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Lay Leader / Lay Member: Connecting Your Congregation and Your Annual Conference (Guidelines) - Softcover
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2013–2016 - Lay Leader/Lay Member
Connecting Your Congregation and Your Annual Conference
By Sandy JacksonAbingdon Press
Copyright © 2012 Cokesbury
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-3628-5All rights reserved.
Contents
Called to a Ministry of Faithfulness and Vitality,
Called to Love and Serve,
The Responsibilities of the Lay Leader/Lay Member,
The Role of the Lay Leader,
Responsibilities of the Lay Leader,
District and Conference Lay Leaders,
The Role of the Lay Member of Annual Conference,
Responsibilities of the Lay Member,
General Conference,
Improving Your Leadership,
Servant Leadership,
Spiritual Disciplines,
Spiritual Gifts,
Lay Servant (Formerly "Speaking") Ministries,
Christian Conferencing/Leading Meetings,
Communication Skills,
Leading Change,
Evaluating Your Leadership,
A Final Word,
Resources,
General Agency Contacts,
CHAPTER 1
Called to a Ministry of Faithfulness and Vitality
You are so important to the life of the Christian church! You have consented to join with other people of faith who, through the millennia, have sustained the church by extending God's love to others. You have been called and have committed your unique passions, gifts, and abilities to a position of leadership. This Guideline will help you understand the basic elements of that ministry within your own church and within The United Methodist Church.
Leadership in Vital Ministry
Each person is called to ministry by virtue of his or her baptism, and that ministry takes place in all aspects of daily life, both in and outside of the church. Your leadership role requires that you will be a faithful participant in the mission of the church, which is to partner with God to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. You will not only engage in your area of ministry, but will also work to empower others to be in ministry as well. The vitality of your church, and the Church as a whole, depends upon the faith, abilities, and actions of all who work together for the glory of God.
Clearly then, as a pastoral leader or leader among the laity, your ministry is not just a "job," but a spiritual endeavor. You are a spiritual leader now, and others will look to you for spiritual leadership. What does this mean?
All persons who follow Jesus are called to grow spiritually through the practice of various Christian habits (or "means of grace") such as prayer, Bible study, private and corporate worship, acts of service, Christian conferencing, and so on. Jesus taught his disciples practices of spiritual growth and leadership that you will model as you guide others. As members of the congregation grow through the means of grace, they will assume their own role in ministry and help others in the same way. This is the cycle of disciple making.
The Church's Vision
While there is one mission—to make disciples of Jesus Christ—the portrait of a successful mission will differ from one congregation to the next. One of your roles is to listen deeply for the guidance and call of God in your own context. In your church, neighborhood, or greater community, what are the greatest needs? How is God calling your congregation to be in a ministry of service and witness where they are? What does vital ministry look like in the life of your congregation and its neighbors? What are the characteristics, traits, and actions that identify a person as a faithful disciple in your context? This portrait, or vision, is formed when you and the other leaders discern together how your gifts from God come together to fulfill the will of God.
Assessing Your Efforts
We are generally good at deciding what to do, but we sometimes skip the more important first question of what we want to accomplish. Knowing your task (the mission of disciple making) and knowing what results you want (the vision of your church) are the first two steps in a vital ministry. The third step is in knowing how you will assess or measure the results of what you do and who you are (and become) because of what you do. Those measures relate directly to mission and vision, and they are more than just numbers.
One of your leadership tasks will be to take a hard look, with your team, at all the things your ministry area does or plans to do. No doubt they are good and worthy activities; the question is, "Do these activities and experiences lead people into a mature relationship with God and a life of deeper discipleship?" That is the business of the church, and the church needs to do what only the church can do. You may need to eliminate or alter some of what you do if it does not measure up to the standard of faithful disciple making. It will be up to your ministry team to establish the specific standards against which you compare all that you do and hope to do. (This Guideline includes further help in establishing goals, strategies, and measures for this area of ministry.)
