What is a lay pastor?

[whatfor]

What is a lay pastor?

Not really sure what they do

 

[BlessedBabyDolls]

great question.

 

[talitha]

We had lay pastors when I was in the Methodist church. They can be trained to do pastoral counseling, they can do scripture readings, and other traditionally pastoral duties in the church. This is mainly in the mainline denomination churches.

 

[Alpine]

A lay pastor typically spends much time laying down.™

 

[pdudgeon]

agree with Talitha.
it is a specific calling, whereby the person is mainly involved with the social/healing side of pastoral ministry. These are the people who are called specifically to the Diaconate as opposed to the preaching side of ministry. You might see them in larger, multi-staffed churches working in Social minstry looking out after the poor in the church, Healing ministry visiting the sick, or Women's ministry, Children's ministry, Music ministry, or even as Office managers working with the church staff.

They are not ordained in the same way as a pastor, but they are appointed by and serve under the direction of a local Bishop. they have all the other education of a pastor. in formal situations they do wear robes or albs similar to the clergy, but usually have a plain sash worn diagonally across the front/back of the robe from left shoulder to right hip, as opposed to an ordained pastor who wears an alb, or a stole.

Their beginnings can be found in Acts 6.

 

[BlessedBabyDolls]

Do they administer the sacraments?

 

[talitha]

In the United Methodist Church, one has to be an ordained elder to administer the sacraments, or at least a person sort of deputized to help. In a non-denominational church, according to my experience, anyone may administer communion, or a person may just take communion by himself or with his family, etc - it is not necessarily a clergy-only rule.

 

[whatfor]

Thank you

 

[BobW188]

Generically, a lay pastor is anyone serving as a pastor who is not formally ordained. That in turn usually means someone who has not graduated from a seminary, and that in turn more and more means at the Masters level.

As has been indicated above, the term is defined more specifically by different denominations. In the United Methodist Church, a lay pastor may exercise all pastoral functions at a specific church or circuit of churches; and be without any pastoral authority elsewhere. I believe the appointment is made by a bishop.

In other situations and denominations, the "lay pastor" may simply be the man or woman who's been asked to take the the pulpit at a church where there is currently no ordained pastor.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

In the Presbyterian church we call them lay preachers. They are expected to have completed a two-year training course before being formally appointed. I think the Nazarene church call them "local preachers". These are not formally ordained, full time ministers of the church. They are usually church elders who are recognised as being able to preach, and are self-supporting. They cannot take communion services without special permission from the local presbytery. In churches where there is no distinction between clergy and lay, say the Assemblies of God, they are designated "Pastor" whether they are formally trained (which most of them are), or not, and many fully recognised pastors have other employment to support them alongside their ministries.

 

[Codger]

What is a lay pastor?

Not really sure what they do

It's an American heresy that says that only Denominationally ordained people who are called into ministry are authorized to minister. The rest of us are just lay people. We are allowed to minister on a low level when tightly supervised.

This common belief is why the Church has failed miserably in plugging in "Laypeople" with the special ministries and gifts that they have into the body. We're all priests unto God. Peter is a good example because it was obvious that he was an ingnorant and unlearned man who received the contempt of the Jewish leadership. Actually, he had more true revelation of God than all of the Doctors of the law put together. All a diploma means is that you have passed all of the tests given based on your learning of someone's interpretation of the Bible.

The great end time revival will be made up of the nameless faceless laymen in the Church - not the big named high profile people who abuse their office and authority.

 

[Stoopot, Lord of Mice]

A lay pastor means that they do the things a pastor does, but they don't get paid for it.

Nothing wrong either way. Paul took on a secular job when he was church planting, and Peter lived from the gospel (Paul said this was fine when he said not to muzzle the oz when it is pulling the plough). It all depends on your situation.

If you are planting a new church, taking a salary can stifle the growth as you become desperate for the money, and people can detect that and become uncomfortable and you are spending money which could be spent on evangelism. If you are pastoring a large work, secular work could easily get in the way.

 

[Ernestd]

A lay pastor typically spends much time laying down.™

A lay pastor is a self proclaimed self edifying person that needs a big title. A big fish in a little pond as they say.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

When we didn't have an ordained minister in our Presbyterian church, and I was the "session clerk", ie: senior elder. (By the way, I have a M.Div. so I was well qualified to lead the church). I led from the rear so as to empower the others to have the confidence to participate in the life of the church. I led from so far behind that I called myself "Pastor Buck".

