The Church of England - Essay Example

Differences between Ordained Local Ministry and Licensed Lay Ministry in the Church of England Today Unit The Church of Englandis the official church in England with a long history. The church has been very influential in matters of the state. It has components that together make it functional; these are mainly the followers and the clergy. The church has an Anglican background. However, it maintains some of the principles of early Catholicism. The church has a number of ministries in which individuals can plug in. This article endeavors to establish the differences between the two ministries, the ordained local ministry, and the licensed lay ministry in the current Church of England. In addition, the underlying theological perspectives shall be discussed. Despite the differences that are available among these ministries the purpose that they pursue in based on the doctrines of the Bible. Therefore, the difference that exists between these two ministries is geared towards complementing each other. The ordained local ministry (OLM) is a national movement that comprises of clergy that have been ordained but have opted to serve church at a local level. The individual intending to join should firstly inform the Bishop in that diocese that further informs the Director of Ordinands at Parish. The parish gets the mandate to review the individual’s request and make a decision whether to allow or disallow. There are diverse criteria that are considered before one can pass this stage. In particular, patterns of worship, problem solving, teamwork, leadership among other values are considered before one can be considered for the position. To prevent any conspiracy, whenever the Bishop wants to leave or retire, it is unacceptable for them to propose an individual into the ministry (Dewar 2000). On the other hand, the licensed lay ministry (LLM) is a ministry in the church that allows individuals that are not ordained to take part in church work. They are from any background, most of them having responded to a call from God to serve the church in various capacities. Once the individuals have heeded to the call of service, they are trained in theology and given the opportunity to serve the church. Their main assignments in the church range from pastoral assistance, evangelical work, leading in worship, teaching, preaching as well as liturgy work. However, they can engage in other activities according to their talents and the needs of the church. These individuals are not ordained hence; the scope of services is limited to some extent (Etchells 1995). The ordained local ministry puts much emphasis on the local situations in addition to the global view of the needs of the clergy serving in different places. The provisions of OLM are that individuals are selected to take part in the responsibilities of the church in a position they are very conversant with. For example, men and women get an opportunity to serve in their parish or group. The process of choosing the individuals that will serve the local church is a preserve of the congregation. In addition, the locals help in training as well as supporting the ministry. However, their choices must be based on certain requirements; for example, those who are chosen should be fully ordained members of the Church of England. The choice of individuals must be either ordained priests or deacons. On the other and, the LLM is a ministry that is based on availability of opportunities and willingness to serve. Here, individuals intending to be part of the ministry are not obliged to be ordained, but anybody can come up and desire to be part of the team. Once they are approved, they undergo through training and hence are assigned duties depending on the prevailing needs. In the OLM, the people make the choice of the individual that they want to serve them. The choice is usually based on the need to deal with some local issues. Once the people have made an approval, then induction training is done to the ordained ministers thereby getting to engage in the activities of the church. On the other front, LLM also called the readers ministry, the individuals are usually recommended by the Parochial Church Council or the priest in that particular parish. Once an individual has been approved, they are subjected to three years of training where they learn theology. This is important in order to equip them thoroughly for the work of church service. In addition, it gives them the confidence to handle different issues including provision of counselling services among other pastoral duties. The process of ordination of a clergy takes much longer. Apart from the knowhow, the clergy must demonstrate commitment to serve the people. In OLM is the clergy is supposed to understand the needs of the people at the grassroots. Ordination is a one-time event that gives individual rights to become clergy in the church. On the other hand, LLM does not require any ordination. However, it does require training. Once an individual is given the chance to train, they await for the license that gives them authority to take LLM role in a church (Dewar 2000). In OLM, the scope of service is much wider and unrestricted. Having been ordained, the priest can support the works of a local Church as well as take the full responsibility of the church including administration of sacraments. Contrarily, the LLM have fewer responsibility, they are not exposed to as many tasks as are performed by their ordained counterparts. The ministers in OLM are considered professional and exhibits ability to make the most daunting decisions in the church. The essence of this disparity is to create a division of role so that the church can run efficiently hence the ability to serve in different capacities. However, despite this position, the two ministries are complementary. The duration of service