BISHOP'S LUNCH FELLOWSHIP FOR LAY LEADERS

Wesleyan scholar proposes lay pastoral leadership

The Rev Dr Watson (far right): The Methodist Church is the only mainline denomination that does not have an officially recognised lay pastoral role. - Methodist Message picture.

By GEORGE MARTZEN

THE Methodist Church may be ready for a new and revitalised office of lay pastoral leadership, according to a Wesleyan scholar.


The Rev Dr David Lowes Watson, founder of Covenant Discipleship, made this point in his address at the Bishop's Lunch Fellowship for lay leaders and Local Church Executive Committee chairmen on Aug 28 with the topic "Sharing Pastoral Power: Wesleyan Foundations of Church Leadership". He currently directs the Office of Pastoral Formation for the Nashville Area of The United Methodist Church. He has served in various pastoral positions and taught at two well-known American Methodist seminaries, Perkins in Dallas, Texas, and Wesley in Washington, DC.


The Rev Dr Watson proposed the implementation of the office of "Lay Elder". While there are many elective lay offices, including the lay leader, he said that the Methodist Church is the only mainline denomination that does not have an officially recognised lay pastoral role.


Recently, a number of United Methodist churches in America implemented the office of "Lay Elder". Lay elders are chosen through prayerful consultation between the pastor and the congregation. Covenant Discipleship is the principal training for lay elders, as it provides the context for growth in accountability.
While noting that his presentation reflects new developments in the United States, he urged the lay leaders present to give prayerful thought to adapting the idea in order to give balance to ministry in the Singapore church.


"Clergy," he said, "are called to lead in preaching and teaching the Gospel; whereas laity are called to lead in Christian discipleship." Both roles involve pastoral leadership. He said that, in forming pastoral leaders, the gifts and the grace of leadership must be emphasised in both clergy and laity alike.


Clergy leadership is very important for giving oversight to the total ministry of the congregation, but too often such leadership is abandoned in favour of an overemphasis on democracy.


He remarked on Bishop Dr Robert Solomon's observation earlier that the recent General Conference of The United Methodist Church, "seemed to have more faith in democracy than in God".


In fact, the Rev Dr Watson said, the church is not intended to be a democracy. "It is a Christocracy," he said. Christ is the head of the church, and churches would be better served by seeking the mind of Christ than each other's opinions.


He illustrated the point by commenting on his airline flight to Singapore. "The pilots are specially trained and have to log thousands of hours of flying time," he said. We would not want the pilot to come and take a vote among the passengers on how to fly the aircraft.

He said that many faithful members of congregations are not being pastored in the truest sense, which is to help them live out their faith in the world. Lay pastoral leaders, working under the supervision of the clergy, can provide this kind of hands-on pastoral guidance.


Such leadership would not require the same kind of specialised training as clergy because the quality of leadership is different. Lay pastoral leaders are lay persons who have matured in the faith and who lead by example, which is the kind of leadership that commands respect, he said.


The Rev Dr Watson said that wherever John Wesley established the Methodist societies he developed local leadership, class leaders, who were engaged to watch over a small group of other society members.


These leaders were expected to help their peers to grow in holiness through a process of accountability, answering to questions of personal conduct.


As Methodism developed in America the twin roles of class leader and accountable discipleship through class meetings fell into neglect. The Rev Dr Watson said that this was due partly to the democratising of the church, which grew to emphasise fellowship over discipleship. Concurrently, churches grew to expect more of the clergy themselves.

The Rev George Martzen is Minister Attached to the Bishop's Office.

QUOTE:

CHRISTOCRACY, NOT DEMOCRACY

'The church is not intended to be a democracy. It is a Christocracy. Christ is the head of the church, and churches would be better served by seeking the mind of Christ than each other's opinions.'

-- The Rev Dr David Lowes Watson.