I was surfing church websites (like I do) and I learned that the methodist church has a particular week in the year called Laity Sunday. I had never heard of this, but since I knew what Laity was, I had a basic idea, and did some more research to figure out the purpose of Laity Sunday. As far as I can tell, this week gives Methodist Churches extra motivation to allow lay-persons in their congregation to lead worship. The implication, it seems, being that the lay-gifts for worship leadership are perhaps being overlooked on all other Sundays, which bothers me a bit.
Perhaps my reading of a few websites is unfairly generalizing. It could also be that the week is meant to highlight and celebrate the lay-gifts that are already in use in the church. It just seems the reccomendations the previously linked website offers should be implemented more than once a year. "Churches use the gifts of the body to set the worship style." for example. What a great idea! For all the time!
About Me
- bethany
- I'm a Professor of Communication. I tend to blog about these things: christianity, politics, culture, academia, art, writing, music, and things I read.
2 comments:
It always bugs me when churches identify a need and immediately begin a search process for a suitable addition to the staff: "We don't want to be the church, so let's hire someone to do it for us!" It's all wrong.
Laity Sunday in the United Methodist Church is not a once-a-year event and then we relegate the "laity" to the back room the rest of the year. It is a celebration and recognition that the United Methodist Church is a laity-led church. "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9) Peter is telling us that we are all in ministry (a royal priesthood). Some of us are called to be in ordained ministry but all of us - clergy and laity alike - are to be the hands and feet of God in this world. Paul tells us that the church is like a body and "...the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body..." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
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