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LAITY

Lay Leaders

The local church lay leader is elected to be an advocate for the laity and for the lay ministries of that church. The following lay leader responsibilities are spelled out in ¶607 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2012:

• Advocacy
• Modeling discipleship
• Building awareness
• Meet with the pastor
• Recognize and celebrate the ministry of the laity
• Serve on various committees
• Assist the church council
• Continue to study
• Inform the laity of educational opportunities

The district lay leader, along with the district board of laity, plans training opportunities for local church lay leaders. District lay leaders model a shared ministry role for laity and clergy as the lay leader works in partnership with the district superintendent in the total ministry of the district.

The conference lay leader is “the elected leader of the conference laity,” per ¶607 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2012. The conference lay leader has the “responsibility for fostering awareness of the role of the laity both within the congregation and through their ministries in the home, workplace, community, and world in achieving the mission of the Church and enabling and supporting lay participation in the planning and decision-making processes of the annual conference, district, and local church in cooperation with the bishop, district superintendents, and pastors.”