Laity

All of the power rests in the hands of the laity.

As we begin our comical romp through legislative exercise known as General Conference, I would like for everyone to close their eyes and repeat this simple mantra. (You can pray it if that's more in line with your theology.)

All of the power rests in the hands of the laity.

Our Bishops will not save the church, our General Agencies will not save the church, our pastors will not save the church, and our other layers of administration will not save the church.

God wants to save the church. My heart rests easy in this knowledge. I have seen the Holy Spirit sweep across congregations of the United Methodist church and have witnessed the manifold ways that Jesus uses (even the bureaucracy of!) the United Methodist church. I believe that Bishops, District Superintendents, Pastors, and the rest of the professionally religious want to save the church. Although the shrinking numbers has created a lot of burn-out, a large majority of the men and women I have worked with in the church are desperate to turn things around.

So - that leaves the laity. The good intentioned, undervalued, unsung heroes in the pews.

Here are some thoughts for and about laity - and how we (yes, I'm technically a lay person!)can change our beloved denomination.

1. Love your pastor.

Whether you have a good, bad, black, white, male, female, tall, short, friendly, awkward, charismatic, or dull pastor. Love your pastor. The attitude that new pastors must survive their first weeks in a new congregation is caustic for all involved. Not only do pastors and their families suffer tremendously - but the congregation spends time deciding if they like what God has for them or not. This is idiotic. We believe in an itinerant system. God calls pastors. The Bishops and District Superintendents discern God's will for all of the churches in their area. They assign pastors as God directs. If you want your pastor to pass a beauty contest before coming to your church - please choose any of the other denominations who choose to pick pastors in that fashion.

You will find it very hard to hate someone you have prayed over every day.

2. We must find something to fill the void left by the United Methodist Women.

Let's get very honest. The United Methodist Women was created to give bored housewives something to do all day while their husbands worked. Not only did it give them something to do - it gave their lives purpose and meaning. They were changing the world through international mission and making mean Jell-O salads. They drove the mission and ministry of the United Methodist church. They were involved so strongly that they felt a sense of ownership and pride in the ministries of the United Methodist Church.

Today, the young women who should be filling these over-sized shoes left by the last generation are pursuing promising careers in law, medicine, politics, and a whole host of other fields. One of our United Methodist women almost became president a few years ago. Women who stay home, generally, choose to stay home. The United Methodist Women was created to solve a problem - and that problem just simply doesn't exist anymore (and I'm certain that there are fascinating article about how the UMW literally worked itself out of a job). As much as I would love to see a new generation of young women take up that mantle - it's just not going to happen.

So we need to find a problem the world has and create a solution. One possibility might be the 8% of Americans who are currently unemployed. Instead of sitting at home all day - perhaps the United Methodist church could join in ministry with them and help them find meaning and purpose for their lives while they work to find employment. We could have volunteer positions where people spend 8 hours a day visiting the shut-ins, gardening around the church, writing letters to new families in the community. The currently unemployed could earn a good reference, a new community, and a sense of meaning and purpose. The church could earn unimaginable benefits.

3. We must return to our roots. The United Methodist church is rooted in the lives of the poor. We were the church who would accept the people that no one else would accept. We were the church that spoke out against the evils that created and sustained poverty. We cried out against the evils of alcohol because the families of alcoholics were crippled by a lack of food and finances as money poured down his gullet. We screeched against labor conditions which left providers in the graves in their thirties.

Today our churches are solidly middle class and the social issues that tend to surface most often are social issues that effect our privileged existence. We don't seem to care what the minimum wage is.

As laity, we must reach out across the economic divide. One of my favorite families came to church after incessant bothering by an older neighbor. She was well to do and they struggled to make ends meet. But she insisted that those kids go to church and to church they go. Now, those kids go to visit her in the nursing home. She didn't start a charity to help the kids - she loved them and wanted the best for them.

4. Redefine Leadership

Why does leadership in the church revolve around service to a committee? Why do pastors get to do all the fun ministry? Young leaders in the church need to be put in instantly visible positions of leadership and service. They need to be in hospital rooms visiting the sick, outside of churches greeting new guests, and out in the streets serving food to the homeless in their own communities.

Young servants in the church need a good place to serve. As laity, it's our job to help them find a good and healthy fit.

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All the power rests in the hands of the laity.

God is calling all of us to move forward. This is a new day and the church will not be saved by those being paid to save the church. Our denomination will only thrive if the laity step forward and accept a new challenge.