The Mission of The United Methodist Church
Each local church is unique, yet it is a part of a connection, a living organism of the body of Christ. Being a connectional Church means in part that all United Methodist churches are interrelated through the structure and organization of districts, conferences, and jurisdictions in the larger "family" of the denomination. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church describes, among other things, the ministry of all United Methodist Christians, the essence of servant ministry and leadership, how to organize and accomplish that ministry, and how our connectional structure works (see especially ¶¶126–138).
Our Church extends way beyond your doorstep; it is a global Church with both local and international presence. You are not alone. The resources of the entire denomination are intended to assist you in ministry. With this help and the partnership of God and one another, the mission continues. You are an integral part of God's church and God's plan!
(For help in addition to this Guideline and the Book of Discipline, see "Resources" at the end of your Guideline, www.umc.org, and the other websites listed on the inside back cover.)
CHAPTER 2Called to Love and Serve
"... all Christians are called to minister wherever Christ would have them serve and witness in deeds and words that heal and free" (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, ¶128).
thank you for accepting the call to be the lay leader of your congregation or lay member of annual conference! God has called you, through your church's charge conference, to serve the church in an important way. The roles of lay leader and lay member of annual conference are separate but should be complementary.
The Responsibilities of Lay Leader/Lay Member
Responsibilities of both the lay leader and the lay member to annual conference are
• interpreting the actions and programs of the annual conference and the general church
• communicating the vision and needs of the local church to the annual conference and general church
These two roles are complementary, yet there are responsibilities unique to each role. The greatest distinction is the connections they forge with and on behalf of the congregation. The lay leader has a primary focus in linking the local church and community. The lay member of annual conference has a primary focus in linking the local church to the connectional United Methodist Church and God's worldwide church.
The Book of Discipline defines your role as lay leader and/or lay member and defines in broad terms the work of your congregation, the annual conference, and The United Methodist Church. Two sections will be particularly helpful for your leadership. The paragraphs in the 200s relate to the local church; ¶251.1 refers to the lay leader and ¶251.2 refers to the lay member to annual conference. Paragraph ¶602.4 also contains references to the lay member of annual conference. The Discipline states that both the lay leader and lay member must be professing members of the local church. The lay members to annual conference must be professing members for the two years preceding their election and active participants in The United Methodist Church for at least four years before their election (¶602.4), though that requirement may be waived for persons under 30. Both are elected by the charge conference, however the lay member(s) to annual conference may be elected annually or each quadrennium (depending on the charge conference rules).
The Discipline recommends that the lay leader be one of the lay members of annual conference. This is because the lay leader is to serve as interpreter to the congregation the actions of the annual conference and the general Church (¶251.1 c). To be equipped for this responsibility it will be helpful for the lay leader to be a lay member to annual conference. If the lay leader is not a lay member to annual conference the two people should confer and work together as they serve. A large membership church may have several people sharing these responsibilities, but it may be difficult for the lay leader to be the sole lay member from a congregation due to the increased responsibilities of serving in both roles.
The Discipline has a table of contents and a topical index to help you find other items related to your role. Ask your pastor for a current copy or purchase a copy through Cokesbury (see Resources at the back of this Guideline).
CHAPTER 3The Role of the Lay Leader
The responsibilities that are listed in the Discipline for lay leaders apply to congregations of every size and multiple point charges. However, these responsibilities are lived out with a great deal of variation among local churches. In larger congregations associate lay leaders may be elected to assist the lay leader. For example, an associate lay leader may attend specific committee meetings in place of the lay leader, be responsible for advising the congregation of continuing education opportunities, or other functions as decided.
Responsibilities of the Lay Leader
The lay leader has a role and responsibility that touches the entire breadth of the congregation's life. The lay leader
• functions as the primary lay representative of the laity in a local church
• fosters the role of the laity in mission and ministry
• meets regularly with the pastor
• is a member of the charge conference, church council, and other committees
• continues to be involved in study and training opportunities
• assists in advising the church council
• informs the laity of training opportunities
REPRESENTING THE LAITY
The lay leader serves as primary advocate for and representative of the laity in the congregation. A part of this advocacy work includes the recognition that the lay leader should be a person of faith and integrity. As an "extension" of the congregation in the community, the lay leader also will need to be aware of the reputation the church has in the community and work either to enhance it or improve it. The lay leader is also an advocate for the needs of the community; to inspire the congregation to care for those beyond the walls and windows of the church.
