Melvin’s lay ministry should be understood as a double ministry. One dimension is the overall concept of the Lay Pastors Ministry (LPM), and the other is the specific practice and content of ministry known as PACE. In other words, Melvin’s ministry brings together concept and practice, or LPM and PACE.
As the saying goes, “See It Big, Keep It Simple.” LPM provides the big picture of lay ministry, while PACE provides a specific and practical description of how that ministry is carried out. We may say that LPM is the forest, while PACE is one of the trees within the forest.
Let us look at this realistically. Melvin’s Lay Pastors Ministry is a ministry that involves the entire church. When we say, “Our church is practicing the Lay Pastors Ministry,” we mean that the church has embraced Melvin’s overall vision and philosophy of lay ministry. However, when someone asks, “What specifically do your lay pastors do?” the appropriate answer is PACE.
Therefore, these two dimensions must work together for the Lay Pastors Ministry to succeed.
LPM is concerned with the overall concept of lay ministry and the involvement of the whole church.
PACE is concerned with lay pastors and their specific ministry of caring and serving people.
In other words, LPM represents a macroscopic perspective, while PACE represents a microscopic and practical perspective.
LPM may be understood as the overall identity and framework of the ministry. It includes theological and biblical foundations, teaching, leadership development, and a paradigm shift within the whole church. At its heart is the conviction that laypeople, as well as ordained pastors, are called by God to participate in ministry.
In this sense, the Lay Pastors Ministry is closely connected with the idea of a second Reformation. It emphasizes the priesthood of all believers and challenges the traditional assumption that ministry belongs primarily to professional clergy. While pastors and laypeople may have different roles and responsibilities, all believers are called to serve God and participate in His ministry. Melvin’s second textbook develops this important vision of a lay-driven church.
PACE, on the other hand, is the actual content and practice of ministry. It is the practical ministry carried out by lay pastors, especially through caring relationships. PACE becomes much more effective when it is supported by the theological and philosophical foundation of LPM. In other words, practice must be supported by concept, theology, and vision.
PACE may appear simple, but it is not necessarily easy.
Traditionally, much of the responsibility for caring for church members has rested on the pastor. However, in the Lay Pastors Ministry, much of this caring ministry is intentionally shared with and entrusted to trained laypeople. In this sense, ministry is transferred—not abandoned by the pastor, but shared with the laity.
We might compare this to a parent entrusting a beloved child to a trusted family member. For some pastors, this may feel uncomfortable or even disappointing. It is not easy to hand over something precious that you have personally raised and cared for over many years. In the same way, a pastor may find it difficult to entrust the care of church members to others.
Yet this is not a matter of giving up responsibility. Rather, it is a matter of multiplying ministry.
The pastor does not stop caring for people; instead, the pastor equips others to care for people. The ministry is no longer limited to what one pastor can personally do. Through trained lay pastors, the caring ministry of the church can be extended to many more people.
Therefore, Melvin’s double ministry must always be understood as LPM and PACE together.
LPM gives us the vision. PACE gives us the practice.
LPM provides the big picture. PACE provides the practical action.
LPM is the forest. PACE is the tree.
Neither should be separated from the other.
Without the vision and theological foundation of LPM, PACE can become merely a program or a technique. On the other hand, without the practical ministry of PACE, LPM can remain only a beautiful concept.
For the Lay Pastors Ministry to become alive and effective, we need both.
We must see it big through LPM, and we must keep it practical through PACE.