GUIDELINES FOR LAY MINISTRY IN THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH

Prepared and Presented by Fr. Yeghia Hairabedian

Western Diocesan Armenian Clergy Conference - October 2005

“And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the ministry, for building up the body of Christ...” - Ephesians 12, 13

According to this passage, the work of the ministry is not just the job of the priest/pastor, but of all the church members. The Church is the Body of Christ and every baptized person is a member of that Body, and as such, every member has a specific function. Too often, the priest is looked upon as a paid professional who shoulders many of the major responsibilities of the parish. And when it is necessary to have more help for the pastor, the common mentality is “Let’s hire somebody to do it”. That is a secular view of the church and displays the lack of spiritual understanding, and what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ.

Specifically, a member of the Body of Christ, or Christian faithful, is the one who has been incorporated in Christ by way of the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation and declared a child of God, thus becoming a member of the Body of Christ (the Church). And as such, he or she, has received the graces of the Holy Spirit and has been spiritually equipped in order to live a God pleasing life and to partake in the mission of the Church, according to his or her talents and abilities. A “lay” member of the Church is not to be confused with those who have received Holy Orders, but nevertheless, are made partakers in the priestly and prophetic office of Christ.

The Roman Catholic Church has realized the vital necessity of a correct understanding of the role of Laity in the Church. We read these excerpts from their Catechism:

“Lay believers are in the front line of Church life; for them the Church is the animating principle of human society. Therefore, they in particular ought to have an ever-clearer consciousness not only of belonging to the Church, but of being the Church, that is to say, the community of the faithful on earth under the leadership of the Pope, the common Head, and of the bishops in communion with him. They are the Church. (432 CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Second Edition)

Cardinal Roger Mahony very well identifies the role and necessity of the lay ministry in the church: “...we must recognize that lay ministry rooted in the priesthood of the baptized is not a stopgap measure. Even if seminaries were once again filled to overflowing and convents packed with sisters, our problems would not be solved. We would still need to cultivate, develop and sustain the full flourishing of ministries that we have witnessed in the Church since the Second Vatican Council. In the wake of the Council, we now have a clearer recognition that it is in the nature of the Church to be endowed with many gifts. These many gifts are the basis for the vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the religious life, as well as for the many ministries rooted in the call of Baptism. ...we need to develop a deeper understanding of collaboration between the ministries of the ordained and of the non ordained.” - Taken from the adaptation of "As I Have Done for You: A Pastoral Letter on Ministry," by Cardinal Roger Mahony.

The beginning and basis for a realistic and successful lay ministry in the Armenian Church is spiritual renewal. Cultural Christianity is most inadequate to satisfy the great need in the Church today. In this regard His Holiness Karekin I has made a most candid remark: “Our people are in need of Christianization. The population is Christian, nominally, through its history, heritage and tradition; but we need to explicate Christian faith in such a way - within the contemporary life of our people...” 1 He has also commented, “...as Christians, we have become so conventional and complacent in our religious attitudes that our faith has, in considerable measure lost its freshness, acuteness, direct meaning and influence in our actual lives and works.” 2

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED UNILATERALLY - it is the task of both the Ordained and the Laity. Our Church needs to engage in total ministry, which is the building up in mutual love of the local community so that all its members’ gifts are recognized and offered in ministry both corporately and individually, both within the Church and in the wider community. One of the first and also essential things to be accomplished before a lay ministry program can be realized and instituted in our churches is the spiritual education of our people. They must first of all be instructed in the fact that the church is the “assembly of the faithful” - they are all members of the Body of Christ, and that Body is the Church. Every member of the Body has a place in it and a specific function. Our people need to know their position’s particular role in His Body, from the ordained to the parish council members and on to all of the laity. Every activity of every member, must in some way relate to or contribute to the essential ministry of the Church. Just as every member and cell of our bodies have a specific purpose and function, so do we all, as members of His Body. In addition, it is essential for the Armenian Church member to realize that when he or she was baptized, at the conclusion of the sacrament of Holy Chrismation, the priest blessed the baptized by declaring “Blessed are you anointed of God. Blessed are you saved of God”. To understand the concepts of being anointed and saved are absolutely necessary in the development of lay ministry.

It must be impressed upon the mind of the church member that to be anointed by God (through the Church) is to be healed spiritually and to be empowered by God for the purpose of serving Him by participating in the mission of the Church. The ceremonial action by the priest to the one being chrismated (anointed) means that he is marked and identified as belonging to God. In this way the baptized has received the Divine graces so that he or she may be empowered by God in order to live a God-pleasing life and produce good works for the glory of God and for the edification and growth of the Church. And in this context, to be declared “saved of God” means to be made holy (sanctified) and set aside by God for the purpose of carrying out His will throughout a life of service. In other words, the Christian is one who has been saved (set aside by God) for a purpose - which is to serve God. Basically, anyone who considers him or herself a member of the Church cannot remain neutral or indifferent to the mission of the Church. One’s identity to God is always manifested and made authentic by action (ministry).

