wfn.org | May 3, 2000 GC-006

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Laity Address: Clergy, lay members must be true partners

CLEVELAND (UMNS) - Tradition is impeding the ability of congregations to
engage in active ministry, according to the Laity Address given at the
United Methodist Church's top legislative meeting May 3.

Tradition also creates separate tasks for clergy and lay members instead of
bringing them together as partners in making disciples, said Jim Nibbelink
of Milford, Ohio, who was chosen to give the Laity Address at the church's
2000 General Conference.

Nibbelink, representing the church's 9.6 million lay members worldwide,
focused on "Partners with a Purpose" and offered a prescription for
overcoming the barriers preventing lay and clergy from working together to
advance the cause of Jesus Christ. 

The denomination's top legislative body, which gathers every four years, is
meeting May 2-12 in Cleveland. The gathering has drawn 992 delegates from
around the world.

Calling tradition the great killer of change, Nibbelink said it also
provides two agendas - one for the laity, one for the clergy. "It's
tradition that says that the pastor must have all of the ideas and lead all
of the major activities. And it's tradition that says that lay people wait
to be asked to serve," he said.

In the traditional Laity Address, given on the first full day of the
conference, Nibbelink said two inhibitors prevent lay members and clergy
from becoming partners in ministry.

The first inhibitor is fear, which usually is found in a pastor's perceived
loss of power and control, he said. This characteristic is often attributed
to pastors concerned about status or position. Lay members, he said, are
also guilty. "Congregations can hold a pastor hostage by inaction,
distraction or salary action," Nibbelink said. "Power and control, wherever
found and however expressed, are twin barriers to progressive, alive
ministry."

Lack of vision is a gigantic inhibitor to vital ministry, he continued.
"Many congregations are perishing because there's not even one soul among
them who dares to dream."

Nibbelink's address is the sixth state of the laity message presented to
General Conference. Three women and three men, chosen to represent the
denomination's diversity, delivered the first laity address at the 1980
gathering. A competition has been held every four years since then for a
layperson to make the speech. In 1996, the competition was restricted to
members of the National Association of Annual Conference Lay Leaders. In the
same way that the Council of Bishops handles the Episcopal Address, the
association wanted the focus to be on the laity's message and not on the
speaker. The competition for the 2000 General Conference was expanded to
include lay leaders from the central conferences.

As Nibbelink emphasized the importance of lay and clergy partnership, he
noted that a team approach is essential in forming a motivating, vital
vision for the ministry of the congregation and for effectively performing
the work of the Gospel. 

"The time has long passed, if it was truly ever here, when one leader could
chart the course, make decisions, call the tune and carry the load," he
said. "Dictates from the pulpit or pew must pass away, and a renewed,
cooperative spirit must be encouraged to take root."  

For too long, autocratic pastors have hampered congregations, and unwilling,
contentious congregations have stifled willing and committed pastors, he
said. "Partners work together, and together, with the help of God's spirit,
the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and barriers seen as
insurmountable are reduced or eliminated."

The key word in a partnership is "shares," he said. Partners support and
draw energy from each other. "The synergy resulting from a thriving
partnership makes more room for the Spirit of God to enter the partnership
because each person is committed to find and fulfill the dreams and visions
that come from God's Spirit, rather than to chasing personal rainbows."

A partnership between the pastor and the lay leader can provide each with a
perspective of the congregation, its needs and strengths, and of the
surrounding community, he said. Different viewpoints are necessary and
essential to forming ministry of the congregation that is vital and
motivational. While one person cannot adequately assess needs, leaders of
the laity and pastors have access to a network of ideas, training, support
services, resources and people. A partnership provides both with the
opportunity to do what they do best in a mutually supportive way and not in
isolation, he stated.

A partnership is deliberate and intentional, not accidental, Nibbelink said.
"It won't happen by accident, and just declaring a partnership does not make
it so." Partnerships take prayer, planning, tentative experimentation,
uncomfortable moments and false starts. 
 
Nibbelink provided three characteristics of a successful partnership, which
he called "the building blocks laid on the cornerstone of God's grace that
is Jesus Christ, forming the basis for ministry through pairs of committed
people."

Respect is the first. Each partner should acknowledge the other for the
gifts brought to the ministry, he said. Respect means each person provides
input and advice, differences are clarified, and common ground is sought.
"Trust is the key factor in respect," he said. "Respect is foremost in a
thriving partnership."

The next characteristic of a successful partnership is responsibility. Each
person shares an appropriate portion of the task. Nibbelink said the leader
will sometimes be the follower and the follower will be the leader,
depending on what is required to complete a project.

Partners take responsibility to seek new skills, new insights and new
methods, he said. Each new tool brought to the partnership strengthens the
team and makes it more effective to meet the challenges of ministry.
"Responsibility means being willing to hold others in the congregation
responsible in their own right for some aspect of ministry," he said.  

Risk is the third characteristic. "Successful partnerships require
risk-taking," he said. "Both pastors and leaders within the laity are
willing to rock the boat if the situation calls for it." 

When the needs of a congregation change, he suggested that creativity is
essential to nurture it effectively. Leaders must be willing to try new
methods, allow new ideas to creep into worship and involve new people. 

"The message of salvation hasn't changed, but the world has changed
considerably, and reaching potential disciples takes more than just opening
up the doors on Sunday morning and expecting folks to show up," Nibbelink
noted. The lay leader and pastor must unite to create a vision that
stretches the congregation, he said.  

"Risk means being willing to fail," he said. "Good risk-takers know that
failure is only permanent if we let it be." Failure is temporary if one
learns from it and becomes knowledgeable about the situation before trying
again, he said.  

"Those who do not risk are those who do not dream!" he said. "Partners in
God's work do not sit by waiting for answers; they step put in faith."

As he concluded the Laity Address, he challenged clergy and lay listeners to
walk forward together and make disciples.

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					-- Linda Green

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United Methodist News Service
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