#12
Encourage all the church members to use their “gift-abilities” in ministry
Lay Pastors Ministry will;
- Provide authentic and effective pastoral care for every member of your church.
- Release laypeople’s ministering gifts and “love with skin on it” into your congregation.
- Fulfill the desire of committed laypeople to participate fully in significant kingdom work.
- Relieve pastors from the impossible expectation that they are the pastoral caregivers for every member of the church.
- Permeate your church’s culture with a spirit of love and care.
- Fulfill the Biblical mandate to shepherd God’s people.
- Give a large church the small church feeling; give a small church or medium-size church the large church advantage.
- Identify your church as people centered rather than program or organization centered.
- Encourage all the church members to use their “gift-abilities” in ministry by observing this model of “Partners in Ministry.”
- Complete the task of evangelism- “People worth winning are worth caring for.” (George Hunter III in Church for Unchurched)●
COMMENTS
in relation to Benefits of Lay Pastors Ministry
Dr. Kwangsong Jeon, President of PIS (Nagaland India), says:
With great joy and gratitude, I extend my heartfelt congratulations on the publication of this Student Journal by
the students of PACE International Seminary. This journal is a testament to the dedication, theological insight, and
commitment of our students who seek to engage deeply with God’s Word and His mission. It reflects academic rigor
and a passion for ministry and discipleship.
At PACE International Seminary, we uphold the core principles of P.A.C.E.:
1. Prayer – Every aspect of our theological education and ministry is grounded in prayer. Through prayer, we seek God’s wisdom,
strength, and direction.
2. Availability – We are called to be available to serve others, responding to the needs of our communities with compassion and readiness.
3. Contact – Meaningful relationships in ministry are essential. Through intentional engagement and pastoral care, we foster spiritual
growth and encouragement.
4. Example – Our lives should reflect Christ’s character as a model for others in faith, humility, and service.
This Student Journal embodies these values, allowing students to express their theological reflections, share insights, and contribute to the broader discussion of Christian faith and ministry. Their writings are not merely academic exercises but serve as a witness to their calling and a commitment to equipping others through sound biblical teaching.■
Keniesieno Magh (student of PIS) says:
Partnership between clergy and lay people is essential for building a vibrant and inclusive faith community. By working together, communicating openly, sharing responsibilities, and empowering one another, clergy and lay people can create a dynamic and effective ministry that serves the needs of all members.
When the clergy and laypeople work together, they can achieve great things. This partnership is built on mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to serving the community. By working together, they can pool their talents, skills, and experiences to create a stronger, more vibrant community.
Open communication is also essential for a strong partnership between the clergy and lay people. This means sharing information, listening to each other’s ideas and concerns, and being transparent and honest in all interactions. By communicating openly, they can build trust, avoid misunderstandings, and work together more effectively.
Sharing responsibilities is another important aspect of this partnership. The clergy and lay people can work together to identify the needs of the community and develop strategies to meet those needs. They can then share the responsibilities of implementing those strategies, with each person contributing their unique skills and talents. By sharing responsibilities, they can ensure that the workload is distributed fairly and that everyone has the opportunity to contribute and make a difference.
Empowering one another is a key part of this partnership. The clergy can empower the lay people by giving them opportunities to take on new challenges and responsibilities. This can help to build confidence and leadership skills among the lay people. At the same time, the lay people can empower the clergy by sharing their own unique perspectives and ideas. This can help to bring new energy and creativity to the community. ♥
Ron Johnson ( Sydney, Australia) says:
It was in 1989 that our church began the Lay Pastors Ministry after we discovered Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron’s book “Can The Pastor Do it Alone?”. As with most churches, we came up with many questions as the ministry developed and it was an exciting to time to grapple with the questions and find answers to them.
I was the Associate Minister at the time and was entrusted with the task of leading the ministry and answering the questions that arose.
One of the very first questions I needed to put my mind to, came in our Equipping Seminar on the subject of allocating “Flock Members” to our Lay Pastors. One of our prospective new Lay Pastors said enthusiastically “Great, I look forward to sharing the gospel with them!”
This man was a keen evangelist and saw his top priority as evangelizing the lost.
I said to him “Bob, what if the flock assigned to you are all fine Christian people and have wonderful testimonies as to how and when they came to Christ?”
“Well,” said Bob. “I guess I’ll have a good time sharing the Scriptures with them”.
I had to patiently explain that the Lay Pastors Ministry isn’t primarily evangelistic although sometimes it may involve evengelising. It is quite likely that there will be some church members who have not yet understood the gospel with their hearts and minds and been “born again”. Often people initially come to church for a variety of reasons before the message of the gospel sinks in and grabs hold of them.
Bob was keen also to read the Scriptures with his flock members, and that is a fine thing to do if it is appropriate at the time, but what if Bob’s flock members are all keen students of the Bible and regularly attend small Bible study groups?
Bible study groups are an important aspect of the Great Commission.
Both learning the Sciptures and obeying the Scriptures are aspects of “Disciple making”.
Again, I had to explain that the Lay Pastors Ministry is not primarily disciple-making, although sometimes it may involve “disciple making”.
