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Lay ministry is a term used for ministers of faiths in Christian denominations who are not ordained in their faith tradition. Lay ministers are people who are elected by the church, full-time or part-time. They may have theological degrees and training, which may be required in certain instances, but not all lay ministries require this ...
This general ministry of the laity has at times also been called the "lay apostolate" [1] and the "lay vocation". [2] Included in this general lay ministry are several specific ministries designed to support the Church community, such as lector/reader, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, catechist, sponsor/godparent, spouse, parent, etc.
Stephen Ministries (or Stephen Ministries St. Louis) is an independent, not-for-profit Christian educational organization. Its main activity is the training of Stephen Leaders who then train others in their congregation to be Stephen Ministers, capable of accompanying those who are facing some crisis in life; for instance, illness, death of a loved one, divorce, relocation, or financial setback.
A lay leader is a member of the laity in any congregation who has been chosen as a leader either by their peers or the leadership of the congregation. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] In most denominations, lay leadership is not an ordained clerical office, and the lay leader's responsibilities vary according to the particular tradition of the congregation.
Lay involvement takes diverse forms, including participation in the life of the parish, confraternities, lay apostolates, secular institutes, and lay ecclesial movements. There are also lay ecclesiastical ministries , and where there is a priest shortage , lay people have to take on some functions previously performed by priests.
Advocates claim biblical precedent, citing that New Testament churches appear to all have had multiple elders. [16] Conversely, one minister may serve in two roles. A pastor with two churches may be said to have a "dual charge". In the Church of England, two or more otherwise independent benefices may be 'held in plurality' by a single priest. [17]
The lay apostolate is made up of laypersons, who are neither consecrated religious nor in Holy Orders, who exercise a ministry within the Catholic Church.Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, but need not be dependent upon them for direction.
The purpose of the document was to encourage and guide lay Catholics in their Christian service. In this decree the Council sought to describe the nature, character, and diversity of the lay apostolate , to state its basic principles, and to give pastoral directives for its more effective exercise.