We now have Two Sunday morning services!

"If the church is to move aggressively into the next century as God wills it, there must be a revival of lay ministry."

The term laity is a word derived from laos, a Greek word meaning people. In the biblical sense, it includes all people who believe in and are committed to Jesus as Savior and Lord. The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is a fundamental belief among our clergy and laity. In recent years this doctrine has been a topic of major importance as we seek to evangelize the world. This belief presents a paradox to all thinking leaders in the Church of God: we acknowledge the "priesthood" but still it is a sacred few who actually do the work of ministry. The laity are needed. The doctrine of the laity is so important, that if adequately understood and properly expressed in the life of God's people, it could bring about a spiritual awakening that would revolutionize the life and ministry of the church.

Church of God Laity and the Present

The Church of God has been a trendsetter in the arena of lay ministry. Consider the following: l We are among a handful of denominations that partially fund and staff a full Department of Lay Ministries. l There is a general acceptance of laity as ministers and sincere attempt to understand the vital role of the laity.

Many laypeople are involved in meaningful ministry in our local churches.

However, there remains a lot of work to do in this area of preparing God's people for ministry. The words of the late Rev. Richard C. Halverson strike a responsive cord when we consider the plight of the laity. He said, "The church has succeeded in pulling Christian men and women out of the world, out of society, and out of community and civic affairs. It has become a little island of irrelevant piety surrounded by an ocean of secular need." The present status of our laity seems to be introspective as we tend to look at ministry only within the confines of the church.

When we think of "full-time ministers" we tend to think of only those who are ordained as clergy. Ministry is a station for a few rather than the function for all. The concept of "pray, pay and obey" is painfully evident as the primary function of laypeople. The laity are valuable because of who they are and what they can do. The laity are not used to reach the goal of the church . . . they are the goal! We must see (1) that laity can receive a "call from God" in their daily work (2) that the vocation of laypeople is a stewardship opportunity and (3) that the work of the laity is the will of God in the life of the believer. The secular work of the laity must be viewed as both a "calling" and a "ministry."