Jan 12, 2023 | Extra Articles (For everyone), Features
[This article is from our Spring 2023 back issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
We all know that churches can be led by lay people – and in vacancies, for example, often are.
Alan Stanley believes this is a good thing…
My own semi-rural benefice of three churches has been in a vacancy for one year, and an appointment is unlikely for another twelve months. During that time, each of the churches has come to life under the humble, often hesitating and faltering, but shared and compassionate leadership of its own lay people. Some of these emerging lay leaders hold official positions, some do not, but all are working together to lead our churches out of Covid and into the next stage of God’s plan for us.
In looking at some of the theology and ecclesiology behind this lay led period, I have been amazed how so much has pointed to the conclusion that not only can churches be led by their lay people, but that they should be. Indeed, perhaps they actually need to be. Working from the New Testament through to today, I hope to set out some key reasons why I have arrived at that conclusion.
The New Testament picture is of a charismatic church gradually delineating different ministries but with no separation between the value of each. In fact, there is no evidence that ministries were tied to one person for all time. It is likely that the general oversight of the Christian community in the early centuries rested on the owner of the home in which the church met. When we look at the New Testament from its own perspective, rather than from our own, we find, as Sullivan says, ‘a variety of forms of leadership that developed according to the needs of the early church’.1 If we are to be true to the New Testament witness then, we too must look for a variety of forms of leadership that develop according to the needs of the twenty-first century church.
By the time of the Shepherd of Hermas (around 140)2 we encounter the phrase ‘the presbyters who are head of the community’. We must not make the assumption that these presbyters, or elders, were ‘ordained’ in the way we understand the word today. We must take care to note well Macy’s words looking at contemporary questions surrounding ordination: Ordination in ancient document(s) was not the same concept that the modern question implies.3
Perhaps all we can glean from the New Testament is that the leadership of the early Christian communities was shared and changed as the communities themselves changed.
That brings us to the first thousand years of Christian history. In a compelling argument Macy helps us understand that ‘ordination’ was entry into one of the many offices needed to give the Christian community the order and missionary zeal that St Paul had called for in 1 Corinthians 14.
Macy summarises his argument thus: Ordination had a far different meaning for the first half of Christian history than it would come to have in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.3 In a very telling comment on the development of ministries in the first half of Christian history, the Roman Catholic theologian Schmidt writes that ‘all theologies of the ministry, however profound, are the consequences of a historical development in church structure’.4 From this he concludes that ‘the church has very great freedom over the content of its structures’.
This brings us to the dawn of that structure which is the parish system in England. First, we need to acknowledge that the parish church system owes its origins to lay people. The private churches of the local landowner were eventually opened up to all his tenants and became the church for the parish. Moorman tell us that ‘The village priest was therefore very much his lord’s “man” and subject to his authority and jurisdiction’.5 The priests themselves were local men, chosen for the work by the landowner, with only rudimentary education, and a bishop’s licence. Their role was to ensure public worship, engage in some simple teaching and carry out pastoral duties, all under the day-to-day direction of their lay benefactor. It was only with the development of sacramental theology in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries that a class of priests began to emerge who did not have their roots in their own local community, the so-called Mass Priests.
This local attachment was very slow to die out. Adrian Hastings writes about one James Hastings who, when he became Rector of Martly in 1920, could trace a family line of rectors through his father and grandfather back to 1791.6 The early rural parish clergy had no training as understood today and were following in the pattern of being local men, eventually also being Oxford or Cambridge educated. They were still ordained simply to lead worship and give pastoral care and instruction. Hastings comments: ‘This tradition of a laicised clergy went hand in hand with that of a church-minded laity, the “ecclesiastical layman”’. He continues: ‘A national church was, in all sorts of ways, a lay controlled Church, from parliament to the most local patronage’.6
When then did the Church of England cease to be a ‘lay controlled Church’? We could argue that the advent of structures which were designed to increase lay involvement in the Church of England may have in fact had the opposite effect.
