I am not a learned biblical scholar. I haven’t been to seminary. I have not read the Bible in the original Hebrew and Greek. I fully admit that I am still trying to learn, because here’s where I am in my faith journey: I don’t think we are meant to figure it all out, here on earth.
Study Scripture, show God’s love
God could have written everything in plain and simple language, had he wanted to. But he didn’t. I think that is because we are meant to spend our lifetime reading and re-reading the Bible. Not just reading it, but studying it. Not just studying it, but doing a deep dive trying to understand the culture of the time and how man’s nature shapes the challenges, then and now. Meditating over it. Praying over it.
I think we’re meant to form study groups and discuss God’s Word, to learn and grow together. To sit and listen as our pastors try to help us, as they go through their own spiritual journey. And when judgment comes, the test is not going to be, “Did you figure it out? Did you interpret it correctly?” It’s going to be, “Did you live it out? Did you dive into this process and spend your life growing closer to Christ and showing his love?”
We’re supposed to take the lessons we’re gleaning and apply them in our own lives so that people see how we are impacted by the Word. And if we’re learning the right lessons, we should be lifting one another up, finding encouragement from one another and sharing that encouragement and hope with others. Those things should cause people to look at us and say, “I want some of that,” or, “Tell me about this book you’re reading! I’ve seen enough, now I want this man called Jesus in my life!”
Wesley’s vision for the laity
I frequently have used the term “reimagining what church needs to look like,” but I’ve come to realize it is not so much a reimagining as it is a remembering. John Wesley established Methodism to be a lay-led denomination. You had very few pastors, they were on circuits and would spend months traveling between churches. It was up to the laity to maintain, lead and grow the local church.
The laity are not part of God’s church, the laity ARE God’s church! Church is not some place we go. Church is who we are called to be. Whether in the pew on Sunday morning, in the workplace during the week or in the grocery store line – YOU are God’s church!
Who we are supposed to be
Church is supposed to be a shelter in the storms of life, a place where the outcast can find acceptance, where the hurting can find healing. I want you to hold up a mirror right now, and ask yourselves, are you that church?
Far too often, the way we have been behaving doesn’t look much like that church. When the church becomes part of the storm, when the church becomes the place telling you your behavior makes you an outcast, when the church becomes a place of hurt, people will have nowhere to turn.
I recognize that the idea of our denomination being imperfect causes some people to be angry, but, for me, the fact that Jesus built the church upon imperfect people simply underscores what God can do! That God would use ordinary, broken human beings, you and me, to carry his grace and his love into the world is amazing.
The heart of Christ is beating through your imperfect-but-redeemed life and through you as the church! That shouldn’t make anyone angry, it should make us all fall to our knees.
What our communities need
Jesus’ commandment in John 13:34-35 is, “Love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, shall all know that you are my disciples.”
Jesus loves you enough that he lay down his life for you. Clearly Jesus is not using the word “love” to describe an emotion, a warm, fuzzy feeling. He is using the word “love” to describe an action. And the amazing thing about love is that a small amount can have a huge impact.
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are the ones who love. One person can make a tremendous difference.
The ministry of encouragement is desperately in need of servants today. The world spends so much time and energy tearing us down, we need people who will just as deliberately, just as intentionally, help build people up again. Encouragement can come in many forms: a kind word, a simple hand-written note, a friendly smile or a phone call just to see how someone is doing.
A reminder for lay leaders
Lay leaders, it is our responsibility to be certain the gifts of every individual are deployed in ministry. There is a place for every person to serve, and it is imperative they do so. Remember, the role of the pastor is to teach us, to train and equip us, so that we, the laity, can do ministry.
You are not alone! Find lay leader resources on your annual conference’s website.
Everyone is a vital part of the Body of Christ
Each of us has unique gifts, different from anyone else. We are part of the body, without whom the body is not whole. Have you ever put together one of those large, detailed puzzles, only to get to the end and realize there are pieces missing? How frustrating! Your church is like one of those puzzles, and without the gifts of each member being placed into service, a unique piece is missing and the puzzle cannot ever be completed.
We find ourselves precisely where John Wesley intended, with much responsibility resting upon the shoulders of the laity. Now is the time for laity to join arms in true partnership with our clergy and BE the church we are called to be: That haven from the storms of life, that place of peace and healing, that place of encouragement where the love of Christ is found in overflowing abundance!
J. F. Knapp, III is the South Georgia Conference Lay Leader and the Lay Leader of Grace UMC in Thomasville, Georgia. Watch his 2024 Laity Address.
The contact for this story is Laura Buchanan. This story was published on October 18, 2024.
