The Congregational Resource Guide defines Lay Ministry as “the work of those who are not professional clergy.” They also say that some churches “see it as a responsibility to serve in the faith community; others see it as the intersection of faith and life; still others see it as the ministry of the people of God through the everyday lives they live.”

Both clergy and laity are part of the laos, a Greek term meaning “People of God.” While the traditional denominations certainly have different boundaries for how their laity serve – the effect is clear. The Apostle Peter reminds us that we are all a part of a “royal priesthood.” Clergy have a great responsibility to shepherd God’s flock, teach His ways, and in today’s world, run the business of the church. But they cannot and should not be expected to do it all themselves. They rely on the muscles of the laity do the heavy lifting in the Kingdom of God.

The Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, in partnership with Methodist Hospital ‘s Office of Spiritual Care and Education, put on a conference Thursday, February 4, 2010 and Friday, February 5, 2010, hosted by St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Houston’s Museum district. The purpose was to honor, educate and connect those involved at the local level and “extol the significant contribution laypersons make to The Kingdom of God.”

Thursday evening, over dinner, bestselling author and award winning Poet, Kathleen Norris, read some of her original works and answered the group’s questions – ranging from becoming a published author to the state of the Church today. Friday, following breakfast, she kicked it off with a full-length talk on the art of storytelling as a witness for Christ. Dr. Ben Witherington, Professor at Asbury Seminary and prolific author of more than 30 books, then took the stage to deliver a fiery speech around the role of Laity in Ministry titled “There is no clergy nor laity,” bringing the focus back to our mission to “be God’s option in a pagan world.”

Ms. Norris then spoke a final time on the necessity of hope and healing in a lay minister’s work. The closing speaker was The Reverend Vance Ross, Deputy General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. Rev. Ross encouraged the participants to embrace ministry “Of, By and For the people – in Jesus’ Name,” using the example of the seven in Acts 6, appointed to ensure all, including the Apostles, could live out their calling to the fullest. Attendees were motivated to continue their work and preserve through the challenges facing traditional churches today.

Ted Smith, Director for Spiritual Care and Education at Methodist Hospital, had this to say about the event and future conferences, “It was our initial attempt to bring laity and clergy together to promote lay ministry.  While a future event seems to have broad appeal, the inclusion of laity and clergy in its planning will be important.”

The Conference ended with a traditional Methodist service, with UMC Texas Conference Lay Leader, Leah Taylor, delivering the homily. This conference not only brought members of the Texas Conference together, it sparked discussions about how to breathe life into The United Methodist Church and ensure members experience more of God through work in the mission fields of their churches. The attendees left with renewed vigor to embrace being chosen by God and to live out their calling to be the building blocks of God’s work in the world. (1 Peter 2:4-5).