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Mobilizing Laity in Ministry

Most church leaders affirm the priesthood of all believers. But they also admit that there is still a gap between what they say and what they practice. The Assemblies of God has given increased attention to the role of the laity. In this interview General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask discusses the importance of putting ministry into the hands of laity.

Share your thoughts on the importance of mobilizing laity in ministry.

Laypeople are the greatest untapped resource in the church—people who believe like we believe, who are part of the church, and who are supportive of the church with their time, talent, treasure, and heart. The reason they attend an Assemblies of God church is because they believe in the church; they believe in the doctrines of our Fellowship. Here is a vast army of men and women endowed with gifts and talents for ministry. A wise pastor will see the potential in laypeople and utilize their gifts.

The Spirit is responsible for the distribution of spiritual gifts, and the Bible doesn’t say they are given only to clergy but to the whole body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:11). Every member is important; every member has a function. If I look at members and say, "Look, I recognize you have gifts and abilities, but I’m not going to let them function in the Body," I have deprived people of the privilege of sharing and blessing. I have also deprived others of the blessing they would receive as a result of being ministered to by those gifts. That’s not a threat to leadership. It is recognition of a biblical principle.

The potential for utilizing our laity is limitless. The reason why some people turn sour is because they have been given gifts and have no opportunity to express them. So we let laity sit, sour, and soak. That’s our mistake. Christians who are busy are happy. They want to be used of God. It’s leadership’s responsibility to channel those gifts so the body of Christ is the benefactor.

Why are some church leaders threatened by strong lay leadership?

It’s a biblical misunderstanding of dividing authority. God puts people in places of leadership, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ones who can shine and be successful and blessed. Possibly, much of a pastor’s insecurity is ego driven. If I have to get all the glory and view those around me who are successful as being a threat, there is something wrong with my spirituality, and there is something wrong with my development and maturity in God.

When I was pastoring I tried to find people with gifts I didn’t have. For example, I brought in a teacher who complemented my preaching ministry. He was a gift to our church. I was blessed, and the church was blessed. But if I had viewed him as a threat to me, it would have been selfish on my part. I would have deprived the congregation of the gifts he had to share with the Body.

Pastors must remove the fear factor. Laypeople are not in the church to challenge leadership but to stand alongside leadership. You may ask, "What if I give this person a place of ministry, and he or she is successful?" That’s exactly what you want to happen. It isn’t reasonable and it isn’t scriptural that the pastor does all the work. .

In the Early Church the Twelve instructed the church to select seven men so the disciples could give themselves "continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:3,4). One of the handicaps of ministry is that pastors often find themselves short on sermon preparation time and prayer because they are trying to cover all the bases. I’ve been there. I understand. But God is helping our ministers see the potential in laypeople.

How do you equip and train people for lay leadership?

We can’t expect laity to take on ministry in the church until they are trained. Wise leaders will invest themselves in others to multiply ministry leaders. Jesus gathered the Twelve around Him and poured himself into them. The Twelve in turn poured themselves into others, and the multiplication factor took place. Pretty soon there was a whole army of people doing the work of the Kingdom, doing the work of ministry.

Lay leaders have to be well spoken of within the church and outside the church. They pay their bills; they are honest; they are moral; they are good; they love Jesus; they are faithful to the church. Those are the basics. You can’t put people in leadership and ministry if they haven’t proven faithful.

It’s the pastor’s privilege and joy to help laypeople discover the gifts God has given them and then to train them on how to use their gifts. The worst thing you can do is place people in ministry and not explain what is expected. Everyone becomes frustrated. Did you train them so they can perform? Did you hold them accountable?

When I was pastoring we had 40 care groups. I explained to the care leaders what was expected of them and what they could or couldn’t teach. I poured myself into them so they became models of what I was.

The work of ministry is more than just preaching. Ministry includes praying, teaching, giving, helping. Many ministers are carrying their burdens alone because they haven’t developed laity to help share those burdens. I pray God will help our pastors look at the people sitting before them every Sunday and see their potential. They are like diamonds to be discovered. They’ll be precious and valuable if pastors will help them discover and develop their spiritual gifts.