It is apparent that there is a movement among the baptized, both laity and clergy, to reaffirm the ministry of the laity not only in the church, but especially in their daily lives and work. As Dr. Stuempfle makes clear, the roots of this movement are profoundly scriptural and theological, and his description of the rise and fall of lay ministry throughout the years of the church's history is a fascinating study.
In the closing half of our century many events have shown a growing interest in lay ministry. For example, the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1954 sought to articulate the call of God in Christ to the people of God to minister in and for God's world. The council declared, "The fact is that the Church is already in these spheres in the persons of its laity." In addition, the Central Committee made this comment after the assembly: "There is nothing new in this conception. . ., but it is a truth which has been obscured over many periods of the Church's life."
Just as the lay movement was gaining support from the World Council, books concerning the movement began to appear. Hendrick Kraemer's Theology of the Laity was a major contribution. Luther on Vocation, the English translation of Gustaf Wingren's powerfully supportive work, became available in 1957, and Donald Heiges wrote The Christian's Calling the following year. Meanwhile, in Germany the post-war establishment of Evangelical Academies to help people relate their faith to their daily lives and occupations was clearly making a difference. It was at this time, and as a part of this ferment, that the Lutheran Church in America established Faith and Life Institutes. Harold Letts in the Lutheran Church in America, and Loren Halvorsen in the American Lutheran Church, became American Lutheran pioneers of lay ministry. In addition, George McLeod, Mark Gibbs, Ralph Morton, J.A.T. Robinson, Colin Williams, Mark van den Heuvel, and many others from overseas were widely read in the United States, stirring up, in the words of Gibbs and Morton, "God's frozen people." Expectations were running high. A new day was at hand.
If the ministry in daily life movement is to continue to grow and remain effective, it is imperative that we keep checking our theological and biblical perspectives. We must remember that we are baptized, called to be the people of God, the body of Christ, giving ourselves "for the life of the world."
First printing, 1975
Revised, 1987