varies across the two groups of clergy. The predictor of the duration of service in the LLM is the individual’s desire or it may result from termination of the assignment. A number of issues including their family, among other activities, can influence their devotion. The expiry of the license or its revocations due to non-adherence to set standards of service is also a possible exit strategy. On the other hand, it is a bit difficult to remove an ordained clergy unless there are underlying reasons that call for the intervention. However, there are situations that can result to elimination from office that are related to non-adherence to regulations. The ordained clergy are permanent and have a variety of roles and responsibilities. They can effectively partake in the church rituals such as baptism, legal marriages, and funerals, administration of sacrament among others. Only given that they are able to comply with the regulations, the OLM can serve as long as it pleases or time allows. Contrary, the licensed ministers’ work is temporary. They view it as an opportunity to serve Go as they gain experience and impact on the society. They exhibit a commitment to serve God to have their time and energy be used for the service of God without focusing so much on the materials they acquire through the process. The emphasis that is placed on the LLM is that of preaching, pastoral care, and leading worship as well as acts a link between the church and the world. They focus on providing teachings of the basic Christian faith as they disciple individuals together with they have the ability to comprehend and defend the Bible. In addition, they are engaged in chaplaincy work as well as initiating community based projects. Apart from these roles, the lay preachers can also undertake roles that align with their talents as well as the specific needs of the church (Dewar 2000).. The strategy of having lay ministers is to have the gospel reach to many as well as providing an opportunity for the continuity of the church. On the other hand, the ordained local ministry is focused on building the body of Christ through pastoral care preaching, celebration of the sacrament, and teaching. In addition, they are tasked with responsibilities of leadership as well as engaging in the mission work (Kuhrt and Nappin 2002). The motivation behind having a licensed minister is to have an individual who can aid the clergies in the execution of their duties. For example, it is likely that students in the seminary or colleges can be given an opportunity to express their service to God in order to have hands–on skills in the works of ministry, therefore, thy find a good opportunity to serve the Church of England through the LLM. On the other hand, the ordained clergies might be considered to cover up for regions that do not have enough clergy or none at all. It is out of their own initiative that they opt to get into service through this ministry. In addition, an individual clergy either may be persuaded to perform a given task by the leadership or may feel an inner desire to engage in some project. In OLM, there is no need for much training because these people are already trained and above all ordained. Theirs is just to plug into the ministry and serve. Most of these might have gone through the seminary or any other institution and are very knowledgeable individuals as it pertains to theology. However, refresher programs can be availed in order to keep them in tune with the word of God as well as provide an opportunity for growth. In addition, it is important for confidence to be instilled in them as they study. On the other hand, due to the fact that most of the LLM are lay people that needs to be licensed so that they can serve, there is need for an intensive training and induction. Sometimes, the consideration to have them on board may be based on lack of trained clergy in a given location. Apart from these, sometimes a lay preacher may be considered in order to provide accountability and support to specific ministries within the Church of England. The LLM requires that an individual serve the church on either full time or part time basis contrary to the OLM that mostly requires that the ordained clergy serve the church on full time basis (Dewar 2000). The principle behind the OLM is basically to grow the number of ordained priests who understand the needs of people at the local level. Such an individual is capable of impacting change to the local community hence making the people to have a good view of the church and Christianity at large. In addition, it promotes local acceptability of an individual hence that priests can serve people that appreciate their services. This is based on the fact that it is the people that choose the priest that they would like to serve them in their local church. LLM, on the other hand, equips individuals that are willing to engage in service by giving them an opportunity to serve God irrespective of their educational status. In conclusion, there are quite a number of differences that exist between the OLM and the LLM. The two ministries are geared towards serving the same objective, service to people and God. However, LLM comprises of lay preachers who choose to commit themselves to service, they are trained for three years, and the given responsibilities in the church. On the other hand, OLM is a ministry that involves individuals that are either ordained deacons or priests that wants to serve the local church. They are endorsed by the people, and then trained so that they are able to take care of the various needs of the church. References Dewar, F 2000, Called or Collared? An Alternative Approach to Vocation, London: SPCK Etchells, R 1995, Set My people Free: A Lay Challenge to the Churches, London: Fount Kuhrt, G. W and Nappin, P 2002, Bridging the gap: Reader Ministry Today, London: CHP Read More