| Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ministry |
|
Building on the Themes of Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord
The information on this page is offered as a supplement to themes and issues presented in Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord. Drawing from the sections of that document, the information provided below can help in further study of particular parts of the document, indicate practical ministerial suggestions geared toward implementation of the document in your ministerial workplace, or offer links to other ministry-based organizations.
The information provided here is not exhaustive. If you find additional information that would be appropriate to include here, please email us!
|
Foundations
The USCCB’s Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth has provided a synopsis of the document and conference history that led to the present document for use in the United States.
New Realities
Call to All Believers
· The universal call to holiness is the foundational reality that grounds the understanding of lay ecclesial ministry as presented in Co-Workers. The document itself cites several sources in church teaching that reflect on this reality, including the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium) and the Decree on the Apostolate of the Lay People (Apostolicam actuositatem).
Call to the Lay Faithful
· Additional sources that reflect theologically on the ways lay women and men are invited to respond to the universal call to holiness are: Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhoration On Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii nuntiandi) and Pope John Paul II’s On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World (Christifideles laici).
Call to Lay Ecclesial Ministry
· The use of the term “lay ecclesial ministers” to describe lay people who are authorized to exercise leadership in the name of the church was encouraged by several prior documents of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Laity, all of which have sought to address this rapidly growing area of church ministry. These documents also provide a good chronological development of key themes for lay ecclesial ministry that are addressed in the Co-Workers document:
Lay Ecclesial Ministry: The State of the Question (1999)
Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium (1995)
Called and Gifted: The American Catholic Laity (1980)
· One of the important foundations for understanding how lay people participate in the leadership of the church is found in the 1983 Code of Canon (Church) Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II to reflect the teachings of Vatican II in juridical form. Of particular importance is canon 517, §2, which authorizes a bishop to appoint individuals other than priests to care for the pastoral needs of parishes. John Renken’s commentary on this canon, as found in John P. Beal et. al. (eds.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law (New York: Paulist, 2000), 684-88, provides a very detailed and well-researched explanation of this canon and its history.
· An informed understanding of what is meant by the term ministry is also found in the practical provisions sections of the Vatican’s 1997 interdicasterial exhortation, On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests (Ecclesiae de Mysterio).
Reality of Lay Ecclesial Ministry
· Statistical information on the recent past and present activities of lay ecclesial ministers cited in Co-Workers, along with additional information can be found in the National Pastoral Life Center’s 2005 publication by David DeLambo, Lay Parish Ministers: A Study of Emerging Leadership. Other organizations providing additional statistical data include the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association, Apostleship of the Sea of the United States, the US Catholic Campus Ministry Association, National Conference of Catholic Airport Chaplains, and the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.
· Co-Workers also notes the fact that lay ecclesial ministry is not only a US phenomenon but is truly a global reality. Two sources that the text cite which provide international perspectives on how lay ecclesial ministry is being implemented in different parts of the world are Principles for the Regulation of Pastoral Services by the German Bishops’ Conference (1977), and Misión y ministerios de los Cristianos laicos by the National Conference of the Bishops of Brazil (2000),
Church Teaching
Triune God: Source of the Church’s Mission
Church: Communion of Mission
Ministry: Serving the Church and its Mission
· The grounding of all ministry in participation in the Trinitarian life of God and the communion of the church is foundational to the theological understanding of lay ecclesial ministry. That this participation is communal and relational in nature is likewise essential. The Vatican’s International Theological Commission 2004 document Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God offers a good summary of this key theological perspective. For the Trinity as a source of the church’s mission, see also Vatican II’s Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity (Ad gentes). Additional theological background for this approach in official church teaching can be found in Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium) and the Decree on the Apostolate of the Lay People (Apostolicam actuositatem)
Bishop and Lay Ecclesial Ministers
· Co-Workers situates the relationship between the diocesan bishop and the lay ecclesial minister in a way that recognizes lay ecclesial ministry as one key example of how a bishop provides for the oversight of pastoral needs within a diocese through an “ordering of ministerial relationships” (Co-Workers, p. 23). That the relationship between the bishop and lay ecclesial ministers be a primary one is strengthened by reference to Pope John Paul II’s That They Might Be One (Ut unum sint) and his 2003 Apostolic Exhoration, On the Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World (Pastores gregis), where he speaks about the bishop as an agent of communion in a diocese.
