Transcript Lay Leaders

The
Alabama
West Florida
Conference
of the
United Methodist
Church
Lay Leaders
Guidelines for
Leading your
Congregation
2013
The Ministry of the Laity
of the Alabama West Florida Conference
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve
redeemed you. I’ve called
your name. You are mine.
When you are in over your
head, I’ll be there with
you.”
Isaiah 43:1b & 2a
The Message
CALLED
TO A
MINISTRY OF
FAITHFULNESS
AND
VITALITY
LEADERSHIP IN VITAL MINISTRY
 By
virtue of your baptism
 In and out of church
 Your ministry is not just a “job”, but a spiritual
endeavor and others will look to you for
spiritual leadership.
 Practice the Means of Grace
 Help others grow to a mature faith in God
that leads to making disciples of Jesus
Christ.
Means of Grace
Prayer
Searching
the Scriptures
Holy Communion
Fasting
Christian Conferencing
Worship
Devotions
Works of Piety and Mercy
ASSESSING YOUR EFFORTS
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
WHERE DO I START?
WHAT DID I GET INTO?
O begin! Fix some part of
every day for private
exercises..
Whether you like it or no,
read and pray daily. It is for
your life; there is no other
way: else you will be a trifler
all your days.”
John Wesley
What’s my job?
Who is qualified for this job?
What does a Lay Leader do?
Where do I get help?
What’s my job?
A Lay Leader represents lay
people through collaboration
with church staff and in
meetings. This leader is a role
model to others for Christian
discipleship lived out in daily
life.
Who is qualified for this job?
A
Lay Leader understands that everyone has
spiritual gifts and experience that are vital to the
Body of Christ and uses their own gifts.
 Be an example of one who “loves God and loves
neighbor”
 Good listener and communicates with all ages
 Works well with clergy and laity
 Understands the broad spectrum of the
congregation.
 Connects the church and community and world.
 Be a professing member of the local church
What does the Lay Leader do?
 Represents
the lay people in the congregation
 Role model of Christian discipleship
 Models ways to connect Christian discipleship
with daily life
 Works with other church leaders to find ways to
recognize the ministries of laity in worship,
communication, and other areas of the life of the
church.
 Meets regularly with the pastor
 May partner with the pastor in leading worship
 Serves on many committees
Responsibilities of a Lay Leader
 You
are the primary lay representative of the laity in
the local church
 Encourages the role of the laity in mission and
ministry
 Meets regularly with the pastor
 Member of the charge conference, church council
and other committees
 Continues to be involved in study and training
opportunities
 Advises the church council
 Informs the laity of training opportunities
REPRESENTING THE LAITY
 Primary
advocate for and representative of the laity
 Advocate for the clergy, respecting confidentiality
 Must be a professing member of the congregation
 Represents the congregation in the community and
needs to be aware of the reputation of the church in
the community and work to enhance and improve
 Advocate needs of the community and inspire the
congregation to go beyond the walls of the church
Modeling Discipleship
Visibly model your discipleship,
you must be an example to others
 Personal devotion
 Stewardship
 Faith
 Love
 Compassion
Fostering the Role of the Laity
You can build awareness of the role of the laity within
the congregation by the example of your leadership.
BE PRESENT
 Attend
meetings and support the leader of the
meeting.
 Attend worship services. If your church has multiple
worship services, make sure that you attend each
service regularly.
 Attend community functions as a presence of the
church
 Encourage others to use their gifts in leading the
ministry and mission of the church
Celebrate the Ministry of the Laity
 Observe
Laity Sunday (third Sunday in October)
 Invite community groups such as fire fighters,
teachers, police officers, etc. to worship with you
and recognize their work as ministry
 Recognize laity who have become Lay Speakers
and announce training for all laity events
 Prepare visual displays that celebrate the ministries
of your congregation
 Promote special opportunities for service and
mission projects
Meet with the Pastor
Meet regularly to discuss the congregation
and needs for ministry both within and
beyond the walls of the church. Developing
a healthy relationship with the pastor is an
important part of your ministry.
It’s important that you are the healthy
bridge between the pastor and the
congregation.
LEADERSHIP COVENANT
Between _____________________________ (pastor) and
__________________________________ (Lay Leader)








Description of Local Mission and Ministry Area, including
history of the area, when and how community and church
were established, distinctions, and purpose.
Roles (who does what)
Expectations
Accountability
Plan for improvements
Celebrate accomplishments
Evaluation
Review
Serving on Committees
YOU WILL BE BUSY!!!!!!!!!!
The Lay Leader is automatically a member by virtue
of office to five committees. Your role on these
committees is as a representative and advocate for
the laity.
Therefore, as Lay Leader you need to know and
cultivate a relationship with your congregation. It’s
hard to represent those you don’t know.
COMMITTEES
 Member
of the Charge Conference
 Member
of the Church Council
 Member
of the Finance Committee
 Member
of the Lay Leadership
Committee
 Member
of the S/PPR Committee
STUDY
Your willingness to continue to study and learn will
model the importance on continuing education for
other church leaders.
Attending training events in the district and
conference will give you the opportunity to
encourage members of your congregation to take
advantage of those training events.
You are encouraged to become a Certified Lay
Speaker in order to increase your leadership skills.
Advising the Church Council
You can assist the church council to:
 Look for and take advantage of opportunities to
interpret the mission and ministry of the
congregation to the community; where can the
ministries of your congregation assist the
community?
 Share ways in which the congregation could
provide mission and ministry opportunities to meet
the needs of persons in the community. Partner with
a local elementary school, homeless shelter,
disaster relief, or neighborhood watch.
Reflection
“For I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink. I was a stranger
and you welcomed me, I was naked
and you gave me clothing, I was sick
and you took care of me, I was in
prison and you visited me.”
Matthew 25:35-36
 How
could a lay leader have been an advocate in
the congregation for the group of trained and
available lay visitors?
 How
could the LL have been an advocate in the
congregation for the pastor?
 How
might this Scripture passage help the LL
interpret ministry opportunities to the congregation?
 What
 What
other passages could be helpful?
methods could the pastor and the LL use to
bring Scripture and the church’s mission to life
regarding the shared clergy/laity ministry?
Where do I get help?
 Study
Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation
Lay Leader/Lay Member
 Lay Speaking Ministries training, Certified Lay
Ministry training, other leadership training
opportunities
 Your Pastor, other active lay people
 Book of Discipline 2012 paragraph 251
 InfoServ, www.infoserv.umc.org,
 www.gbod.org/laity
 Interpreter magazine
Information contained in this presentation
came from the Book of Discipline and from
the Lay Leader/Lay Member Study Guide
and is intended for use in training Local
Church and District Lay Leaders in the
Alabama/West Florida Conference.