The weekend of our annual meeting is a good time to think about lay ministry. A lot of attention goes to clergy, and a lot of investment is made in selecting and forming people to be deacons and priests. But the great majority of ministry is carried out by lay people. At St Martin’s it’s more complex than in many parishes, because we have a large number of lay people in paid staff roles in addition to the more familiar lay ministry role of the volunteer.
I think of four kinds of lay ministry.
- One is liturgical – where lay people play roles in worship, e.g. interceding;
- Another is in governance – such as standing for the PCC;
- A third is organising – such as being a team leader for the Sunday International Group;
- The last, and most important, is exercising – putting your gifts to work and discovering gifts you never knew you had while allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you.
I use the term lego to remember the four – taking the first letter of liturgy, exercising, governance and organising. A lot of attention goes to those who take up liturgical roles and a lot of status goes to those who take up governance roles. But a church flourishes when everyone is exercising ministry in one way or another – and to get everyone exercising requires some people to be organising, whether in a staff or volunteer role.
Exercising isn’t simply replicating in a church setting the role you’ve played professionally. It can often mean taking up a role you’ve never tried before and finding new sides to your personality as well as new opportunities to serve. Neither is exercising simply about getting the church jobs done. It’s quite appropriate that for some people, church is largely a supportive environment for demanding ministry they exercise elsewhere.
I’m grateful for the myriad ministries exercised in this community. This weekend’s annual parochial church meeting is a celebration of them. Everyone has an abundance to bring and a great deal to receive.
Revd Dr Sam Wells