Priest and Lay Ecclesial Ministers
· The reality of Trinitarian communion and ecclesial communion are foundational to all forms of ministry in the church — lay and ordained. Both flow from these aspects of divine and ecclesial life with an orientation toward mission. A comparison of Co-Workers and Pope John Paul II’s 1992 Apostolic Exhortation, I Will Give You Shepherds (Pastores dabo vobis) reveals this, and demonstrates practical parallels in the formation and preparation of both seminarians and lay ministry candidates. It also speaks about the importance of the role of the priest to foster a deeper awareness and promotion of the work of the common priesthood of the faithful — which is the source and foundation of all lay ecclesial ministry.
Deacon and Lay Ecclesial Ministers
· The relationship between deacons and lay ecclesial ministers is only touched upon in Co-Workers, but an emphasis on collaboration is prevalent, along with the recognition of how their roles differ in terms of their service to the community. Those looking to further enhance an understanding of the relationship between deacons and lay ministers may find some useful insights in the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education’s and Congregation for the Clergy’s joint 1998 documents, Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons.
Lay Faithful and Lay Ecclesial Ministers
· As Co-Workers itself states, a relational understanding between the faithful, others involved in lay ministry, and lay ecclesial ministers is vital. “By virtue of their call, lay ecclesial ministers take on a new relationship to the mission of the church and to the other ministers who work to accomplish it” (Co-Workers, p. 25). A helpful theological resource for examining how the activity of lay ecclesial ministers corresponds to and complements the work of others in the church can be found in Susan Wood (ed.), Ordering the Baptismal Priesthood: Theologies of Lay and Ordained Ministry (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003).
|
Pastoral Applications
Pathways
· In addition to statistical information about lay ecclesial ministry, David DeLambo’s 2005 study Lay Parish Ministers: A Study of Emerging Leadership (published by the National Pastoral Life Center) provide valuable information about the reported values, motivations, and pathways to ministry of many lay ecclesial ministers throughout the United States. There is also key information about underrepresented groups in lay ministry and steps that could be taken to better sustain members of such groups in their own discernment of and preparation for lay ecclesial ministry.
Desire
· The effort of ordained priests to foster, recruit, and encourage potential lay ecclesial ministers is identified in Co-Workers as one of the crucial ways in which members of the faithful are able to discern and respond to a God-given call in this path of service to the church. This effort is grounded in the theological role of the priest as articulated in Pope John Paul II’s 1999 Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America. This document also identifies areas for growth and development throughout lay ministry.
Discernment / Determination of Suitability
· In Co-Workers, there is a recognition that individuals who discern a call to lay ecclesial ministry do so primarily in response to the individual invitation of others who may recognize in them certain dispositions (p. 30). The ways in which these dispositions can be strengthened and enhanced, as well as ways in which lay ecclesial ministers can grow personally, spiritually, professionally, and intellectually in their roles, is dealt with in more specific detail in the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers. This resource volume was collaborated on by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, the National Association for Lay Ministry, the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and approved by the USCCB Commission on Certification and Accreditation. (The Standards are also available in Spanish as a bi-lingual flip book with the English text as the Normas Nacionales para Certificatión de Ministros Eclesiales Laicos.) It provides specific levels of competency that inform the broader statements on formation for lay ecclesial ministry in the Co-Workers document.
Formation: Human, Spiritual, Intellectual, Pastoral / Integration / Ongoing Formation
· The basis for establishing a period of formation for lay ecclesial ministers that is both focused and substantive is both canonical and theological. Canon 231 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law recognizes that it is the responsibility of those involved in lay ecclesial ministry on a temporary or permanent basis to secure this formation, and Co-Workers encourages those responsible for providing this formation to offer “creative ways” for lay ministers to obtain these opportunities (p. 33). Diane Barr’s scholarly reflections on this canon in John P. Beal et. al. (eds.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law (New York: Paulist, 2000), 301-03 offer a fuller perspective. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples’ 1993 Guide for Catechists quotes Pope John Paul II’s belief that providing a means for lay ecclesial ministers to achieve this formation is a “fundamental duty” which is necessary to fulfill the church’s mission (p. 33).