In 1919, the bishops wanted the church to have more autonomy from Parliament. One consequence of that, whether intended or not, was to set in law the relationship between the incumbent and the people of the parish. The whole system of synodical government in the Church of England, and its equivalent in many other historic churches, has been designed to give lay people a voice in church affairs. Synods, whether national, regional, or local, may on occasion vote by Houses (bishops, clergy and lay), with a majority in all of the three sometimes required for a decision to be made. However, at the smallest and most local level, the Parochial Church Council, the incumbent is only required to consult with the lay people. The ideal is that all should work together, but this is a one-sided working together when the incumbent can act without the agreement of the lay people and remain, in the official words ‘the head’. The care of the people in the parish (the ‘cure of souls’) is shared by the bishop with the incumbent but not with the local lay people.
I am reminded of a quote from Cardinal John Henry Newman to the effect that the clergy would look pretty silly without the laity. The fact remains however that a reform which was intended to increase lay leadership ham-strung it at parish level from the start.
Anyone doubting that the laity have been disenfranchised by synodical government only needs to glance at the Guidance the House of Bishops issued during the pandemic:
Who makes the decision on what happens in church settings and at events held in church buildings? The responsibility for making decisions about how to proceed lies with the incumbent. This applies to acts of worship, to events run by the PCC or church community, and to decisions on whether to hire out spaces or allow other events to proceed. Incumbents should feel empowered to make locally appropriate decisions … 7
There is no mention of the responsibility lying with the PCC, or even of the churchwardens and incumbent acting together. The implication is clear.
All this is not simply an academic exercise. This top-down leadership model has seriously inhibited the mission activity of many churches, as the slowness to rebuild congregation numbers to pre-pandemic levels shows all too clearly.
This stands in contrast to some of the small and medium sized enterprises and large multinational companies which weathered the pandemic much more successfully than the church. In these organisations even the most authoritative founders and leaders share their decision making with others, though not necessarily those in the hierarchy chart.
Writing in 1981 (hence the use of masculine language), the Roman Catholic theologian Edward Schillebeeckx said: ‘This “community of God” is a brotherhood in which the power structures prevailing in the world are broken down (Matt. 20.25f.; Luke 22.25; Mark 10 42f.): all are equal.’8 It appears that the hierarchy of the Church of England does not follow Schillebeeckx’s thinking.
In contrast, Jürgen Moltmann (a theologian from the Reformed tradition) provides a clear expression in his The Trinity and the Kingdom of God of how an understanding of the Trinity should influence the way local churches are led.9 Moltmann argues that the Holy Trinity forms its own unity by the three persons loving each other, interacting with each other and sustaining each other in a community of equals. This, for Moltmann, is the exemplar of all true human communities, starting with the church. There is no room for monarchy in leadership; the only way is to follow the example of the Trinity and see leadership as community.
The hierarchical structure of the Church of England does not appear to follow this thinking. Perhaps now the time has arrived for it to engage in some ‘ecclesial restructuring’, to use a phrase coined by Cardinal Yves Congar. It will be a challenging process to go through, as was the process to ordain women, but no less rewarding. Kenneth Hylson-Smith outlines the challenge to clergy that enabling true lay leadership brings:
As part of the process, clergy and ministers all too typically appear to be over-cautious in sharing true leadership with the lay people ….. such apprehension is fully understandable. There are, of course, real risks in any devolution of power and authority. But the extent to which restraint or fear overcomes boldness is … highly detrimental to the work of the churches 10 (my emphasis).
A second article, to appear in the Summer 2023 issue of this magazine, will look at what a permanently lay-led church could look like in practice.
References
1 Sullivan, F A, From Apostles to Bishops: The Development of the Episcopacy in the Early Church. New Jersey: Newman Press, 2001: p.99.
2 See https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0230.xml
3 Macy, G, The Hidden History of Women’s Ordination, Female Clergy in the Medieval West. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008: p.15.
4 Schmidt, P, ‘Ministries in the New Testament and the Early Church’. In Kerkhovs, J (ed) Europe without Priests? London: SCM, 1995: p.84.
