Lay leaders head to Kingsville assembly

‘Later’ session to repeat
Kerrville program, let
UMs share experiences

Lay leaders are to gather Feb 24 and 25 in Kingsville for the second—or “later”—edition of the 2006 Laity Assembly.
The goal of the sessions at First UMC, Kingsville, is to allow local church lay leaders to share experiences, said Jay Brim, Southwest Texas Conference lay leader. That sharing should help them discover new ways to serve their congregations.
“The excitement of being with leaders of other congregations and hearing their successes is as important as hearing presentations about new ways to do what we do,” said Brim, a member of Westlake UMC, Austin.
Participants heading to Kingsville are to follow the same agenda as lay leaders who gathered Feb. 17-18 in Kerrville for the first—or “sooner”—session—with one exception.
People in Kingsville are expected to hear a presentation Saturday by Brim about preparing local churches for disasters. He canceled that presentation and shortened the “sooner” session at Mount Wesley Conference Center last weekend following reports of ice developing on roads north and west of Kerrville.
“Read the material on disaster preparedness in your packets, and e-mail me if you have any questions,” Brim said as he called the “sooner” session to a close and wished everyone a safe trip home.
“The presentation on getting ready for disasters will really be important for the people in Kingsville,” Brim said later. “Many of them will represent churches along the Gulf Coast.”
Hurricanes present a special threat to coastal congregations, he said.
Other items on the assembly agenda include:
> A time of sharing local successes in ministry.
> A panel discussion on local church leadership.
> A presentation on laity involvement in the Bishop’s Initiative on New Church Development, a proposal coming to the June 7-10 annual conference session in Corpus Christi.
Last weekend at Mount Wesley, nearly 50 participants—primarily from the Kerrville, San Angelo, San Antonio and Victoria districts—discussed ways to fulfill their calls as lay leaders. Recurring themes—in both formal presentations and informal networking—were servanthood and partnership.
“Being the lay leader doesn’t mean you’re the boss,” said Ralph Thompson, San Angelo District lay leader, during a panel discussion on leadership. “It means you’re the head servant. Sometimes the most significant thing you can do as lay leader is to give in to someone with a better idea.”
The Rev. Austin Frederick Jr., assistant to the Episcopal office, called partnerships the foundation of the bishop’s new-church initiative.
“By building partnerships on many levels,” he said, “we have a better chance of succeeding in starting new churches.”
Modeling partnership between clergy and laity was a key part of the lay leader’s role, Brim said.
“We’re unique as a denomination,” he said about The United Methodist Church. “Clergy and laity are equal partners in ministry. In some things the clergy leads. In other things the laity leads. We need to model as laity how we work to make disciples.”
Partners in Ministry, a leadership development course for clergy and laity sponsored by the Board of Laity, helps foster partnerships, said Nell Martin, PIM coordinator. The training is designed to promote healthy dialogue and reduce conflict within congregations.
During a panel discussion on leadership, Board of Laity representatives urged local church lay leaders to:
n Develop strong working partnerships with their pastors.
n Keep their fingers on their congregation’s pulse.
n Take advantage of United Methodist resources—both formal and informal—designed to help with their ministry.
“I made it a point to talk to as many people as I could in the congregation each week,” said Bill Bennett, associate San Antonio District lay leader. “I’d hear their complaints and what they were happy about. Then I would spend at least one hour a week with the pastor discussing what I had heard. I would hear his ideas and take them back to people in the congregation.”
Charles Akins, Austin District lay leader, urged local lay leaders to take advantage of training offered through the conference and seven districts.
“You need to know the issues facing the church, and you need to know your church,” he said. “Sometimes personalities clash. You need to take the temperature of your church. That will give you a feeling of how to deal with the issues and bring moderation to the conflict.”
Judy Johnson, Victoria District lay leader, advised local leaders not to ignore conflicts or let unpleasant issues fester.
“It’s easy just to look the other way,” she said. “But you need to open a direct dialogue with the people involved.”
Brim said identifying potential leaders in a congregation was the lay leader’s No. 1 job, according to the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
To do that, he said, “discover what people want to do—rather than what you need them to do—and find a way to enable them to do that.”
The Board of Laity has sponsored an annual laity assembly since 1999. Until this year all had been at Mount Wesley.
The board decided this year to offer two identical sessions at different sites. The goal was to increase participation.