It may be a good thing then to reflect on some definitions of evangelism, disciple-making and pastoral care.
What is “evangelism”? A simple definition:
Evangelism is:
“Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with a view to“ persuading others to follow Him” (Leighton Ford “Good News Is For Sharing”)
Biblical basis: Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15)
A Discipleship definition:
“Discipleship is the process of learning to love and follow Jesus and becoming more like him in our attitudes and actions. It’s also seeking to make other disciples who want to do the same thing.”
(What is Discipleship? — Blog — Groundwork Bible Study)
Biblical basis: Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teachingthem to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
A simple definition from Jesus: “ Teaching the followers of Jesus to obey everything He has commanded us.”
Definitions of Pastoral Care
There are many definitions of pastoral care to be found on the web by both Christian and non Christian organizations that give food for thought,i.e.
Healthcare – “Counseling or comfort given by ministers, priests, rabbis, etc., to those in need of help with emotional problems or stressful situations.” (Sacred Heart Hospital CPE Dept)
Education – “Pastoral care is a term generally applied to the practice of looking after the personal and social wellbeing of children under the care of a teacher.
Lay Pastors Ministry – “Giving one’s self in christian love to a relationship, in times of weakness and in times of strength.” (Mel Steinbron “Can The Pastor Do It Alone?)■
Byeong, Melvin University, says:
LPMI USA presented these and I found it almost 90% are true from LPM Korea ministry last 15 Years; can you also find in your own?
I have trained one church with PACE, so one of trainee made circle at 10, means she wanted to do this kind of ministry in her lifelong, and she helped, cared for people very well many years already, and it was more effective than associate pastors, she was trying to do this caring by herself, nobody in the church, even church are not recognized and publicize, so she was dying of burning heart, by the way through the PACE equipping session her burning heart was rekindle inside, so she became the ministry leader of PACE in her church, and later she became one of national leaders, and finally helped to start PACE School, Nagaland India.
Another example was that I have heard from one pastor of PACE network churches. He said one day their ministry leader of PACE, Mrs. Oakja Kim came to pastor’s office and expressed gratitude to the pastor because church gave her to lead this PACE ministry so she felt self-esteem through her leadership, actually she was just ordinary wife of farmer, and of course herself was a farmer all of her life, so she thought her life will end with poor farmer’s wife, but one day she became a leader of significant ministry for her church. So it was fascinating story to hear.
Other story was that I have trained one rural church for two nights, from Wednesday night, and Thursday night, usually start 8pm and finish 11 or 12 midnight. At second evening, we started about 8 p.m., and went on the session until next morning 4 am. Time to finish about 4 a.m., I asked the participants saying something, and then nineteen people were there. They talk how they feel about the training, and expressed one by one, but one gentleman, named Mr. Han, looks about 50-years-old, he said that he is going to promise two things through this session.■
ADDITIONAL COMMENT
by BYEONG
Team Ministry: Two things come to my mind about team ministry. One is “whether it is helpful?” or rather “damaging when gathered as a team?”
Once we talk about a team, it’s common to talk about things like, “It’s better if we work each other,” “we can’t do it alone,” “we have to form a team to go in the long run,” and so on.
Marlene Wilson, an American Volunteering Expert, wrote in her book, “How to Mobilize Church Volunteers,” there she talked three things about that happen when we get together as a team: one is Synergistic, the other two are Symbiotic and Parasitic. In other words, Synergy is 1+1=4; Symbiotic is 1+1=2; Parasitic is 1+1=-4. Isn’t is meaningful? and the team leader has to think of this phenomenon.
Another one is Dr. Patrick Lencioni, an expert on the team’s “dysfunctions.” He emphasized that we have to be careful of the team’s dysfunction and overcome it. He made this progress: [Trust > Conflict > Commitment > Responsibility > Results]
If we have weak trust, there is conflict. If the conflict is unresolved, the commitment is insignificant, and the responsibility is weakened, and the consequences are fatal, so we have to keep these five things in mind at all times.
There must be a proper reason why our team is here. In my case, our team was formed early on to serve. I didn’t think of anything systematic of it, but I always emphasized two things: First, take care of ourselves each other. It means that each person is responsible for each one’s growth. That is, care and growth together. The second was achieving the goal. The focus should not be missed on the results. In the case of gathering at the level of fellowship or friendship, there may not be such a goal, but a group gathered for ministry or special purpose is an inevitable task to achieve its goal. So I’ve always tried to achieve both here “care and growth;” and there “achieve goals.”
By doing this, the concept of family (“We are family”) and the pursuit of meaningful and worthwhile ministry were in place. When these two things coexist well, the team members feel satisfied and happy in the present. It is to continue to feel meaningful and rewarding with expectations for the future.
When the first one is insignificant, the warm atmosphere is weak, and the level of commitment decreases. On the other hand, when the pursuit of results is weak, there is no personal burden, so they cannot grow, so they are prepared to leave as complaints arise. It’s uncomfortable to feel the burden of being not removed, but otherwise, personal spiritual growth is not possible, and we don’t feel a sense of accomplishment in the ministry, so we’ll be ready to leave soon.