5 Moorman, J R H, A History of the Church of England. London: A&C Black, 1980: p.28.
6 Hastings, A, A History of English Christianity 1920–1985. London: Collins, 1986: p.69.
7 House of Bishops Guidance issued 9th December 2021.
8 Schillebeeckx, E, Ministry. Leadership in the Community of Jesus Christ. New York: Crossroad, 1981: p.34.
9 Moltmann, J, The Trinity and the Kingdom of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1980.
10 Hylson-Smith, K, The Laity in Christian History and Today. London: SPCK, 2008: p.136.
Dec 10, 2022 | Extra Articles (For everyone), Features
As the Central Readers’ Council celebrates its centenary, Stephanie Hayton looks back in time.
[This article is from our Winter 2022 issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
There have been Readers, or ‘official lay ministers of the Church’, since New Testament times.1 Although their current role in the Church of England began in 1866, the ‘existence of an order of Readers… is a constant’ because ‘Readers are not simply an Anglican institution’ but ‘are admitted to an ancient order common to the Church Universal’.2 The practice of allowing educated lay people to preach and teach has its roots in the synagogues. Jewish priests had a sacramental role which focused on the Jerusalem Temple but, in the synagogues, educated Jewish laymen could read from Scripture and explain it to the congregation. Jesus fulfilled this role in the synagogue at Nazareth.
The early Church continued to use lay people to preach (e.g. 1 Tim 4:13). By 200 AD, it seems that Readers were the educated teachers within churches, whereas presbyters, deacons and even bishops might not have this claim.1
However, after Constantine’s edict in 313 AD, Christian leaders could have certain legal privileges so it became important to select the leaders and guard against heresy. Hence, ordination became important, clergy were trained to preach, and lay preachers were not required. The office of ‘Reader’ became a stepping-stone towards ordination3 and disappeared as a separate lay office until the sixteenth century when it was reinstated by Elizabeth I.
During the religiously and politically turbulent reigns of Henry VIII and his children, the nation needed unity and a common religion was one answer. The first Book of Common Prayer was published in 1549 during the reign of Edward VI. Even clergy were not always allowed to preach but instead read from the Church-authorised Book of Homilies4 (1547 and 1632). Even these measures were suppressed during Mary’s reign.
Elizabeth’s kingdom held a wide spectrum of religious views (from Puritans to Roman Catholics) so she demanded ‘conformity’. The Act of Supremacy (1559) required clergy and nobles to acknowledge the Queen as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Some clergy rebelled, causing a shortage of church leaders. Hence, Archbishop Matthew Parker allowed incumbents to appoint ‘some sober honest and grave layman who as lector or Reader shall give his attendance to read the order of service appointed’.1 The role of these Readers varied: some did little more than read services and homilies, while others were active in missionary and pastoral work within the parish,5 but they all had to resign their positions when clergymen became available.1
As Anglicanism became established, clergy increased and the need for lay Readers disappeared. However, some laypeople continued to work as Readers in more missional settings such as New England and Australia.6 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), founded in 1701, employed lay Readers who could also be catechists, schoolmasters or schoolmistresses. Other Readers were appointed by missionaries to lead new churches in communities – becoming, essentially, ministers – preaching, teaching, and leading worship in a pastoral context, some even baptising children.7 Others were viewed as ‘undertrained’. However successful they were, all were demoted when clergy arrived.
During the 1800s, in England, the activity of lay preachers (including women) increased8 but, since they were not ordained, the Church had little control over them. The population of England, particularly in towns and cities, grew rapidly during this period. However, the new housing estates attracted few clergy and many working people believed clergy to be part of the ‘oppressor’ class. In 1850, the bishops faced these issues and, after several years of discussion, resolved to reinstate the Order of Readers. At this stage, all Readers were male. Unlike clergy, they could have secular employment so did not need to be paid.
The idea of lay leadership in worship and preaching caused some anxiety, as did questions about the role and place of Reader ministry in the structures and organisation of the church.9 Readers were empowered to ‘render general aid to the clergy in all ministrations not strictly requiring the service of one in Holy Orders; to read lessons in Church; to read prayers and Holy Scripture, and to explain the same…’1 They were also encouraged to help ‘clergymen and others in… mission work’ holding services in prisons and workhouses, for sailors and other marginalised groups.10 This office was unpaid, licensed (or commissioned) by the bishop and with the incumbent’s agreement.