MODELING DISCIPLESHIP
Although this is not specifically required by the Discipline, one current emphasis is on the vital personal faith of leaders within the church. Your visibility as the lay leader in the congregation places you in a position to model good habits of personal devotion and discipleship. As you engage in spiritual practices and serve in outreach and mission, you serve as an example and mentor to others. As a disciple and leader, you should participate in a disciplined group such as a Covenant Discipleship group or class meeting.
FOSTERING THE ROLE OF THE LAITY
The role of laity must be renewed and expanded if your congregation is to be a vital organism. Our Methodist heritage includes active lay leadership and involvement in spreading scriptural and social holiness throughout the land. It is your responsibility to encourage other laity to use their spiritual gifts to love and serve God and neighbor.
In addition, you can help to foster awareness of the ministry of the laity through their ministry in the home, workplace, community, and the world. In part of the section on "The Meaning of Membership" in the Discipline, ¶220 describes The Call to Ministry of All the Baptized. This paragraph explains that each member is a servant of Christ in mission in the local and worldwide community. You can foster the awareness of the laity in their responsibilities as members by calling their attention to this important paragraph. Assist church members to discover and use their spiritual gifts to strengthen the church and to witness to persons in all areas of their lives. Encourage church members to use their skills—such as carpentry, plumbing, teaching, tax preparation, nursing, business, and so on—to help each other or persons in the community and throughout the world.
RECOGNIZE AND CELEBRATE THE MINISTRY OF THE LAITY
Bringing awareness of the role of the laity to the congregation and community can be accomplished by finding ways within the community of faith to recognize and celebrate all the ministries of the laity. Here are some suggestions.
• Observe Laity Sunday, annually; usually the third Sunday of October.
• Invite community groups such as fire fighters, teachers, or city workers to worship and recognize their work as ministry.
• Recognize laity who have become lay servants (formerly lay speakers) and announce training events for all laity.
• Prepare visual displays that celebrate the ministries of the laity within the walls of the church and in the world outside the building.
• Regularly promote special opportunities for service and mission projects.
• Recognize the steady ministry of groups and individuals who live out their faith in service by regularly volunteering in schools and the community.
You can provide opportunities for people of all ages to respond to how they have lived as faithful Christians during the past week, including in the workplace. They might share those experiences in worship, small groups, newsletters, or bulletins.
MEETING WITH THE PASTOR
The Book of Discipline states that the mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Each congregation must discern the way to accomplish that mission in its unique setting. And each pastor and lay leader must decide how they will share the work as together they guide the congregation in accomplishing its mission.
You will want to meet regularly with the pastor to discuss the state of the congregation and the needs for ministry both within and beyond the congregation. Cultivating a healthy relationship with the pastor is a vital part of your ministry, and being the healthy bridge between the pastor(s) and congregation is essential.
Paragraph 131 of the Book of Discipline talks about The Unity of Ministry: "There is but one ministry in Christ, but there are diverse gifts and evidences of God's grace in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4-16). The ministry of all Christians is complementary. No ministry is subservient to another. All United Methodists are summoned and sent by Christ to live and work together in mutual interdependence and to be guided by the Spirit into the truth that frees and the love that reconciles" (emphasis added).
This way of being in ministry together is not new. It was practiced by the first-century church with overwhelming success in making disciples for Jesus Christ! It is a clarion call for clergy and laity to work together in ways that have been forgotten or disregarded in the past few centuries. One way to demonstrate this working relationship is that the lay leader can be physically present as co-leader with the appointed leader in meetings, worship, and the community.
LEADERSHIP COVENANT
A good way to work together is to establish a covenant between you (pastor and lay leader) regarding how you will work together to carry out your tasks and responsibilities.
Leadership Covenant Sample
Between ______________________________________(pastor) and ___________________________________________(lay leader)
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2013–2016 - Lay Leader/Lay Member by Sandy Jackson. Copyright © 2012 Cokesbury. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
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