Faces on Faith: A clergyless church
The feature article in a recent edition of the Christian Science Monitor focused on the growing shift for American churches-namely Clergyless pulpits. The report stated that hundreds of churches are relying on laypeople to fulfill the role of preacher. What’s emerging is a quiet, but revolutionary shift underway in American mainstream Protestantism.
Because attendance has dropped off dramatically as young adults shun church and elders are dying off, financial pressure is the main force behind this change. The authors cited 70 percent of United Methodist churches in New England rely on part-time ministers, while none of the Episcopal churches in 24 congregations in Michigan have a full-time priest. From 2010-2015 the median church attendance dropped form 105-80 leaving churches financially unable to afford a full-time minister.
The fascinating part of this story is that lay people are stepping up to the pulpit to keep their churches alive. Their pulpits may be filled by a key-boardist, a social justice activist, or an artist.
Quakers, Mormons, and Christian Scientists have always been “clergyless” churches. In Christian Science Churches, lay people are elected by the members to act as “Readers” who prepare and conduct the Sunday and Wednesday services. The Readers select citations from The King James Version of the Bible, and from the Christian Science Textbook, “Science and Health With Key to the Scriptues” by Mary Baker Eddy on a variety of current topics. The Sanibel Christian Science Church is blessed with an array of retirees from many professions who alternate as Readers, resulting in a rich stew of vital sermons filled with insights, inspiration, intelligence and wonderful shared experiences of current healings. It was the Apostle Paul who exhorts us to “be able ministers of the New Testament.”
It needs to be said that today’s column wouldn’t be appearing except for the collegial outreach of Congregational/UCC Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. John Danner’s effort to embrace the Sanibel Christian Science Church as a legitimate part of the Sanibel faith community. I like to think that E. Brooks Holifield, Professor Emeritus of American church history at Emory University, would consider us what he defines as “the active ministry of the laity” and therefore, as “Ambassadors for God.”