Formation of the Laity for Ministry

The NET Groups program begins with the theological premise that all who claim the name "Christian" are called to be ministers. Theological inquiry and discourse are the responsibilities of the entire people of God. Theological education must be viewed as a corporate activity of the church and not the private activity of a few professionals.

Intellectually, the church understands this. Practically, it is very weak in applying this understanding to the mission of particular congregations. For the most part we have failed to form the laity for ministry

And yet we try and will continue to seek ways in which Christian religious education can be about this formative task. Such formation requires more than cognitive knowledge of the Bible and certain theological presuppositions. Wholistic Christian education should be affective and behavioral as well as cognitive.

Through its various dimensions, the NET Groups program is a model of wholism. Yes, there is an alarming deficiency in biblical and theological knowledge. More information, however, does little good in the ministry if it does not "touch the heart" in an affective way, and then lead to behavioral changes that will move the Christian to be a transforming witness in the world. To love God with our minds and to express such love in a caring fellowship will inevitably lead to transformation of self and efforts by the self to transform the world. Love implies relationship, and when in relationship the self is transformed.

Today there is a significant move toward activity, relationship, and experience with regard to learning. Experience as the criterion for theological reflection is certainly the central piece of the NET Groups program, but it goes beyond developing a more effective learning model for the church. NET Groups are designed to help Christians understand that their many and varied experiences can be occasions for ministry. A most important task of the local congregation is to help people discern their gifts in ministry and then activate those gifts for witness and ministry in the world.

What the NET Groups program seeks is a vision for ministry, where the laity can see themselves as part of the transformation process, being used by God to help build a better world. Of course, an important part of the transformation process, and the first part, is to see their own transforming experiences in their understanding of who they are and what they could be. The central question in this program is, "How is God working here?" But this question is always followed with, "How could I have been a more effective minister in this situation?"

The golden biblical text for the role of Christian religious education in the formation of the laity for ministry is Ephesians 4:11-12: "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (NRSV). "To equip" is the role of Christian religious educators, who are also apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.