Dr. Melvin’s repeated declaration, “Lay People Are Pastoring,” is more than a slogan; it is a theological conviction supported by practical experience. For centuries, lay Christians have faithfully taught, evangelized, preached, and served as missionaries. The natural question follows: If lay people can perform these ministries, why can’t they also share in pastoral care?
The answer, according to Dr. Melvin, is that they can.
The Holy Spirit has not limited pastoral gifts to ordained ministers alone. Throughout the church, God has been awakening ordinary believers who possess gifts of compassion, encouragement, visitation, and shepherding. Although these gifts have always existed, the church often failed to recognize them as authentic pastoral ministry. Consequently, churches rarely created a structure through which these gifts could be exercised effectively.
The Lay Pastors Ministry provides that missing structure.
Pastoring Is Defined by Ministry, Not Merely by Title
One of the most significant discussions concerns the word “pastor.” During Dr. Melvin’s Doctor of Ministry studies, a fellow minister argued that only ordained clergy should carry the title “pastor.” He suggested alternatives such as caregiver, volunteer, or pastor’s assistant.
Dr. Melvin responded with a simple but profound argument:
If commissioned lay people love like pastors, care like pastors, visit like pastors, possess pastoral gifts like pastors, and faithfully shepherd people like pastors, then they are, in function, pastors.
His point is not that ordination is unimportant. Rather, pastoral ministry is fundamentally about shepherding God’s people. The New Testament repeatedly describes shepherding as caring for the flock, encouraging believers, visiting those in need, comforting the hurting, and helping Christians grow spiritually.
Experience Confirms the Theology
Dr. Melvin does not rely only on theory. He points to years of successful ministry at Community Harvest Presbyterian Church (CHPC) and numerous other churches across America.
Their experience demonstrated several important truths:
- Lay people can provide authentic pastoral care.
- Many lay pastors possess exceptional pastoral gifts.
- Congregational care becomes far more personal and comprehensive.
- Ordained pastors are freed to focus on preaching, leadership, vision, and equipping others.
In other words, the ministry proved that biblical principles worked in real congregations.
The Church as an Equipping Center
Another important emphasis is the church’s calling to become an Equipping Center (Ephesians 4:11–12).
Rather than doing all ministry themselves, pastors equip believers for ministry. CHPC viewed itself as a training center where ordinary Christians were prepared for pastoral care, evangelism, discipleship, and counseling.
Their philosophy reflects Luke 12:48:
“To whom much is given, much will be required.”
Because God had entrusted them with effective ministry models, they believed they had a responsibility to teach and equip other churches as well.
Lessons for Today’s Church
Dr. Melvin’s message remains highly relevant today.
Many churches struggle because one pastor cannot personally care for hundreds of members. The biblical solution is not simply hiring more clergy but equipping spiritually gifted lay believers to share in the shepherding ministry.
The issue is not replacing pastors but multiplying pastoral care.
When pastors equip faithful lay people, every member can be known, visited, encouraged, prayed for, and cared for in a much more personal way. The church becomes a genuine community where “the whole body… builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
As Dr. Melvin repeatedly declared,
Lay people are pastoring—not because they replace ordained ministers, but because the Holy Spirit has gifted and called them to share in Christ’s shepherding ministry under the leadership and authority of the local church.
This conviction lies at the heart of the Lay Pastors Ministry and remains one of its most significant contributions to the modern church.