One key to and one tool for being a great lay leader

The Church needs your gifts!

Photo of two people having coffee is by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash.

Effective lay leadership is an essential element in healthy congregational functioning. Without it, your church will not be able to live as fully as possible into its values and purpose, no matter how gifted the pastor is or how hard the pastor works. Jesus’ charge to spread the good news of Christ’s love and to care for all people like they are Christ is for each of us. 

Being a lay leader can be a deeply enriching experience. You get to use the skills you’ve honed elsewhere in service to a mission that you believe in and a community that you love. (You’ll also likely discover new talents!) By working side-by-side with your fellow church members, you have the opportunity to strengthen preexisting relationships and to start new ones. And by rooting your leadership spiritually, you are able to grow in both your understanding of and trust in God. 

The positives are still not to deny the challenges of serving in leadership. These are divisive times in our political and social lives beyond the church, and sometimes that hostility spills over into the place where we often have the most hope for experiencing peace. These are anxious times in many congregations as the most concrete (though not the most telling) signs of church vitality, such as attendance and budget, are on the decline. There are no easy fixes for either of these realities. 

Click to keep reading on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship blog.