Rosemary Walters suggests some practical ways of responding to Bishop Martyn’s vision for the future of lay ministry. ‘What next for Lay Ministry?’ – Transforming Ministry Magazine
[This article is from our Winter 2019 back issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
The recent booklet from CRC, Resourcing Sunday to Saturday Faith contains a wealth of exciting and practical ideas for living out our vocation as lay ministers, encouraging our congregations in their weekday witness and living out that witness ourselves. Rosemary Walters looks at how we might make best use of these suggestions in our own lives.
Here are some thoughts from the Introduction to Theme 2: Teaching the Faith
Opportunities (p. 14):
The Christian teacher
- asks questions which provoke a new way of seeing.
Challenges:
- Do we think that ‘asking questions which provoke a new way of seeing’ is most easily done in our preaching? How can we transfer this to non-liturgical situations? Are we prepared to go from delivering information to a mindset where we ourselves approach faith primarily with questions so that we can understand the approach of those who may be enquiring or sceptical?
Try this:
Look at an article in a local or national newspaper which you feel is of concern generally or to your community. What questions would you share about it if you were having a conversation with a friend, neighbour, work colleague which would bring a Christian perspective into the situation?
Opportunities:
The Christian teacher
- tells stories which invite a comparison.
Challenges:
- In our approach to Biblical narratives do we give the impression that we are insisting on historical verification at the expense of the interpretation of the story? Can we see and help others to discern the equivalents in our culture to the issues raised in the story for those who were the earliest recipients of the narrative, whether orally or in written form? Do we have a lurking suspicion that deliberately making comparisons between the story and our contemporary lives is somehow disrespectful to or trivialising the text? Are there some stories which speak so clearly across time and culture that their application to today will be obvious without further comment?
Try this:
Choose one Old Testament story, and one New Testament story about Jesus or told by Jesus. Can you think of a weekday situation where these stories have been/could be introduced naturally into discussion/conversation to provide convincing and practical comparisons to move a situation forward? What is it about these choices that makes them especially difficult or especially successful?
Opportunities:
The Christian teacher• responds to questions, shining a light to help others find their way.
Challenges:
- When was the last time any of us were actually challenged by questions about faith from inside or outside our congregations? Do we respond defensively or answer a question with a question which shows that we are enquirers as well and are genuinely interested in looking at a variety of perspectives? How do we ensure that we aren’t just interested in promoting our own answers when questions arise?
Try this:
Ask someone outside your Christian community what is the biggest question for them about meaning and purpose in life? Then only respond by asking them questions. You can answer any questions they put to you but not give your opinions unless asked. Does this seem a constructive way forward in sharing faith?
Helpful resources:
- Grove Booklets (see www.grovebooks.co.uk/evangelism)
- Ev 93: The 360 Gospel of Jesus: Every Angle for Every Person
- Ev 97: Six Big Questions: Wrestling with Objections to the Christian Faith
- Ev 100: The Gospel Message Today: Language that Connects in Communicating the Gospel
- Stroup, George W. (1981) The Promise of Narrative Theology: Recovering the Gospel in the Church. SCM.
- Cupitt, Don (1991) What is a Story? SCM.
Rosemary Walters is a Reader in the parish of St Martin and St Paul, Canterbury and a member of General Synod.
[This article is from our Winter 2019 back issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]