Role
of the laity and young people in modern ecumenical movement
Introduction
In
the history of ecumenical movement the role of youth and laity are more
significant. The term laity in Christian history had not been derived from
specific biblical meaning, many inspiring speeches have been made about the
laity being the people of God. The meaning of the words “lay” and “laity” is
interpreted in the light of the Bible, affirms about God’s chosen people. The
church called the non-clerics as lay people or laity, who were more remarkable
for propagating the gospel. Christian youths and their movements are the
pioneers in ecumenical movement, and are included in the term “laity”. The
youth movements became a worldwide ecumenical organizations, and through
missionary societies they engaged in missionary accomplishments. This paper
narrates the role of laity and young people contributing for unity of churches,
witness and service.
1.Laity
The
words lay and laity (laikos) never occur in the Bible. The first known
Christian usage of the term is found in a letter addressed around A.D. 96 by
Clement of Rome to the church in Corinth (1 Clement 40:5). There it refers to
the rules and also to a special group of persons within the Christian worship
assembly: “the lay person (laikos anthropos) is bound by the lay ordinances
(laikois prostagmasin)”. Laity is not a biblical word at its origin and in
Christian history it had a quite different meaning, but now it is interpreted
in the light of the vocation of God’s people.[1]
2.Witnessing Laity
The
members of the church stand at the most critical point of witness when they are
living out their daily life in society. The most vital witnessing
responsibility is not fulfilled by inviting the non-church goer to come to
church. The frontiers on which the church is called to witness to the world and
serve men in Christ’s name are as diverse as life itself. The mission field is
the world and every area of human interest and activity. Yet the church’s
mission continuous to be the distinctive call and witness of foreign missions.
The call is one which impels men and women to go beyond their immediate
environment, going to the end of the world.
The
laity are the missionaries of Christ in every secular sphere. Theirs is the
task to carry the message of the Church into every area of life, to be informed
and courageous witnesses to the will of our Lord in the world. The strong
impulse toward greater consecration of life and greater efficiency in church
activities has led to the inception and development of several lay enterprises
of a union nature, and others in which laymen have had at least a very large
share. There were in large measure the result of the conviction that the
ministries of the churches are confined too exclusively to the clergy and do
not enlist sufficiently the practical business experience of men who are
equally desirous of rendering devoted and united service to the kingdom.[2]
Very soon missionary movements awakened and missionaries travelled to different
places.[3]
3.Lay Movements
The
ecumenical youth movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries the World
YMCA (1855), the World YWCA (1894) and the World Student Christian Federation
(1895) reflects the role of laity in ecumenical movement. Especially YWCA and
WSCF strongly emphasized the role of women in Christian life and mission. The
members of such movements were not anti-clerical, but keen young lay people
with a great evangelistic commitment, a deep concern for what happened in
society and the conviction that Christians of all continents and confessions
must band together for their world-wide task.[4]
3.1.American Systematic Beneficence
Society
The
American Systematic Beneficence Society, founded in 1857 was a significant
movement of deeper sense of stewardship in the use of possessions. It was established
by clergy and laity of the various evangelical denominations and that its
object was to promote the great work of systematic beneficence according to the
Christian principle. The founder of this society was Mathew W. Baldwin a laymen
and founder of Baldwin Locomotive Company. Sheldon Jackson a missionary was
commissioned “to present the cause of systematic beneficence by addresses and
public assemblies, hold conferences and other methods with clergy and friends
of scriptural liberality. In England the movement had more extended than in
America, and published a quarterly journal The
Benefactor. Although this society disappeared the emphasis on the stewardship
of possessions has been revived in many forms and has deepened the sense of Christian
fellowship and service.
3.2.Laymen’s Evangelistic Movement
The
laymen’s Evangelistic Movement was less a formal and organized interest than
the response of Christian leaders in various churches and different parts of
the United States to the need for deeper concern for the immediate and urgent
preaching of the gospel in ways less formal and fixed than in the usual methods
of evangelism. Its purpose was the encouragement of all the churches in the
utilization of such evangelistic powers as they possessed, without depending
too much upon professional assistance.
3.3.Laymen’s Missionary movement
The
Laymen’s Missionary movement, 1906 is an outgrowth of Student Volunteer
Movement. It was an effort to capitalize lay efficiency in the promotion of
missionary enthusiasm and activity. Several series of conventions were held in
different cities stimulated interest in the cause of mission, deepened
spiritual life and promoted the spirit of unity and the practice of united
endeavor among Christians of many names.
