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Article IX. The Lay-Ministry Of The Church
Sec. 1. To the whole Church and to every member of it belongs the duty and privilege of spreading the good news of the kingdom of God and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, except in so far as that duty and privilege has been cammitted to the ordained ministry of the Church. The A. E. L, Church therefore, welcomes and will as far as possible provide for the. exercise by.lay persons, both men and women. of-such gifts.of prociamation, evangelization, teaching, healirtg- and administration as God bestows upon them.
Sec. 2. A large and increasing part of the ministry of the laity should be undertaken by men and women whe, while following their ordinary calling in life, also engage in the walk of the church, Such voluntary work may be petformed in many ways, ambng which are the following.
a. Assisting in pastoral work: This includes visiting members of the congregation, especially the sick, the griefstricken and the erring; mesting them in groups for fellow ship and edification and prayer; havirig the charge of village congregations; and gerierally helping the pastor
in building up the church Those who take part, in such work shall be communicant members in. good standing, chosen specifically by the parish church council and solemnly set apart for this special service. They shall work under the directfoversight of the pastor.
b. Evengellsm: Itis the primary duty of every Christian to witness by life and word to Jesus Christ, This work of evangelization may be done both individually and by groups and should include special methods such as lyrical proclamation and the distribution of scriptures and other evangelistic literature.
c. Caring for Youth: The:church has important duties teward its young members, both in preparing them for the time when they publicly accept for themselves the promises nfade for them in baptism, and in guiding their subsequent life as full members of the church. The services of godly persons may be enlisted by the parish church council to assist in such work under the direct supervision of the pastor.
d. Stewardship: Stewardship of money and care of church property form an important sphere of dabour of every congregation. Those who help the-church- in these matters should seek to assist the pastorto raise sufficient funds for the parish, to keep the church buildings and other property in good condition, to help the poor and sick, and generally to help the pastor in temparal affairs of the congregations. Special care in these Matters must be taken in other that all may be done in accordance with the policy and rules of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church. p
8. Soclal service: The church has a responsibility to be aware of and to seek to correct social conditione which violate Christ's [teaching concerning human dignity. It shall seek out among its membership lay volunteers to help in this ministry.
f. Prayer: The ministry of imercession is vitat and should not only underlie and inspire ali thase other ministeries mentioned in this article but it shoald. be recognized as one which should constantly be exercized by all members of the church.
Sec.: 3. The ministry of the {laity may also be performed by men and women who, in response to God's cal, devote their whole time to such service and for whose support the church must therefore make full or partial provision. Among the laity $0 serving the church may be the following;:
Art. IX. Sec '3. '
a. "Persons licensed to perform the ministerial acts and to serve in full charge of parishes. At such time as there may be an insufficient number of pastors available tp care adequately for the congregdtions of the A. E. L. C., the Executive Council may license certain lay persons to assist in that ministry and grant special permission for them to administer the sacraments as well as preach the Word and to engage in other pastoral duties. Such parsons shall be carefully chosen by the synod ministerium from among the experienced {ay workers, and approved by the executive committee of the synod. They shall have such qualifications and undergo such training as may be determined from time totime. The time of their appointment shall be as determined by the Executive Council of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the place of their appointment shall be determined by the executive committee of the synod upon the recommendation of pastors committeg." ).
b. Theremay be full-time evangelists appointed by the syned, whose primary responsibility shall be to work among peoplerof other faiths rather than the care of Christian congregations. -.
c. Ths synods may appoint Bibles women to serve In spreading the Gospel.
d. Catechists may be appointed by the synod for the full-time care of Christian congregations under the direction of a pastor.
e. Part-time prayer conductors may be appointed by the concerned parish church council to conduct services in a Christian congregation, for which work they may be paid an allowance.