The Order of Readers was developed with mixed motives: it allowed greater lay involvement in churches, it provided a control over unauthorised preachers, it encouraged a wider pastoral ministry as Readers visited the sick, and it was hoped that Readers could work in areas of the population where clergy were not welcome. Some Bishops expected Readers to hold a similar social standing and education to clergy. Others recognised the social gap between clergy and the unchurched, so wanted Readers to bridge that gap.9 This caused two levels of Reader to develop: parochial Readers who could minister only in their home churches, and diocesan Readers who sat examinations then ministered across the diocese.
Initially many Readers were confined to reading the lesson, explaining the Scriptures in private households, and visiting the sick. A significant advance was made in 1884 when Readers were permitted to preach and read the non-priestly sections of Morning and Evening Prayer in unconsecrated buildings.1 By 1905, Readers could preach their own sermons although only the incumbent could use the pulpit.
Over the next decade, the Reader identity developed, often separate from the structures of the Church.
Theological colleges trained Readers, evangelists and missioners and these could be stipendiary roles. The Church had agreed in 1898 that trained evangelists could be given a Reader’s licence. In 1908, a central body to oversee Reader ministry was formed including clergy and Readers from different dioceses. This became the Central Readers’ Board in 19221 and, later, the Central Readers’ Council.11
During the World Wars, many clergy became army chaplains. Readers also enlisted and frequently led services, but qualified lay people were likewise needed to lead services and care for congregations at home. Many Readers took on necessary leadership roles ‘by default’, responding to a shortage of clergy. Social barriers between the upper classes (nobles and many clergy) and working people were breaking down. This growing egalitarianism reduced the need for the Readers’ bridging role and changed Reader ministry from ‘pioneering work on the boundaries between church and world, into something more churchy…’12
As the Church began to recognise the need for a lay voice in its affairs, the British Government passed the ‘Enabling Act’ (1919–20), allowing lay voices in the new Church Assembly (the precursor to the General Synod). Parochial Church Councils were also formed, giving lay congregation members the opportunity to guide their home church. This was followed in 1941 by updated regulations for Reader ministry which allowed all Readers to preach in any church building, if invited, and included the Reader as a member of parish staff. These regulations also allowed Readers to assist in Holy Communion services, although they were forbidden from preaching at these services.1
Common themes appear in this history: Reader ministry was encouraged when there was a lack of suitable clergy. Although the mission aspect of Reader ministry is noted, the Church’s concern for Readers focused on assisting clergy. This emphasis was reflected in church discussions and regulations governing Reader ministry.
Between 1910 and 1935, there was growing pressure to ordain women. From 1887, stipendiary lay women could work within the Church Army1 and, slowly, women were being allowed to assist with services. In 1935, an Archbishops’ Commission considered the ministry of women. Although it recommended that women should be able to exercise ministry as deaconesses, lay workers and Church Army Sisters, it believed that the Church would only accept male priests. However, the Commission suggested that women should be licensed as lay Readers.13
Over the following decades, there were concerns that licensing women might promote female ordination. In 1969, however, women were licensed as Readers. Molly Dow, one of the first female Readers, commented, ‘I felt then, and still feel, that having gifts for “up-front ministry’’ does not necessarily constitute a call to ordination. It seems right that lay people are seen to be able to do that kind of thing: that they, too, have theological and leadership gifts for the church.’14 However, as several of the articles in the Summer 2019 issue of The Reader demonstrated, seeing women in robes in pulpits and at the front of churches certainly helped move the culture towards accepting women in priestly and leadership roles.
