MORE THAN SUNDAY – SHIFTS
#5 – Commissioning and Collaboration
Lay people have callings and vocations, just like clergy. Yet many lay people can feel like second-class Christians who should leave the main tasks of ministry to those they see as more qualified; the ordained, licensed, authorised etc. At the same time, despite how people may view them, many clergy often don’t feel particularly powerful and yearn for more lay leadership, support and involvement.
It is important to remember that baptism in Christ is our primary sacrament through which we are all equal under God. As such, the Church, as the whole people of God, clergy and laity, are a ‘royal priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:9) called out and commissioned as disciples together to participate in God’s mission in the world. All Christians are called, all have a ‘vocation’, and it is vital to develop practices that help to recognise, celebrate and reinforce this. Some churches commission people for ministries and certain roles in the church, but it’s enormously powerful to also commission people for ministries beyond the church, in the contexts of their #MoreThanSunday lives.
For further ideas, resources and examples please see the Seven Shifts to Inspire Everyday Faith Booklet.
Video Resources
Rick Otto, Children’s Officer at the Diocese of Manchester
Video with Ria Delves on Transitions
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