Equipping the Saints: Mobilizing Laity for Ministry

by michael christensen

Experts on congregational life tell us that ministry in the next century will depend more on called, trained, and committed lay leadership than it has since the days of the early church. But how will congregations recruit these lay leaders? How will they develop new models for training and equipping them for all the ministries of the church? What will the role of clergy be in adopting this new partnership that Leonard Sweet calls “ancient-future ministry”? Equipping the Saints seeks to help congregational leaders answer these and other questions related to mobilizing lay ministry in the years ahead. The chapters “Shall We Abolish the Clergy or the Laity?" by Michael Christensen; “Team Building Through Spiritual Gifts" by Brian Bauknight; “The Loss and Recovery of the Biblical Basis for Ministry” by Russell Moy; “Out of the Pew, Into the World” by Jessica Moffat; “The Seeker Service in the Mainline Church" by Eric Park; “Circuit Riding in the 21st Century" by Rob Duncan; and, “Life Reclaiming the Ministry of Small Groups” by Christine Anderson. Key • Responds to emerging trends that promise to be determinative of the shape of ministry in the next century • Addresses an important practical need in congregations • Offers help in formulating new models for congregational ministry Key • Readers will understand the important emerging need for called, trained, and committed laypersons to engage in ministry • Readers will learn how to recruit and train lay leaders • Readers will identify a new model of clergy/lay ministry partnership

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Graham Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equipping the Saints provides a theological basis for the destruction of the concept of laity (people who have ministry done for them) to call all people to become clergy (ministers). The chapters in this edited book are helpful in balancing conceptual ideas with on-the-ground practical experience. It does suffer from some age, though - especially the chapter on using technology in ministry. You'll see concepts which have been run their course for good or ill because they were new in 2000. However, it is still worth a read if you see it in a library or are interested in small groups that do more than comfort the ones in the group.