In the twenty-first century, the twin themes through Reader ministry continue to be seen: the recognition of the need for lay involvement in the Church and in mission as society becomes increasingly secular and multicultural. Readers are not just there to assist the clergy but to bridge the two worlds of church and everyday life. A greater focus on Readers has led to an alternative name (Licensed Lay Ministers) and specific training. In 2021, new guidance was offered for the selection, discernment and training of Readers.15 This guidance acknowledges the role that Readers have in linking worship and our place in the world.
In 2018, Bishop Martyn Snow (Chair of the CRC from 2016 to 2020) emphasised the need for Readers to be ‘leaders in church and society’.16 There is a growing sense too of the vocation to Reader ministry being a separate calling, distinct from the call to the priesthood but just as valuable in itself. This is emphasised by the CRC now welcoming its first lay Chair as it celebrates its centenary.
Stephanie Hayton is Warden of Lay Ministry, Diocese of Bristol, and a Trustee of the Central Readers’ Council. This article is based on work carried out for an MA in Christian Approaches to Leadership at Sarum College in 2021.
[This article is from our Winter 2022 issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
References
- King, T G, Readers: A Pioneer Ministry. London: The Miss Myland Fund, 1973.
- Young, F, ‘Readers in the Eastern Churches’. Transforming Ministry, 120(4), Winter 2020: pp.17-18.
- Knight, K,. Lector (online). Available at www. newadvent.org/cathen/09111a.htm. 2020.
- Ryrie, A, The Age of Reformation: The Tudor and Stuart Realms 1485–1603. Harlow: Pearson Longman, 2017.
- Younger, N, ‘How Protestant was the Elizabethan Regime?’ The English Historical review, 133(564), 2018: pp.1060-92.
- Withycombe, R S M, ‘Rural ministry: historical case studies from mid-ninteenth century Australian colonies.’ Rural Theology, 6(1)(70), 2008.
- Tovey, P, Buck, S, and Dodds G, Instruments of Christ’s Love. London: SCM Press, 2016.
- Andrews, R M, ‘Women of the seventeenth and eighteenth-century high church tradition.’ Anglican and Episcopal History, March 2015: pp.49-64.
- Garner, P, The Reader: an exploration of the history and present place of Reader ministry in the Church of England. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds, 2010.
- Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council, Reader Upbeat: Quickening the Tempo of Reader Ministry in the Church Today. London: Church House Publishing, 2008.
- Hiscox, R, Celebrating Reader Ministry. London: Mowbray.
- Paterson, R, ‘Comment’. The Reader, 116(2) Summer, 2016: p.7.
- Archbishops’ Council, Women Bishops in the Church of England. London: Church House Publishing, 2004.
- Dow, M. ‘A Reader for fifty years (nearly), The Reader, 119(Summer), 2019: pp.9-10.
- www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/ files/2021-04/LLM%20Reader%20discernment%20 framework%20toplevel%20grid_1.pdf.
- Snow, M, ‘The future of Reader ministry.’ The Reader, 118(2) Spring 2018: pp.5-7.
Nov 22, 2020 | 2017 - Spring, Book Reviews, Free Spring 2017
Instruments of
Christ’s Love
Authors Phillip Tovey, Sally Buck and Graham Dodds
Publisher SCM £14.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780334054351
Three people, one of them a Reader herself, all engaged with Readers and training Readers in some way write a book about ‘The Ministry of Readers’. Significant bits of it are descriptive – what some Readers do and what Readers say about their ministry in their own words. In Chapter 2, Phillip Tovey asks the perennially fascinating question ‘What is a Reader?’ and gives us a useful overview of the answers, set in the context of reflection on lay ministry in general. He also shows, in ‘Readers in History’, that Reader-like persons were very active and effective in the American colonies, pre-dating the revival of Reader ministry in 1866 by 150 years. (I was surprised, though, that there was no mention of the Elizabethan experiment.) A view ahead is opened up by Graham Dodds in ‘Readers as pioneers?’ There is no doubting the commitment of the authors to Reader ministry and their appreciation of its importance and potential. This book may be useful for those exploring Reader ministry or in training, wanting a reasonably concise overview of all things Reader.
GERTRUD SOLLARS
Reader Ministry
Jan 17, 2020 | Extra Articles (Subscribers Only), Features
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 Spring 2020 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.