 

[Ernestd]

Pastor Buck, your response is well taken. I have done my fair share of layity work in the absence of an ordained pastor. My leadership in giving weekly messages/ sermon, actively participating in bible study, prayer meetings, administrative duties, music ministry and the like was given freely and joyfully; I believe by God's leading through the Holy Spirit. The title applied to this work was unimportant. I am of the belief that when you exhault a person, including or oneself, you snare that person with the devil.
The bible tells us, the meek shall inherit the earth and blessed are the poor in spirit, who realize their dependence upon God. So I still have to query, why the title in the absence ordination? Again, your point is well taken and I appreciate your thoughts. At ye end of the day, God does not care about what is written on our to do list or the titles we hold as much as He cares about what is written on our hearts. Thank you.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Pastor Buck, your response is well taken. I have done my fair share of layity work in the absence of an ordained pastor. My leadership in giving weekly messages/ sermon, actively participating in bible study, prayer meetings, administrative duties, music ministry and the like was given freely and joyfully; I believe by God's leading through the Holy Spirit. The title applied to this work was unimportant. I am of the belief that when you exhault a person, including or oneself, you snare that person with the devil.
The bible tells us, the meek shall inherit the earth and blessed are the poor in spirit, who realize their dependence upon God. So I still have to query, why the title in the absence ordination? Again, your point is well taken and I appreciate your thoughts. At ye end of the day, God does not care about what is written on our to do list or the titles we hold as much as He cares about what is written on our hearts. Thank you.

I think you might have missed the humour in my title. Read it carefully and relate it to the skill of delegation. I did my M.Div at the age of 66 years, and the purpose was to strengthen my qualification as a church elder and lay-preacher. I didn't do all the preaching - we have a ministry team and share the worship leading and preaching. Because in the absence of a minister, we are an elder-led congregation. Just because I was the senior elder, it didn't mean that I called the shots. I was in a team of three other good, experienced, mature men of God who supported me, and corrected me when I needed it! So, I wasn't really the "pastor" at all, but as just one member of a leadership/pastoral/ministry team. But I guess that as the "session clerk" (that's what they call the senior elder in a Presbyterian church), the "buck" stops with me when questions have to be asked. But decisions are made by the leadership team, and I have just one vote on that "management committee".

For example, when the meat pies for morning tea have to be sampled for quality, they have to be brought up at the next meeting of the "Session" (leadership committee). (Humour alert!!!)

 

[Ernestd]

I think you might have missed the humour in my title. Read it carefully and relate it to the skill of delegation. I did my M.Div at the age of 66 years, and the purpose was to strengthen my qualification as a church elder and lay-preacher. I didn't do all the preaching - we have a ministry team and share the worship leading and preaching. Because in the absence of a minister, we are an elder-led congregation. Just because I was the senior elder, it didn't mean that I called the shots. I was in a team of three other good, experienced, mature men of God who supported me, and corrected me when I needed it! So, I wasn't really the "pastor" at all, but as just one member of a leadership/pastoral/ministry team. But I guess that as the "session clerk" (that's what they call the senior elder in a Presbyterian church), the "buck" stops with me when questions have to be asked. But decisions are made by the leadership team, and I have just one vote on that "management committee".

For example, when the meat pies for morning tea have to be sampled for quality, they have to be brought up at the next meeting of the "Session" (leadership committee). (Humour alert!!!)

I think you might have missed the humour in my title. Read it carefully and relate it to the skill of delegation. I did my M.Div at the age of 66 years, and the purpose was to strengthen my qualification as a church elder and lay-preacher. I didn't do all the preaching - we have a ministry team and share the worship leading and preaching. Because in the absence of a minister, we are an elder-led congregation. Just because I was the senior elder, it didn't mean that I called the shots. I was in a team of three other good, experienced, mature men of God who supported me, and corrected me when I needed it! So, I wasn't really the "pastor" at all, but as just one member of a leadership/pastoral/ministry team. But I guess that as the "session clerk" (that's what they call the senior elder in a Presbyterian church), the "buck" stops with me when questions have to be asked. But decisions are made by the leadership team, and I have just one vote on that "management committee".

For example, when the meat pies for morning tea have to be sampled for quality, they have to be brought up at the next meeting of the "Session" (leadership committee). (Humour alert!!!)

Past the buck. Yes, I knew that. Be well my friend