Mrs. Yoon’s story is another powerful example. She was a member of Hallelujah Church. One day, Pastor David Kim asked her to help with the PACE ministry in the church. At that time, about 5,000 people were attending the church. She did not know much about PACE ministry or the Lay Pastors Ministry. Yet, once she became involved, she dedicated more than thirteen years to this ministry, to her church, and to God.
As we have seen in these stories, lay people discover something valuable through this ministry. That is why I have great hope for the Lay Pastors Ministry. It gives lay people a meaningful place in the church. Through serving others, they grow spiritually, discover the joy of ministry, and develop a deep sense of accomplishment. Their self-esteem is strengthened, and, perhaps most importantly, they experience the freedom to use the spiritual gifts God has given them.
When we talk about the freedom of lay people, however, we should not misunderstand what we mean. We are not saying that lay people are somehow being held in bondage by their pastors. Rather, freedom means having the opportunity and responsibility to discover and use the spiritual gifts God has given to each person.
As we know, every Christian has spiritual gifts. There are different opinions, however, about how many spiritual gifts are identified in the Bible. For example, Melvin Steinbron identifies 27 gifts, John Maxwell lists 24, James Garlow identifies 20, and Ronald lists 15. Others identify different numbers.
One reason for these differences is how scholars understand Ephesians 4:11–12. Some consider the ministries mentioned in these verses to be spiritual gifts, while others do not include them in the same category. Some distinguish between spiritual gifts and ministry gifts. Therefore, the number varies depending on how the gifts are classified.
The important point, however, is not how many gifts we can count. The important question is whether lay people are being given the freedom and opportunity to use the gifts God has already given them. When they are equipped, encouraged, and released into ministry, they can become active participants in the work of the church rather than simply supporters of the ministry of the pastor.