Letter to the Editors
The Beauty of the Team Approach to Ministry
To The Editors:
I am responding to the article, “The Church and the Laity,” by the Rev.
Derek P. Elphick (March/April New Church Life, pages 127 to 148).
I thought this was a wonderful article. The team approach to ministry
is a win/win situation. People feel part of the church when involved in the
planning and content of the church service, and the minister receives amazing
insights from his flock.
Having listened to many church services in my lifetime I have noticed the
team approach generally seems to produce more insightful messages than the
one-person show. As Derek comments: “Inviting the laity to help out in new
uses beyond the traditional has created a new and exciting dynamic.” Having
been part of the informal service team in Bryn Athyn for some years and, more
recently, the NewChurch LIVE team, I can vouch for this sentiment.
The Writings indicate the importance of people going to the Word for
themselves, and being part of a sermon/message writing team encourages us
to read and study ourselves.
As Derek wrote: “We have the promise of Nunc Licet, in which everyone
in the Church is permitted to enter with understanding of the Word into the
mysteries of faith.” We need to read the Word to allow the Lord to inspire us
with affection for what is there.
Initially the words are just that: words. By living according to what they
teach we’re able to appreciate those words for what they really are: the pearl of
great price, which shows us the Lord’s love for us all and touches our hearts.
Derek goes on to show that enlightenment applies to both laity and clergy
when they go to the Word for themselves: no one group has a monopoly on
that. Unfortunately, it is an easy trap to fall into when ministering: to think we
have all the answers because we are trained and ordained. It’s a journey that
needs us always to remember that we are (hopefully) humble conduits for the
Lord, not go-betweens or in-betweens.
As the Lord showed when on the earth: He was there to serve humanity.
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