The Small Church and Change

by Susanna Metz

I was reading for fun the other day -- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore (New York: Morrow, 2002). I found it hilarious, but I also found several places that were just plain brilliant.

One is where Joshua (Jesus) says, "You won't believe the wonderful things I've learned about being the agent of change (change is at the root of belief, you know) and about compassion for everyone because everyone is a part of another, and most important, that there is a bit of God in each of us" (305).

What caught my attention was "change is at the root of belief."  I thought of my work in our smaller congregations when I read that statement because change is the root of belief -- in ourselves, in the confidence we could have in knowing our ministry is critically important to the church as a whole.

But change is a scary word. When I advocate change, I can see the faces blanch. It's much more comfortable to behave as we've always behaved. But how foolish that is, especially when we're advocating a change to a more expansive, sharing of ministry. How foolish it is to balk, when many of us are finally beginning to see that clergy can't (and certainly shouldn't) be doing it all themselves.

By virtue of their baptism, the laity are enrolled in the priesthood of all believers. Each person has gifts to bring to ministries of many kinds; unfortunately, some of those ministries have been kept from the laity for longer than any of us can remember

Thankfully, that's beginning to change on every level, from the dioceses to the local churches. We're all looking at how our models of mission and ministry need to change to keep up with a rapidly changing world. Oddly enough, as we consider this change, we find ourselves not developing something brand new, but in fact, revisiting the the early church.

Laity are encouraged to preach as well as teach and to explore models of pastoral care and spiritual direction. Clergy are teaching more and becoming resources for lay leadership. Clergy are being freed to go deeper into what it means to be set apart as ordained ministers, to understand what that means to their spiritual life, to their understanding of sacramental ministry, and to their leadership in the church. If we all believe that the church is the people of God to keep alive the story and mission of the gospel, then it should make perfect sense that both clergy and laity work together collegially.

The church is changing. It still has far to go. The most creative development of lay ministry is happening in the small church where average Sunday attendance is one hundred and below. There certainly has been growth in lay leadership in larger churches, but it is in the small church where you'll find the most lay preachers, lay worship leaders, and lay administrators.

Each denomination has its own vocabulary for lay leadership, but the fact is that many small churches wouldn't be able to keep their doors open without at this new model of ministry. Unfortunately, too often this whole notion of a new model is still couched in negative language. Small congregations are made to feel that they have to "make do" with part-time clergy and more lay leadership. New models are seen as stopgaps, as last ditch efforts, instead of as wonderful opportunities for the laity to discover their potential and for clergy and laity to work collegially.

The whole church, large and small alike, should be excited and looking for ways of incorporating every member into mission. Clergy must be willing to share ministry generously and creatively and, most importantly, be willing to teach their congregations how to accept and support the ministry of the laity.

As the Diocese of Tennessee begins to consider what it requires in new episcopal leadership, one of the primary concerns should be how able, or at least, how willing, is the new bishop to consider effecting and becoming a steward of this change, to empower different models of ministry for our congregations, large and small.

All of our laity must be encouraged to explore new roles, because this change will be the root of our health and vitality. This change will allow us to show by example that we truly believe "everyone is a part of another, and most important, that there is a bit of God in each of us."

[COVENANT, Number 18, October 2004]

The Rev Dr Susanna Metz is director of the Center for Ministry in Small Churches and a faculty member, School of Theology, Sewanee