Encouraging Lay Involvement in the Congregation's Ministry

A good friend of our Synod once wrote:

"What is the secret of American Lutheranism which brings people into the church who in Europe would have been lost to her? How is it possible that a laborer from Stuttgart, who in his homeland had severed his connection with the church, becomes in a Lutheran congregation in America the superintendent of the Sunday School, who sees to it that the children learn Luther's catechism?

"After years of thinking about these and other observations I am able to find no other answer than this, that the secret lies in the existence of genuine congregations which are able to attract people and to integrate them into themselves, to stir up their slumbering faith and to draw them into the service of Christ. The secret of the missionary successes of Missouri is the living congregation of the Missouri Synod. . . .

"If we ask wherein the congregation in the Missouri Synod is different from that which is considered congregation elsewhere in America we must answer that here the Lutheran thought is taken seriously, that not the faith and ethos of men create the congregation, but the means of grace, through which God calls his congregation." [1]

I believe this analysis is exactly right. May God grant that it ever be the case that in our congregations there is this passion and commitment to the Lord's precious treasures: the Word and Sacraments, by which the Holy Spirit works faith when and where He wills in those who hear the Gospel. Essential to the life of our congregations is the involvement of our pious, faithful laymen and laywomen.

As I crisscross the Synod, I sense an increasing desire on the part of our people to be involved in our congregations' ministry in a meaningful way. I am hearing many excellent ideas in our congregations. In one of our larger congregations, there is a team of dedicated people who assist their pastors by calling people on the telephone and asking, "How is it going?" Based on that conversation, they are able to draw their pastor's attention to areas of concern or need with individuals. In another congregation, there are people who make it a goal to offer a warm greeting on Sunday morning to any visitors and then follow that up by a personal visit or phone call during the following week.

I would like to share with you how, in a very personal way, the opportunities for lay involvement in the congregation's ministry was brought home to me. After my wife's death, the hospice program we were involve with made regular contact with me, just to see how I was getting along. One day I was surprised and impressed when a young person's voice was on the other end of the phone. I asked the young lady how old she was. She said, "I'm 15." I complimented her for her involvement in such a wonderful program of kindness and support. This would be another very meaningful way for our laity to be involved in the ministry of our congregations.

I guess what I am trying to say here is that our congregations really do have a wonderful opportunity to develop or to expand and strengthen the use of laity in the congregation's ministry efforts. I am not for a moment suggesting that we simply should hand over to anyone in the congregation the office of the keys. No, this is to be entrusted only to those qualified men, called and ordained to serve our church as pastors. But, on the other hand, it would be a mistake for us to neglect what, as I indicated earlier, has always been a great strength in our Synod: an informed, committed and dedicated laity.

There are so many opportunities for service. On the one hand, we would never want to create the impression that the only way we serve God is by doing something directly connected to "church work." On the other hand, Lutherans recognize that in all areas of life, in whatever station or calling we are placed, we are serving our Lord. We do want to use the talents and gifts of dedicated laypeople who are able to devote time to the congregation's ministry activities. As we find more people able and willing to do this, what a fantastic opportunity the Lord is providing: faithful men and women who want to be of service to their pastor and to their congregation, for the sake of the mission Christ has entrusted to the congregation!

[1] Hermann Sasse, "Confessionalism and Theology in the Missouri Synod," translated by Fred Kramer in Scripture and
the Church: Selected Essays of Hermann Sasse (St. Louis: Concordia Seminary Press, 1995), pg. 198—199.