Albert Einstein is credited with saying, "You can't get yourself out of a situation using the same thinking that got you into it." This paper is meant to stretch your thinking about the ministry of Commissioned Lay Pastors and the marvelous richness they bring to a presbytery's mission. The CLP program is an expansion of the Church's mission in a changing world. It is not a compromise when a congregation cannot find a "real" pastor. It is not a cheap way to provide pastoral services to congregations. Commissioned Lay Pastors and Ministers of Word and Sacrament are partners in mission as we seek to bring the good news of Christ to an ever-changing culture.

Freda Gardner (previous moderator of the General Assembly and member of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary) encourages us to realize that service as a Commissioned Lay Pastor is a calling, a vocation. CLPs provide context appropriate ministry where seminarians do not fit and they have uncoupled ministry from the need to make a living.

Boyd Stockdale, Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Seattle, writes, "How do we take seriously our mission in a community that has 116 languages in it? How do we fulfill the mandate to provide effective evangelism to the end that the Presbyterian Church significantly increases its ethnic membership? The answer ... is Commissioned Lay Pastors."

Commissioned Lay Pastors Reflect the Mission of a Presbytery

"When a presbytery, in consultation with the session or other responsible committee, determines that its strategy for mission in a local church requires it, and after additional instruction deemed necessary by the presbytery has been provided, a presbytery may authorize a commissioned lay pastor…" Book of Order G-14.0800

A presbytery's mission strategy determines the role a CLP program plays in its overall direction. A presbytery that intends to reach immigrant populations will design its CLP program to contribute to that goal. A thoughtfully designed CLP program can provide a way to reach into communities that our denomination is not equipped to reach at the present time. Indigenous Commissioned Lay Pastors can reach into immigrating communities without the need to learn a new language or be sensitized to a different culture.

Most presbyteries are aware of congregations that have been without an installed pastor for years. These congregations invest a lot of energy into surviving. They spend a lot of energy trying to find someone to preach each Sunday. Even when they have the same Sunday-to- Sunday preacher, they often lack someone to provide others pastoral services. A Presbytery determined to provide pastoral care and preaching from our Reformed perspective to small churches unable to call ministers of Word and Sacrament will design its CLP program to meet those needs.

We live in a rapidly changing world. We face migration of populations among our citizens. Communities that used to be densely populated are declining. Previous rural areas are becoming urban or suburban. Immigration into our country is shifting away from Western culture and becoming more Asian or Hispanic. Commissioned Lay Pastors can provide a valuable ministry in our ever-changing society.

• View the CLP Decision-Making Matrix —
• Other Nagging Questions —