3.4.Men and Religion Forward
Movement
The
Men and Religion Forward Movement, 1912 another expression of the sense of
responsibility on the part of the laymen in the churches. It embraced members
of all the denominations, in so far as they were moved to participate in so
promising an enterprise. It laid the
foundation of efficient and comprehensive plans for the achievement of the
Christian objectives uniting the entire church, laymen and ministers.
3.5.Young people’s movement
An
influence on Christian unity that deserves more attention was Young people’s
movement, which has found expression in the Christian Endeavor Society. Founded
in 1881 in Portland, Maine, by Francis E. Clark, it took root so rapidly that
within four years it had been carried to India. Local and state unions were
organized and within a quarter of a century. A Worlds Union of Christian
endeavor societies was organized and has held several conventions. At
Switzerland in 1906 principle was adopted “Christian endeavor stands for
Loyalty and Fellowship.[5]
4.Role of Laity in Faith and Order
Reflections
about the laity are sparse in pre-war Faith and Order documents. In 1952 the
Faith and Order theological commission mentioned in its preparatory volume for
the third Faith and Order world conference at Lund the ecumenical rediscovery
of the laity. An attempt made through a “laity dialogue” during a joint session
of the Faith and Order Commission and the laity department in 1960 did not
achieve much. The mandate of Faith and Order has been mainly concerned with the
gathered life of the churches, their unity, worship and ministerial patterns,
their common faith, life and witness. The famous statement on “Baptism,
Eucharist and Ministry” (1982) speaks little to the experience and vocation of
Christians of the lay people. If a new reflection on the ministry of the laity
starts in the WCC it will be important that the Faith and Order Commission be
fully involved, not only as one who teaches but also as one who is being
taught.
5.WCC Department
on Laity
The
department on the laity (1955-71) developed a world-wide network of people,
movements and organizations related to the ecumenical rediscovery of the laity.
Out of this grew in 1972 the “World Collaboration Committee of Christian Lay
Centres, Academies and Movements for Social Concern”. The centre laid much
emphasis on study and on the training of lay leaders for the churches’ presence
in the world. Insights from the Orthodox Churches became stronger, and a
fruitful collaboration with people and movements in the Roman-Catholic lay
apostolate were developed. While in the 1950s, 1960s and up to the mid-1970s
much thinking and talking was done about the laity, necessitated the need for
action.[6]
6.Roman
Catholic Lay Apostalate
The various forms of Catholic
Action and the initiatives by Pope Pius XII led to the three large world
congresses on the lay apostolate in Rome (1951, 1957, 1967) and a world
consultation in year of 1975, organized by the Roman Catholic “Permanent
Committee for International Congresses of Lay Apostolate” (later the “Consilium de Laicis”). The first of
these meetings were only internal Catholic affairs, but increasingly they
became truly ecumenical events for two reasons: (i) the Concilium de Laicis and
the WCC department on the laity strengthened their collaboration which led to
jointly organized meetings. (ii) Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant lay people
hoped that through their collaboration a major break-through will happen in the
ecumenical movement. Within the Roman
Catholic Church the pronouncements of Vatican II strongly fostered the lay
apostolate through the constitutions on the Church (1964), on the Church in the
Modern World (1965) and through the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity
(1965). In 1976 the Consilium de Laicis
received a more official status as the Pontifical Council for the Laity and
came under stricter supervision of the Council. Reflection on the lay
apostolate continued through papal statements.[7]
7.New Developments
Ecumenical
study and action on the vocation of the laity is being resumed through the
apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II on “Christifidelis Laici” in 1989. In the WCC the former sub-unit on
“Renewal and Congregational Life” and in 1992 the work done by “Lay
Participation towards Inclusive Community” has taken up the discussion of ecumenical
study. Together with the World Collaboration Committee of Christian Lay
Centres, Academies and Movements of Social Concern a large world convention was
held at Montreat in 1993. This discussion tend to talk about “the laos: the whole people of God” which became
more popular.
7.1.Ecumenical
learning
The power of bringing together
participants from different nations and Christian traditions into a small
community which engages with the wider community in a particular context and
which builds in space for reflection and experiential learning from and with
one another is clearly seen in this model of ecumenical learning. It was seen
too in the activity and learning which took place through the YMCA, YWCA and
Student Christian Movement. It is a model with many similarities to that
adopted by the Courses of Lay Leadership Training (CLLTs) run today by the
networks of lay educational institutions.[8]
The
IMC in 1952 pleaded for a fresh advance in ‘training for Christian Witness and
service of the church in secular occupations overseas’. In Switzerland mission
and church were experimenting in training laymen and women for this kind of
service. In Great Britain an Oversea Service was formed with the initiative of
the Conference of British Missionary Societies and the British Council of
Churches, which provides intensive courses of study for men and women under
appointment to secular posts in Government or commercial undertakings overseas.
