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st. matthew's united methodist church |
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Lay Speaking Ministry
What does it mean to be a Lay Speaker?
The first thing that someone sees in the name "Lay Speaker" may be the expectation of speaking in front of your local church as a replacement for your pastor. Well, this isn't necessarily so.
Lay Speakers work in many areas of their local church that do not involve speaking in front of their congregations:
- Teaching a Sunday school class,
- Working as a committee chairperson or
- Chairing a special task force within their local church or within the district they preside.
These all involve learning how to be comfortable in speaking to small groups, and grouping your thoughts together to present ideas on particular issues. A small percentage of Lay Speakers in the Alexandria district actually are used as pulpit fillers within their local church. Another group of Certified Lay Speakers serve in this capacity district-wide.
The second thing is that volunteers in the local church already are doing these kinds of activities and they are not called "Lay Speakers." Are they qualified to do the things they do? Of course they are, or they wouldn't be asked to serve. What marks the persons who are called to the level of commitment for Lay Speaking, apart from these other very important church volunteers, is the level of commitment to learning and practicing the roles of a Servant Leader modeled by Jesus; and, how you can be of more value to your local church pastor(s) in this role.
Lay Speakers are focused on three roles - Caring, Leading and Communicating. These roles are designed to help you serve your local church in one of many ways, from relating to others in their times of pain and need, to developing new ministries; from serving in outreach ministries to being a liturgist or preaching during worship services; from serving as board chairpersons in your local church to serving in district and conference positions. In serving in the roles defined above, you encourage and support others in developing and re-enforcing a deeper commitment to Christ and to faithful discipleship.
One of the exciting things about the program is the opportunity of getting specialty training on topics such as Caring Ministry, Small Groups Ministry, UMC Heritage and Worship, to name a few. These advanced classes are offered for the Local Church Lay Speaker to advance to the rank of Certified Lay Speaker, as well as to maintain his/her status in accordance with the Book of Discipline.
What can it mean to be a Lay Speaker? It can mean a new life in Christ that makes you different from what you were before you became a Lay Speaker. It gives a new perspective on your Christian Walk as you seek to understand what Servant Leadership means to you, and to those around you. Remember that the only Bible some people may ever read is you. Your life's witness to Christ, through your actions and your words, can be measured by acts of loving attention to others.
If you are interested in the program, contact the church office.
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schedule
CrossRoads Worship Service
Saturdays at 5 PM
Sunday Worship Services
8:30 and 11:15 AM
Sunday School
9:50 AM
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Senior Pastor