Church Leadership

According to the Discipline of the United Methodist Church, paragraph 126:
The ministry of the laity flows from a commitment to Christ’s outreaching love.  Lay members of the United Methodist Church are, by history and calling, active advocates of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Every layperson is called to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28.18-20; every layperson is called to be missional.  The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of their own faith experiences of the Gospel, is the primary evangelistic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ and the Untied Methodist Church will fulfill its mission. 

I think the key phrase is “their Christ-like example of everyday living . . . is the primary evangelistic ministry . . .”  That means that our lay leaders are persons who have volunteered to add to their everyday responsibilities the needs of our church.  In a church the size of Plymouth Park, those needs can be exhilarating and frustrating, not time-extensive and time consuming.  The church is more like an organism than an organization; therefore its needs change as we grow.  Our lay leadership takes on a task for the usual term of three years.  During that time they are challenged to live out their Christ-like example in situations that are often mundane but can be occasionally chaotic.  They are called to ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” in situations that the gospels suggest the Lord never had to face.  Jesus, best as we know, did not have to deal with a budget, or a building, or sometimes grumpy parishioners.  To interpret his example and apply it to those situations requires great judgment, wisdom, and the invocation of the power of the Holy Spirit.  That is the everyday life of our lay leadership.

Through it all, they continue to provide a church of “open hearts, open minds, and open doors,” and “to know Christ and to make Christ known.”  Our lay leadership is remarkable, and we are thankful for them.

Dr. Bill La Barr
Senior Pastor