Equipping is another challenge for pastors when they seek to develop lay ministry. The issue is often their position. Many experts in lay ministry advise that if a pastor wants this ministry to succeed, the pastor needs to step aside a little. When the pastor creates space, laypeople can step into that space and do what they are called to do.
It is not enough for a pastor to say, “Come up and do your ministry.” If there is no space for laypeople to take responsibility, they cannot step forward. When the pastor steps aside, laypeople can step up, and both the pastor and the church can move forward. This is the right concept, but it is not easy for a pastor to step aside. The pastor has occupied that position for a long time. It has been their position, function, and role, and it can be difficult to give that responsibility to someone else, especially to laypeople who were once their disciples. Sometimes a pastor may unconsciously think, “You are my inferior,” and therefore hesitate to hand over meaningful responsibility.
There is another way to understand this. A pastor may think of the ministry as his or her “baby.” The pastor has cared for it, developed it, and invested in it for many years. So, when asked to give that ministry to someone else, the pastor may feel like giving away their own baby. Naturally, there is reluctance.
But the pastor needs to take that risk. Something good can happen when responsibility is shared.
Actually, giving ministry to other people does not mean simply giving away the pastor’s “baby.” It means sharing the pastor’s burden with other people. This is one of the real benefits of lay ministry. As we often say, “The pastor cannot do it alone.” Therefore, instead of thinking negatively—“I have to give my ministry away”—the pastor can think positively: “I can share my burden with other laypeople.”
There are two ways for pastors to look at this: negatively or positively. It is largely up to the senior pastor which perspective they choose.
Rev. David Kim of Hallelujah Church once said, “If we give one to the laypeople, they will give two back to the pastor.” What a wonderful way to understand lay ministry! Do we really need the help of laypeople in ministry? Yes. When we give them one opportunity, one responsibility, or one ministry, they may give us back two in return.
Of course, some pastors are afraid. They may wonder, “What will happen to the church if I give this responsibility to laypeople? And what will happen to me?” I understand that concern. They worry that there will be confusion if laypeople begin doing ministry on their own.
Yes, there may be confusion at first. They may make mistakes. But through those mistakes, they learn, grow, and try to do better. That is part of the growth process. This is why we need to equip them. Without equipping, we cannot expect laypeople to carry out ministry effectively.
That is exactly why Paul emphasizes this in Ephesians 4:11–12. The pastor’s role is not to do all the work of ministry alone. Rather, the pastor is called to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
The question, then, is not, “How can I keep doing everything myself?” but, “How can I equip others so that they can do the work of ministry with me?”
That is the heart of lay ministry.