The Missionary societies also instituted a procedure by which Christian men and
women going abroad to appointments of this kind may become ‘associates’ of the
missionary society or members of an ‘Overseas Fellowship’ in token of their
Christian commitment.[9]
7.2.Lay Ecumenical Theological
Institute
The
Ecumenical Institute participates in the reopening of the ecumenical discussion
of the laity and new types of training. From 1947 onwards the pioneers of the
new thinking on the laity gathered annually at Bossey, a few miles from Geneva
and the institute collaborated with the WCC Secretariat for Laymen’s Work which
had been created in 1949. Which led to the most important official statement of
the WCC on the laity, namely the report of the 6th section of the WCC Assembly
at Evanston in 1954 on “The Laity: the Christian in his vocation”.[10]
Lay participants at the Evanston Assembly had expressed disquiet that the
reports were written in a kind of theological language that they found
difficult to understand. As Hans-Reudi Weber, the staff member of the
Department of Laity, pointed out to the 1958 Central Committee, this had
implications for the education of theologians and ministers as well as laity.
This
concern which found expression in the work of the World Council of Churches, both
in the kind of studies and experiments initiated by the department on the work
of the Laity, and through the Ecumenical Institute John D. Rockfeller and Prof
Kraemer are the prominent persons in this institute who gathered together
representatives of the professions law, medicine, education, politics, the
science and the arts, engaging them in study of the significance of the
Christian revelation for these differing areas of social and vocational
responsibility. Philosophers, theologians and pastors studied in this institute
which enabled them for the Church’s’ task in the modern world. Later this
Ecumenical theological Institute provided residential and longer programmes
with the aid of University of Geneva.[11]
8.Youth
Department of the World Council of Churches
The concern for young people and young
adults, both being encompassed by the term 'youth' in the World Council of
Churches, had been present from the beginning. The Youth Department of the
World Council of Churches had a responsibility to be a point of ecumenical
contact and inspiration and to enable collaboration and interaction. The
committee which guided this work included representatives of the International
Missionary Council and the World Council for Christian Education. As well as organizing
conferences and meetings, the Youth Department took on responsibility the work
camp programme which expanded across three continents. The physical tasks were
of benefit but perhaps more so was the ecumenical learning: The work camps
sponsored by the World Council of Churches provide opportunities for young
people to participate practically in the ecumenical movement. The life of the
camp itself, international and inter-confessional, involving work, worship,
Bible-study, discussion and relations with the local community, is in itself a
miniature ecumenical encounter. The projects chosen all relate to some concern
of the World Council of Churches-for refugees, for the evangelism of industrial
workers, for the strengthening of the Church's ecumenical life and witness.
Young people who have taken part in such camps go back to their home
communities with a new awareness of the task of the Church in the world, and
the eagerness to translate it into local terms.
A “Statement of Policy for the Youth
Department” was brought. Its primary task was “to help the churches and in
particular the youth organizations of the churches in giving to their youth a
sense of participation in and responsibility to the Church Universal as it
finds its provisional expression in the ecumenical movement”. The Provisional
Committee noted that the World Council was being encouraged to extend its work
into other areas, one of which was Christian Education. The World Sunday School
Association had direct relationships with the youth and children’s work of the
churches. The Youth Department had continued to promote Ecumenical Youth Camps.
