I think there are several reasons why different countries adopted the Lay Pastors Ministry (LPM), or PACE ministry. When we compare these countries, we can see that each one had its own needs and circumstances.
The United States
In the United States, one important reason was the size of the congregation. Of course, there were many small churches, but when Dr. Melvin developed the Lay Pastors Ministry, his church had more than 2,000 people. With such a large congregation, the church clearly needed individual pastoral care, but it was impossible for the senior pastor and pastoral staff to provide personal care to everyone through the traditional church system.
Another factor was the emphasis on evangelism. For the previous 30 or 40 years, many American churches had placed strong emphasis on evangelism and bringing people into the church. But once people came into the church, they also needed someone to care for them, listen to them, and help them become settled and connected. Evangelism brought people in, but pastoral care was needed to help them remain and grow.
At the same time, the parachurch movement was blossoming in the United States. Many organizations and ministries were developing to serve and strengthen local churches. Dr. Melvin’s Lay Pastors Ministry became one of these movements, offering churches a practical way to involve laypeople in pastoral care.
Churches appreciated this ministry not only because it helped provide individual care, but also because it caused them to take laypeople seriously. PACE became one expression of the growing lay ministry movement. It helped churches discover that pastoral care was not only the responsibility of ordained pastors; laypeople could also participate in caring for others.
Korea
The situation was different when PACE came to Korea. By that time, the Korean church had already developed through almost 100 years of history. Korean churches had carried out many kinds of ministry, including evangelism, worship, discipleship, education, and missions.
However, by the 1990s, many Korean churches were experiencing numerical decline. Pastors and laypeople were no longer fully satisfied with the present situation, and they were asking, in different ways, “What is the next level for the church?”
When Korean churches encountered LPM/PACE, many of them understood its value quite quickly. They saw that it was not simply another church program. It offered a new way of caring for people and involving laypeople in ministry.
There was also a need among laypeople themselves. Many had already grown spiritually to a certain level through years of church life, but they wanted to continue growing and to use their lives more fully for ministry. PACE gave them an opportunity to do that. They were trained, assigned a few people to care for, and encouraged to practice simple, personal, ongoing pastoral care.
As a result, PACE became meaningful to both pastors and laypeople. Pastors discovered a practical way to extend pastoral care throughout the congregation, while laypeople discovered a meaningful way to serve, grow, and participate in ministry.
Different Needs, the Same Ministry
Therefore, I see an interesting difference between the United States and Korea.
In the United States, the major need was individual care in large congregations and the involvement of laypeople in pastoral ministry.
In Korea, the major need was finding a new level of ministry in a mature church context, responding to church decline, and helping laypeople continue their spiritual growth through meaningful ministry.
The circumstances were different, but PACE answered a common need: people need personal care, and the whole church can participate in providing it.
This may be one reason why LPM/PACE could cross cultural and national boundaries. The method can be adapted to different situations, but the basic human need remains the same—people need someone who will pray for them, be available to them, contact them, and set an example of Christian life.
That is PACE: love with skin on.