EXPLORING LAY SERVICE AND MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH

By Sean O'Leary

The document ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission’, published on October 26, 2024, marks a significant milestone in the Church’s journey, emphasizing the need for greater opportunities for lay faithful, both men and women, to participate in new forms of service and ministry. This call, rooted in a spirit of collaboration and differentiated co-responsibility, aligns with the Church’s mission to address contemporary pastoral needs. This article explores existing and emerging roles for lay people to illustrate lay contributions.

The Synod on Synodality, a three-year process concluding in 2024, involved listening and dialogue across dioceses worldwide, with a focus on communion, participation and mission. The final document, approved by the Synod members and offered to the Church for implementation in lieu of a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, underscores the importance of lay involvement. It highlights the need for new forms of service, particularly in response to modern challenges.

Synodality reflects a broader trend of recognizing the baptised’s role in decision-making, with proposals for new ministries, such as the ‘ministry of listening’ gradually emerging in processes of communal discernment. Of course, lay people are already integral to the Church’s mission, serving in diverse capacities across the world. These roles include Catechists, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Parish Administration and Leadership on Pastoral Councils or Finance Committees, Youth Ministry, Charitable and Social Justice Ministries, Marriage and Family Ministries, Music and Worship Ministries, Digital Evangelisation, Hospital and Prison Ministries, and Lay Ecclesial Movements.

These roles demonstrate the breadth of lay involvement, often in collaboration with clergy, and address pastoral needs like evangelization, social justice and community building or outreach. The Synod’s emphasis on new forms of service suggests these ministries may expand, with potential innovations which will involve lay people in communal discernment processes. Emerging discussions indicate a focus on enhancing lay decision-making authority, such as requiring lay representatives on parish and diocesan councils with deliberative power. Additionally, programmes like the ‘Diploma in Pastoral Ministry’ in the Diocese of Ferns train lay people for roles as catechists or pastoral care workers, combining academic content with pastoral skills. This reflects the Church’s call for formation to enable lay mission, as noted in Evangelii Gaudium (EG 102).

Within dioceses, challenges include ensuring clarity in roles, as lay ecclesial ministry programmes are still in the early stages of implementation, with some growing pains reported. Likewise, the balance between hierarchical structure and lay co-responsibility remains a point of conversation, with the Synod’s final document emphasizing transparency and accountability. This approach can be seen in some dioceses as they engage in processes to promote greater lay participation and enhance parishes and ministries.

The Synod’s call for decentralization and strengthening episcopal conferences may further empower lay roles at local levels, with ongoing discernment expected as the Church implements the document’s recommendations. While innovations are still unfolding, lay people’s contributions, from teaching to digital evangelization, from prayer groups to pastoral care and from pastoral councils to liturgy groups reflect a dynamic response to pastoral needs, with potential for further growth in collaboration and co-responsibility as the Church moves forward.