The Youth Department was encouraged to help the churches develop catechetical
and Christian education material which was relevant to young people and
encouraged ecumenical growth.[12]
9.Christian education and lay
movement in ecumenical movement
Sunday
Schools began in England in the late eighteenth century as a social response to
the behavior of children on their one day each week free of employment, rather
than as a Christian nurture initiative.[13]
At first Sunday Schools were not related to churches but established by people
of goodwill on an interdenominational basis. The Sunday school movement
developed and spread from England to many parts of the world. Local, national
and global associations of Sunday Schools were formed in the nineteenth century
drawing in an increasing variety of representation of traditions. The early
pioneers worked for the “cause” without serious regard for denominational
affiliation and so it can be called as “un denominational” or
“nondenominational”.[14]
10.Impact of Lay
movements
The
most valuable effect of these movements was unity through mutual acquaintance
among Christians and a realization of the value of joint endeavors. The
Brotherhood movement has released new lay effort in Christian service. Women’s
work in the church has been widened during the past few years. Prayer leagues
have sprung out as a formal effort and common impulse uniting Christians
everywhere. Many undenominational agencies for the distribution of scripture
and to study gathered.[15]
The
formation of the ecumenical movement in Asia had its origins in the founding
history of the World YMCA (1855), World YWCA (1898) and WSCF (1895). Asian
Students and Youth had their pioneering role in making an Asian ecumenical
movement.[16] The
youths and youth movements were instrumental in creating and building up an
indigenous church geared towards self-reliance they raised the problem of
cooperation and relation between foreign missionaries and national workers,
they spoke of sharing a common life in Christ that broke racial barriers and
expressed hope to bring about unity in the universal Christian church without
denominational and national distinctions.
The
World Wars had profound repercussions for Christian mission. Christianity was
seriously challenged and the credibility of mission work collapsed. New
questions on faith and theology were raised in the discussions. Christian
youths assumed the role of being ambassadors of Christ to the world with the
aim of evangelism and mission.
The
youth movements played a very prominent role in the quest for unity among
Indian churches. In 1947 CSI was inaugurated uniting four Reformed Churches.
They also supported for the movement for unity resulted in the formation of
CNI.[17]
The CCA rural Youth Program was conceived in 1975 as a concrete response to
encourage and support youth leadership and participation in the struggle for
justice and liberation. This was mooted as an alternative to the church’s
social concerns projects that were short term relief or charity oriented.[18]
Conclusion
The term laity does had a Biblical
origin but it signifies the common people in the church excluding Clergy. The
laity were participating in the life of the world in a way which the
institutional church and her clergy were not. This gave the laity a special
role in communicating the gospel and in the total mission of the church. The
term laity includes youth also, youth movements and lay movements were formed
in response to be witness and to serve God in this world considering World as
mission field. Missionary societies were another enterprises created by lay
people with non-denominational venture to propagate gospel. Faith and order,
WCC and Roman Catholic Lay Apostalate enabled lay people to participate in
ecumenical movement leading to developments of Ecumenical Lay training and
theology including all people. The training further developed to include
Christian education, preparing study materials for Sunday school, conducting
youth camps through youth departments etc. The role of youth and laity in
forming ecumenical movement in Asia, and very particularly in India the
formation of CSI and CNI is noteworthy.
Bibliography
Adams
Brown, William. Christian unity; Its principles and possibilities. New York: Association Press, 1921
Goodall,
Norman. The Ecumenical Movement. New York: Oxford University Press, 1961.
Lemos, Avelino. ‘The Nature and Role of Lay People
in the Church and in the World According
to the Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem” M.Th Thesis, Catholic university of Portugal, 2014.
Ting
Jin, Young. “The Role of Youths and Students,” in A History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia. Vol II, edited by
Ninan Koshy (China: Christian conference of Asia, 2004).
Wand, J.W.C. A History of the Modern Church. London:
Methun and Co. Ltd, 1930.
Webliography
www.oikoumene.org/en/folder/documents-pdf/Education_and_the_WCC_-_an_overview_
from_ its_ origins_to_1968_Uppsala_Assembly_-_Simon_Oxley.pdf Accessed on 15-12-2016.
[2] William Adams
Brown, Christian unity; Its principles
and possibilities. (New York: Association Press, 1921), 276
[3] Norman Goodall,
The Ecumenical Movement. (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1961), 96.
[5] William Adams Brown, Christian unity; …, 276- 279.
[7] Avelino Lemos, ‘The Nature and Role of Lay People in the Church and in the
World According to the Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem” (M.Th Thesis, Catholic university of
Portugal, 2014), 6-11.
[9] Norman Goodall, The Ecumenical Movement…, 97, 98.
[13] J.W.C. Wand, A History of the Modern Church, (London:
Methun and Co. Ltd, 1930), 227-228.
[15] William Adams Brown, Christian unity; …, 280.
[16] Young Ting Jin,
“The Role of Youths and Students,” in A
History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia. Vol II, edited by Ninan Koshy
(China: Christian conference of Asia, 2004), 198.
[17] Young Ting Jin,
“The Role of Youths and Students,” in …, 201- 203
[18]
Young Ting Jin, “The Role of Youths and Students,” in …, 215.
No comments:
Post a Comment