· Drawing from Pope John Paul II’s 1992 Apostolic Exhortation I Will Give You Shepherds (Pastores dabo vobis), the USCCB’s 2005 Program of Priestly Formation, and the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education’s and Congregation for the Clergy’s joint 1998 documents, Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons, Co-Workers utilizes the shared list of four key areas for formation for ministry that is found in these texts — human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.
· In relation to spiritual formation, the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments are highlighted in a special way. Review of the foundational Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) from Vatican II can provide a rich theological background for understanding how all ministry in the church flows from our common celebration of the Sunday Eucharist. This review can also help contextualize the relationship between all ministers and the Eucharistic mystery as presented in Pope John Paul II’s 1980 encyclical On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist (Dominicae cenae).
· Key references cited for a basic foundation in Catholic teaching include the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. The latter is particularly useful for small group discussions.
· Co-Workers notes the part of the formation for lay ecclesial ministry in the Catholic Church is a recognition, attention to, and ministry with those in other Christian communities. Hence, ecumenism is also highlighted as an area for formation. References that may be helpful in this regard include Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio), the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity’s 1993 Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, and their 1998 Ecumenical Formation of Pastoral Workers, along with Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter That They Might Be One (Ut unum sint). A more recent document from the USCCB is Catholic Evangelization in an Ecumenical and Interreligious Society, published in 2004.
· Those involved in or interested in ministry formation programs in various institutions throughout the United States can review policies related to such programs made available by the USCCB’s Commission on Certification and Accreditation Accreditation Handbook for Ministry Formation Programs, published in 2003.
· As increasing numbers of lay ecclesial ministers are entrusted by bishops to care for the pastoral needs of a parish or other stable community of the faithful, the importance of being able to lead community prayer and preaching has become apparent. That is why this area is highlighted in the pastoral formation section of Co-Workers. Ritual books with which lay ecclesial ministers, especially those in these parish leadership roles, should familiarize themselves with include Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of A Priest / Celebraciones Dominicales en Ausencia de Presbítero bilingual edition (2007), Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass (1976), and A Ritual for Laypersons (1993). Those involved in preaching on a regular basis can find additional helpful information from Jim Coriden’s presentation on Canons 766 and 767 about lay preaching in John P. Beal et. al. (eds.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law (New York: Paulist, 2000), 926-31, as well as from the USCCB’s complementary legislation on these canons.
· As the Catholic population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse, Co-Workers also highlights the importance of culture and language studies in its section on pastoral formation. Additional background on the pastoral and theological importance of such studies can be found in the USCCB’s 2000 statement Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity. (This statement is also available in Spanish as a PDF file entitled Acogiendo al Forastero entre Nosotros: Unidad en la Diversidad.)
Agents of Formation
While bishops and pastors are seen as responsible for the overall supervision of formation for lay ecclesial ministers in Co-Workers, the actual agents of formation will vary from place to place. More often than not, theologians and those who teach church disciplines will be key actors in formation for lay ecclesial ministry. Co-Workers envisions a meaningful relationship between bishops, pastors, and theologians, and references the USCCB’s 1989 statement Doctrinal Responsibilities as a source to animate the ongoing relationship between bishops and theologians. Likewise, additional insights on this relationship may be found in the USCCB’s 2000 text, Application of Ex Corde Ecclesiae for the United States, as well as their 2001 Guidelines Concerning the Academic Mandatum in Catholic Universities.
|
Authorization
Because lay ecclesial ministry is a public exercise of ministry in the name of and for the whole church, it is necessary that lay ecclesial ministers be recognized in a formal way by those exercising ordained leadership in dioceses, parishes, and other places. This ensures a strong relationship with those who exercise ordained ministry, as well as other people in the communities that they serve. Co-Workers touches upon elements of the authorization process and recognizes it as distinct from formation and certification.
