Theological & Biblical Insights on the Laity

(The following excerpted paragraphs highlight the content of the work Theological and Biblical Perspectives on the Laity, by Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. For a complete printed copy, e-mail us by clicking here.)

The Laity in the Early Church
Although there is still a lack of clarity about the kinds of church structures that prevailed in the early church, it is generally agreed that in the beginning there was no subspecies "laity" of the genus "Christian." In fact, to say "laity" (or laos, the New Testament word) was to say "Christian." The two words were, for all practical purposes, synonymous.

This pristine condition did not last long. We cannot here trace the tedious route by which the church departed from its original understanding of the laity. It is clear, however, that before long the laity began to be defined as a subspecies of the genus "Christian" and were differentiated from another subspecies called "clergy."

The Laity and the Reformation
Such was the situation inherited by the Reformers. It could be described as a "split-level church." On the ground level, exposed to all the dirt and grime of the world, their salvation always in jeopardy, totally dependent upon ministrations from those above them, were the laity. On the upper level, closer to heaven, infused with special divine grace, and sheltered from the corruption of the evil world, dispensing their medicine of the sacraments to the laity below, were the clergy.

One effect of the movement toward reform was to demolish this "split-level church" and begin construction of what might be called a "ranch-type church." The Reformation blueprint called for a church in which all Christians lived on one level,  Certainly not everyone occupied the same room. There were various "office spaces." But no one stood higher than any other, either in terms of nearness to God or of shelter from sin. Clergy were seen as distant from the laity only in terms of office and function, not in terms of their standing before God.

The Universal Priesthood of the Baptized
God's laos fulfill their priesthood in a variety of ways. Some — the clergy — are given special offices of preaching the Word and administering the sacraments. They are ordained to official, public functions of priesthood in the church. But the laity have their priestly functions, too. According to Luther, they are to pray for each other. They are to listen to their sisters' and brothers' confessions of sin and cries of distress. They are to speak God's cheering word of forgiveness and consolation. They are to be agents of God's overflowing goodness by ministering to the poor and oppressed. In short, they are to be "little Christs" to each other, subpriests of Jesus, who is the great high priest of all.

The Vocation or Calling of the Christian
Luther used the word "vocation" in three ways: a) to designate the summons which reaches us in the proclamation of the gospel; b) to refer to the occupation or status of a person in society; and c) to refer to the call to the office of preacher in the church.

Once again the radical separation between "two kinds of Christians" was overcome. No longer could any special group within the church, namely those set aside for ecclesiastical office, claim monopoly on the word "vocation."  All Christians, whatever their office or status in church or world, lived out their lives under God's call. Further, church offices were not to be thought of as in any way superior to secular offices. Each could equally be the place of service to the neighbor, and thus to God.

The Laity in the Church Today
We must now take note of an outburst of thought and experimentation concerning the laity which coincided roughly with the close of World War II. Out of the ashes of disillusion and destruction in Europe there emerged what has sometimes been described as the "lay renaissance." Leaders in this recovery have consistently spoken of their work in terms of three theological principals:

• Reaffirmation of God's love for the world
  The doctrine of creation has been given new prominence. The church is learning again that "God so loved the world". (When we read) "God so loved the church," we can seem to be saying by our preoccupation with matters ecclesiastical that we accept the neglect or even rejection of matters economic, political or cultural. An examination of the list of coming events in a typical congregational bulletin suggest by what it omits that the laity come to Sunday worship and to weekday meetings with nothing but "churchy" concerns on their minds. It is though they were expected to deposit all the "worldly" concerns of their workaday lives at the door, much as patrons of the old frontier saloons were requested to check their guns.

• The church's mission to the world
  Although we need not belabor the point, it is clear from a biblical perspective that the church exists not for its own sake but for the world's sake, or better yet, for the sake of God's mission in and to the world. It is becoming harder for us to settle into comfortable, narcissistic postures. There are too many voices in the present and recent past reminding us that God has called the church as servant in and for the world.

• The laity are the spearhead of the church's mission in and for the world
  The clergy are not the spearhead. Their essential work is "inside the camp," teaching, preaching, administering the sacraments and engaging in other related activities. It is uncharacteristic of them to be professionally engaged in secular pursuits in the workday world.

For the unordained the situation is the reverse. Their habitat is more completely the secular world. They work there. They play there. They are the natural bridge by which a movement moves from the sanctuary to the street. They are the profane (literally pro-fanus "in front of the temple") Christians. They are Christ's many-membered body in touch at this moment in history with the world that God loves.