Lay Preaching
Did You Know that . . .
What does the
Bible say?
Lay involvement is commonplace in all
protestant denominations. If we look in the New Testament we find
many exhortations to the involvement of all members in the work of
the Body of Christ, the Church. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and
these members do not all have the same function, 5so in
Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all
the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the
grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in
proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him
serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is
encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs
of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him
govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
. . . .27Now you are the body of Christ and individually
members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church
first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of
power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of
leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles?
Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do
all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all
interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will
show you a still more excellent way.
He also wrote to the Ephesians, in chapter 4: 11The
gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the
full stature of Christ.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan
Publishing House. All right reserved. The “NIV” and “New
International Version” trademarks are registered in the United
States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society.
Use of either trademark requires the permission of International
Bible Society.
We can see that what have become known as the ‘Ordained Ministry of
Word and Sacrament’ and the ‘Lay Ministry of Word and Worship’ are
complementary activities in the Body of Christ. The Lay Ministry of
Word and Worship includes such diverse activities as reading the
lessons, intercessory prayer, leading worship, playing or singing
and preaching. Consequently these activities are all ways of using
our God-given gifts to build up the Church.
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Lay Preacher
Survey Results
A survey was carried out in 2000 to find out
what involvement Lay Preachers had in the church. The results were
encouraging, showing the depth of involvement, but also concerning
when put in the framework of the next ten years. Consider the
following findings:
- A substantial proportion of our lay preachers are over 60 with
some still serving the churches well into their 80’s. The majority
are over 50 and we have very few lay preachers below the age of
25.
- Many synods receive substantial assistance from lay preachers
of other denominations. Some United Reformed Church lay preachers
also serve churches of other denominations.
- There are 533 nationally accredited lay preachers, nearly 300
who have district recognition and nearly 400 who are neither. In
addition over 400 from other denominations serve our churches.
- 29% Of all services are taken by lay preachers, ranging from
7.5% in one district to 65% in another. In one synod 45%, of the
services are taken by lay preachers.
- Over 50% of districts have an insufficient supply of lay
preachers. In addition to a wide range of types of service, many
lay preachers are also heavily involved in the life of their
individual congregations.
- It is estimated that over the period 2001 to 2010 we shall
lose over 31% of our lay preachers through death, retirement or
moving. The range of need for renewal of lay preachers numbers
varies from 17% in one synod to over 70% in another.
- There are a growing number of worship groups (nearly 230)
which can be a stepping stone to encourage some to take up lay
preaching. However whilst TLS shows a healthy number of students,
the great majority are not taking TLS to become lay preachers.
Yes, statistics are boring, but these figures show that in order
to continue with the life of the church as we know and expect it,
850 new lay preachers are required over the next 10 years.
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