Here are some thoughts from the Key Characteristics of Theme 2: Teaching the Faith.
Characteristic 1 (p.15):
The Christian teacher loves God and has a thorough knowledge of God’s story (Scripture and tradition).
Opportunities: Study, Interpretation as if it were Shakespeare!
Challenges:
- What would you regard as a ‘detailed study’ of the Bible? Does your study of the Bible help you to ‘see the big story’?
- How does ‘tradition’ and ‘reason’ inform your study of the Bible? Has your training or CMD given you a ‘thorough study of theology’? If not, how might you rectify this?
- How far do you identify with the NT Wright invitation quoted on page 15 to see the Bible as like a Shakespeare play with the final act lost, and ministers as those who work out the final act consistently but with improvisation?
Characteristic 2 (p.16):
The Christian teacher loves people and learns how to listen well to the stories of individuals and communities (experience).
Opportunities: Deep Listening, Open Questions and New Perspectives.
Challenges:
- Do you think you have learnt the skill of ‘deep listening’? How would you define this? Can you give examples of Jesus engaging in deep listening from the Gospels?
- How do you know if you have asked ‘the right question’? Can you think of an example where you uncovered ‘issues of concern’ to the person you are listening to and learnt from them while questioning?
- Look at the example of Jesus ‘subtly shifting the question’ (page 16). How does this lead to looking at people and situations from ‘new perspectives’?
Characteristic 3 (p.17):
The Christian teacher loves learning and has a good understanding of how people learn (pedagogy).
Opportunities: Andragogy, Apprenticeship and Trust.
Challenges:
- In your teaching ministry do you subscribe to the theory that adults learn best thorough ‘self-directed learning’ and ‘previous experience’?
- Look at the ‘apprenticeship model’ (p. 17). Can you think of an occasion when this has worked for you as teacher or student?
- Would you say that your preaching and teaching stimulates ‘faith’ and ‘trust’ as defined on page 17? What is the balance between the two for you?
Characteristic 4 (p.18):
The Christian teacher makes time for prayerful reflection on Scripture, experience and the process of learning (reflective practice).
Opportunities: Life-long learning, Contexts and Reflection.
Challenges:
- Do you think you would have benefited from longer training with more learning done in the context of local ministry, internet material and small tutor groups?
- Since you finished training would it be fair to say that in your ministry ‘learning’ has taken second place to ‘doing’? If so, how might you rectify this?
- Would an ‘Individual Learning Plan’ (p. 19) after training and renewed regularly help you to exercise the ‘habits of learning’: of approaches to Bible Study, skills for community listening and discernment and reflection on experience? Does your current Ministry Review achieve this?
Characteristic 5 (p.19):
The Christian teacher prays with imagination and creativity.
Opportunities: Formation, Creativity and Gamification.
Challenges:
- What is your definition of Christian formation? Do you find it in the description of ‘the language of formation’ on page 19?
- Do your Intercessions include imagination and creativity? Do you think the desirability of these qualities precludes set prayers or prayers written by someone other than yourself?
- Look at the explanation of ‘gamification’ on page 19. Do you see this as a dilution of or an aid to enriching prayer?
Ideas for resources
- Donovan, V. (2001) Christianity Rediscovered. London: SCM.
- Verney, S. (1985) Water Into Wine. London: Fount.
- Grove Booklets see www.grovebooks.co.uk/evangelism
- Paul, I. B 86 How to Interpret the Bible: Four Essential Questions.
- Bewley, R. B 61 Transforming Conversation: How Jesus Talked to People (Insights from Mark’s Gospel).
- Mills-Powell, M. S 140 Passion and Purity: Feeling, Living and Loving in the Fullness of the Image of Christ.
- Marsh, K. S 146 Writing Prayer Poetry: How to Deepen Your Prayer Life.
[This article is from our Spring 2020 back issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
Rosemary Walters is a Reader in the parish of St Martin and St Paul, Canterbury and a member of General Synod.
Dec 20, 2019 | Extra Articles (For everyone), Features
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]
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