At the beginning of my seminars on lay pastoral care, I often ask participants a simple question:
“Do you see yourself and your pastor as partners in ministry?”
Very few elders, deacons, deaconesses, or other church members answer yes. Most see themselves simply as helpers—people who assist the pastor in carrying out the pastor’s ministry.
Many pastors think the same way. They see church members primarily as assistants who support the work of the pastor. This traditional understanding of ministry has limited the growth of many churches, including the Korean church. It has contributed to spiritual stagnation and created an ongoing need for revival, renewal, and spiritual maturity. Something needs to change.
Thankfully, that change has already begun in some churches. One large church in downtown Seoul once adopted the New Year’s motto:
“The Church of Partners in Ministry.”
The church was already well known for its emphasis on making disciples, but it recognized an important biblical truth: ministry belongs to the whole Body of Christ, not to pastors alone.
Many respected pastors, scholars, and Christian leaders have emphasized this same vision. Dr. James Garlow, pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, wrote Partners in Ministry in 1998. Hallelujah Church in Seoul, under the leadership of Dr. David Kim, established a Lay Ministry Academy in 1990. Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, has also mobilized thousands of members for active ministry.
Other internationally respected leaders have contributed significantly to the vision of clergy and laity serving together. Dr. Paul Stevens of Regent College, Professor Greg Ogden of Fuller Seminary, Dr. Robert Slocum, and Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron have all helped advance this understanding of ministry. In 1978, Dr. Steinbron founded the Lay Pastors Ministry at College Hill Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, bringing pastors and laypeople together to provide pastoral care within the congregation.
Dr. David Kim once observed that God has emphasized different biblical truths during different periods of church history:
- The Reformation—Luther and Calvin: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
- The Wesleyan Revival: “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16).
- Our generation: “To equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:11–12).
I believe the great need of our time is to recover this biblical understanding of ministry. According to Ephesians 4:11–12, pastors are called to equip God’s people, while God’s people are called to participate in the work of ministry according to their gifts. This model has the power to renew the church, restore spiritual passion, and release believers into meaningful and effective service.
One of the most important ministries pastors and members can share is pastoral care. The organizational expression of this partnership is the Lay Pastors Ministry.
What Does “Partners in Ministry” Mean?
James Garlow expresses the idea clearly:
“Layperson, pastor—you are both ministers. God has called you to serve Him and to share His love with others. As laity and pastors, we are partners in ministry.”
Partnership does not mean that laypeople take over every responsibility of ordained pastors. The distinction between pastors and laypeople is a matter of function, not value or identity. God calls both pastors and laypeople to ministry, but He gives them different responsibilities.
Ephesians 4:11–12 presents these two complementary functions:
Pastors equip the saints.
The saints do the work of ministry.
Together, these two functions create a genuine partnership. As pastors equip and members minister, the entire Body of Christ is built up. Neither pastors nor laypeople are intended to accomplish God’s work alone.
For centuries, pastors have often been viewed as the people who give ministry while church members primarily receive it. The partnership model changes this pattern. Pastors and members both give and receive ministry. Everyone becomes both a servant and a recipient of God’s grace through the community of faith.
This is one of the great biblical truths that the church needs to rediscover.
My Calling to Promote This Ministry
God called me to promote this ministry in Korea and in many other countries, including the United States. My calling has been to equip pastors and lay leaders so that they, in turn, can equip their own members to provide pastoral care within their local congregations.
As Director of the Lay Pastors Ministry in Korea, I have brought pastors and lay leaders together through seminars, conferences, and continuing training. Over the years, I have seen how this model can be adapted to different churches and cultures.
One outstanding example is Hallelujah Church in Seoul. With more than 6,000 members, the church had embraced the vision of Ephesians 4:11–12 for nearly ten years. What they needed was a practical way to put that vision into practice.
The Lay Pastors Ministry became that practical tool.
Together, we held the first Lay Pastors Conference in Korean church history. It demonstrated what can happen when pastors and laypeople truly become partners in ministry.
I have found this ministry beneficial not only for pastors and lay leaders but for entire congregations. Churches begin to develop a new culture of shared ministry. Members become more actively involved. Leadership is multiplied. One pastor told me, “Our church has become a happy church.”
Why Do We Need Partners in Ministry?
No pastor is competent in every area of ministry. Every pastor has strengths and limitations. Therefore, if a church is going to grow both numerically and spiritually, ministry cannot remain the exclusive responsibility of ordained clergy.
God has given His people different gifts, abilities, experiences, and creativity. When these gifts are released, they enrich the entire Body of Christ.
Lay involvement contributes not only to the growth of the congregation but also to the spiritual maturity of individual believers. People grow when they are trusted, equipped, and given meaningful opportunities to serve.
However, lay ministry will not become an ongoing reality unless pastors first fulfill their biblical responsibility to equip God’s people for ministry. This is the clear teaching of Ephesians 4:11–12.
God intends pastors and laypeople to serve together as partners in ministry. The difference between them is not one of spiritual worth but of calling and function.
Church members respond positively when they are entrusted with meaningful ministry rather than being limited to routine church activities that may sometimes be mistaken for genuine ministry.
Dr. James Kennedy once observed that many church members have been content to “let ecclesiastical George do it.” Because pastors are trained professionals, many people assume that ministry belongs primarily to them. Yet this assumption is contrary to the teaching of the New Testament.
Unfortunately, some pastors have also been reluctant to share ministry. They may feel threatened by gifted laypeople and therefore try to do almost everything themselves. But when pastors hold on to every ministry responsibility, they prevent others from discovering and using the gifts God has given them.
Anyone who longs to see the church grow and desires to obey Scripture must embrace a vibrant, well-equipped laity actively engaged in Christian ministry.
How Can We Reactivate God’s People?
1. Pastors must take the initiative.
The movement toward shared ministry usually begins with the pastor. Pastors must communicate clearly that every believer has a God-given role in ministry.
2. Begin with the existing leadership.
Invest deeply in elders, deacons, church council members, and other leaders. Disciple them as Jesus discipled the Twelve, following the principle found in 2 Timothy 2:2.
3. Recruit and train others.
People are more willing to serve when they know they will receive proper training, encouragement, and ongoing support.
4. Affirm faithful service.
Encourage lay ministers both personally and publicly. When people know their service is appreciated, they are more likely to continue serving faithfully.
5. Continually emphasize the importance of lay ministry.
Through preaching, teaching, newsletters, testimonies, and other forms of communication, remind the congregation that every believer has a ministry.
6. Train lay leaders to equip others.
The goal should not simply be to recruit more workers. The goal is multiplication. Those who are equipped should learn to equip others, creating a continuing cycle of spiritual development and ministry.
Professor Paul Stevens identifies three significant models of lay pastoral care in The Equipper’s Guide: the Lay Pastors Ministry founded by Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron, Stephen Ministry founded by Dr. Kenneth Haugk, and Caring Church developed by Dr. Howard Stone. These ministries, along with many others, reflect the biblical vision of pastors and laypeople serving together.
The Future of the Church
The future of the church does not depend on pastors trying to do ministry alone. It depends on pastors equipping God’s people so that the whole Body of Christ can minister together.
Pastors are not called to do all the ministry themselves. They are called to equip the saints for ministry.
Church members are not merely helpers who assist the pastor. They are ministers whom God has called, gifted, and equipped to serve.
When pastors equip and laypeople serve, the church becomes stronger. Leadership is multiplied, believers mature, pastoral care expands, and more people experience the love of Christ.
This is the biblical vision of Partners in Ministry: pastors and laypeople, each fulfilling their God-given calling, working together so that the entire Body of Christ may be built up and equipped for service.