Role of the Bishop
The Second Vatican Council’s decree Christus Dominus (Decree on the Pastoral Office of the Bishops in the Church), no. 8, lays out the responsibilities of the bishop in assuring pastoral care for all in the diocese. The 1983 Code of Canon Law specifies the bishop’s oversight of catechetical (canon 386), liturgical (canon 387), and apostolic works (canon 394) and indicates that he is the authorization agent for such activities (canon 381). The bishop is also able to delegate these oversight responsibilities to pastors (canon 524) and to others (canon 805).
Role of the Pastor
Although the bishop is the ultimate authorizing agent in the diocese, the importance of the pastor in the authorization process is not to be overlooked, In fact, Co-Workers makes a point to state that “[t]he support of the pastor has been found crucial to the success of lay ecclesial ministry within the parish community” (p. 55). The book by Philip Murnion and David DeLambo, Parish and Parish Ministers (a successor volume to the 1992 text New Parish Ministers: Laity and Religious on Parish Staffs, cited by Co-
Workers), published by the National Pastoral Life Center, is a good reference for this and other aspects of lay ecclesial ministry.
Roles Authorized / Certification Process / Appointment / Blessings & Rituals / Other Issues
Although each bishop has freedom within a diocese to determine appropriate forms of certification, Co-Workers highlights the value of the USCCB-approved National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers / Normas Nacionales para Certificatión de Ministros Eclesiales Laicos as a resource for identifying specific and more general ministerial formation and certification goals. These basic standards are often met and surpassed by Catholic seminaries and graduate schools for theology and ministry, who rely on the ecclesially recognized accreditation of the Association of Theological Schools and other professional academic accrediting organizations.
When lay ecclesial ministers are officially appointed to a specific position the 1983 Code of Canon Law requires that it be done in writing (canon 156), that it include “the rights and obligations attached to the position or office, any limits on the exercise of authority,” term limits (if any), and any special delegations (e.g. the right to celebrate the Rite of Baptism beyond emergency situations [canon 861 §2] or to witness consent at the celebration of marriages [canon 1112 §1]. It is also encouraged that contractual agreements be made, in accord with standard civil law practices (p. 57).
The public blessing and commissioning of lay ecclesial ministers in a ritual context (i.e. a liturgical celebration) is highly valued by Co-Workers as a significant way to highlight “the new relationships that [the lay ecclesial minister] is beginning in the life of the community” (p. 59). Formally signifying this relationship in a liturgical context also recognizes the value of common prayer for and with the lay ecclesial minister. While there are a wide variety of ways in which such celebrations can be structured, some resources that lend themselves to useful adaptation are the commissioning ceremony for catechists in the National Directory for Catechesis put out by the USCCB in 2005. Additional resources can also be found in Part VI of the USCCB-approved Book of Blessings, published by Liturgical Press.
The Ministerial Workplace
Context / Human Resource Information
As an increasingly diverse rage of lay ecclesial ministers assume different roles in faith communities throughout the country, the need has been raised to ensure that comprehensive personnel structures and policies are put in place. Co-Workers advances this cause by addressing these concerns in the ministerial workplace. Resources cited include the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators (NACPA)’s 1986 Just Treatment for Those Who Work for the Church, as well as their 1994 The Individual and the Institution: Strengthening Working Relationships in the Church.
In addition to the four human resource areas highlighted in the Co-Workers text itself (recruitment and selection, orientation and support, evaluation and feedback, compensation), the text also notes canons 231 §2 and 1286 from the 1983 Code of Canon Law and relevant sections of the 2005 study Lay Parish Ministers: A Study of Emerging Leadership by David DeLambo (published by the National Pastoral Life Center). Information about resolving workplace conflicts is also available from the USCCB in their 2002 Procedures for Resolving Conflict.
|
Co-Workers.org is a service of
The National Association for Lay Ministry
6896 Laurel St., NW, Washington, DC, 20012
Phone: (202) 291-4100 Fax: (202) 291-8550
Generous financial support provided by
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th St., NE, Washington, DC 20017
Content & Web Editor
Marc DelMonico, M.Div., M.A.
To report website errors or problems, please click here.
|
|
