In its simplest definition, lay ministry is the work of those who are not professional clergy. Beyond that, the definition is in the eyes of the beholder. Some see it as a responsibility to serve in the faith community; others see it as the intersection of faith and life; still others see it as the ministry of the people of God through the everyday lives they live.

Sharing responsibility

Congregational members have traditionally served in a variety of ways—as members of governing boards and committees, ushering, preparing worship space, instructing children in religious education classes, and supporting programs for those in need. Increasingly, lay people are sharing responsibility for ministry more customarily associated with clergy: pastoral care and visiting, leading worship, preparing candidates for sacraments such as baptism or communion, and serving as both the administrative and spiritual leaders of education and community-service initiatives. No longer just clergy assistants or implementers of programs defined by professional clergy, lay members are sharing responsibility as partners in ministry within and beyond the congregation.

The extent to which responsibility is shared depends on many factors: the denominational and judicatory framework of the faith community; its historical orientation, evolution, size, even staffing configurations and congregational demographics. As responsibility is shared, distinctions between staff and clergy roles can be blurred. Traditional hierarchies may be redefined, requiring new organizational structures, management styles, and, in some instances, a reconsideration of the organization’s essential purpose or mission. Related conversation includes the role of religious education, individual gift discernment and vocational call, and the role of the faith community to nurture the ministry of individual members.

Different interpretations of lay ministry

In the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, lay ministry has referred to those living in religious orders, though recently that definition has been expanded to include any person called to make a living through parish ministry. Mainline Protestant denominations use it to describe the responsibility endowed to the people of God through baptism to complete the work of the Great Commission.

In religious communities without ordained clergy—Quaker, Islam, Judaism, and some parachurch organizations—the responsibilities of the faith community are shared without the complications of the lay/clergy divide. Some of these organizations are developing new roles to adapt to the societal definitions of "clergy." The emergence of the rabbinical associate who assists the senior rabbi is similar to traditional senior and associate pastor hierarchies in Christian churches.

In the Quaker tradition, the clerical role is held by people who are recorded as having gifts for ministry. In Judaism, all are charged to live by a set of spiritual rules. The rabbi is intended to be a teaching member of the community. In Islam, the imam is a prayer leader, a function that rotates through the congregation.

Change as revitalization

Ailing congregations, and churches in particular, are rethinking lay ministry as one mechanism for revitalization. Declining membership, staffing issues, and general apathy have pushed congregations into crisis. Lay ministry programs offer new and creative ways to attract and engage members, thereby helping to restore congregations.

Responding to lack of professional clergy

Professional lay ministers are also helping to fill clergy gaps, assuming traditional clerical responsibilities such as leading worship services and performing rituals. A new trend is that nonordained people are being paid for doing clerical work. Judicatories and seminaries offer programs that train lay people to fill these roles. In rural areas where ordained priests are scarce, in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan for example, lay people serve as mutual ministers to fill clerical roles in congregations. Once considered stop-gap measures until ordained clergy could be found for these congregations, these mutual-ministry programs are now permanent arrangements. Other Protestant and Jewish denominations have started similar programs.

Lay ministry beyond the religious setting

Based on the premise that the best of religious life is not necessarily contained in congregations, some aspects of lay ministry are practiced outside the faith community. Secular spirituality, alternatives to organized religion, and the role of faith in the workplace are being explored as aspects of lay ministry.

Divine confusion?

The ever-increasing scope of how the term "lay ministry" is interpreted and understood can be daunting. It can also attest to the creative and infinite power of the Spirit working to renew and reinvigorate faith and spirituality in the context of contemporary society.