asking people to consume their time in committee meetings we discovered who God was calling someone to be and empower them to do it? What if the church viewed laity as a partner in the journey rather than a commodity to be acquired and managed.

Revitalization begins when laity and clergy alike, focus on developing themselves and others as disciples of Jesus Christ who live the gospel of Jesus Christ are God's love with our neighbors in all places. This means more time in mission and ministry than in meetings. This means more time in prayer in study, more time addressing injustice and oppression. In essence this means more time following after Jesus, than administering the church.