The realities and circumstances of existing in the United States in the 21st century necessitates that we, as a Church and Clergy, along with our Faithful, make some changes in our method of doing business and thinking. The Armenian Apostolic Church is still a national church, but here in 21st century United States, it cannot operate with all the methods and mentality of the past and the way She did overseas. Naturally I am not speaking of changes in church doctrine, but concerning our methods of operation. We are not living in Hayastan and we do not live in the Middle East under the Millet system, where church membership by the Armenian populace was taken for granted. Today, in this land, the Armenian Church competes with cults and other churches and a very secularized post Christian society. On any given day in Los Angeles, you can see pairs of Armenian Jehovah’s Witnesses and Armenian Mormons, knocking on Armenian home doors, distributing their written materials in Armenian and doing their best to convert our people. Many Armenian youth have already flocked to American churches. It is truly sad that we have to rely on the large influxes of Armenian immigrants from the Middle East and Armenia to keep out churches active and full. This all demonstrates the necessity of instituting a Lay Ministers program. The days of one person - the parish priest - doing all the pastoral and apostolic work in the community, single-handed, are over. FOR OUR SURVIVAL AS ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS WE MUST REVERT BACK TO THE EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BIBLICAL PRACTICE OF DISCIPLESHIP. Every priest must be a disciple maker. The spiritual work of the Armenian Church cannot be accomplished by one person. Precisely, this is where the Lay Ministry program will fit in and aid greatly in the effectiveness of the Armenian Church in the area of spiritual and educational outreach of Her Faithful.

In close relation to this, Coadjutor Catholicos Papken Guleserian has said about the Armenian Church situation in America: “The majority of Armenians in America are deprived of spiritual comfort, primarily because they are widely dispersed - even when living together in a given city - and because few communities have churches of their own, and there are not enough clergyman. In other words, there is little organization.” He also states: “The Armenian Church of America... should be organized according to the methods of the environment in order to survive and secure its stature, deservedly, next to American churches. Otherwise, our church is destined to demolition and death, thus paving the path for the assimilation and estrangement of the Armenian community.”

And here is what a non-Armenian from a church that is highly successful in its Lay Ministry program has observed: "In the long run, sustained real change that focuses on discipling will be lay driven. Disciple-making pastors must pass on their vision and leadership to the laity who will remain in the churches after the pastors leave. Otherwise, pastoral change may kill the vision" (p12-13). "Discipling leads to reproduction and finally multiplication, which are God's design and method to reach the world. Because the church has largely ignored this process, the cause of Christ has greatly suffered" (p13). (Hull, Bill. The Disciple-Making Church. Grand Rapids: Fleming Revell, 1990.)

AS CLERGY, WE MUST DEVELOP THE KNOWLEDGE OF ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS AND TRANSFER THOSE TO OTHERS. We clergymen have been taught liturgics, church history, theology, the art of preaching, and much more. However, very few clergy, even those with a high degree of knowledge, have been taught organizational skills. And this is essential in the development of a lay ministerial program; and an important part of that has to do with leadership training. There are parishioners, whether or not in the diaconate, who have the potential to participate, under the leadership and direction of the parish priest, in various aspects of the church ministry.

In relation to this topic, it is most interesting and important to realize that the original seven deacons were chosen by the Apostles, not for carrying out liturgical functions, but administrative and ministerial. It is important to keep in mind the qualifications for that position. The Apostles specifically selected those who were “men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom...” (Acts 6:3). This, plus the standard as set forth in St. Paul’s letter to Titus (1:5-9), should be the basis and guide for the selection of any type of leader in the church - both lay and those ordained of any rank. It is also interesting as well as very important to realize that the original deacons selected were carrying out many duties we now regard as “parish council” duties. (Perhaps we could say they were the first Parish Council). The first deacons were men of good organizational skills. In other words, the Apostles did not carefully select seven Spirit-filled men to simply serve as colorful roosters who crow on altars.

One of the significant facts to be deduced from this is that our present day parish council members must realize that they are also engaged in and entrusted with ministerial (spiritual) work. Many of them being very secular minded and lacking in Biblical knowledge, separate their “work” from that of the priest’s and oftentimes do not see a connection between the two. However, they must be educated and enlightened as to the significance of their responsibilities: it is a spiritual position for the advancement of the church’s overall goals, and as such, even the overseeing of the church income and the paying of the church bills is a spiritual work, accountable ultimately to God. This fact should help to encourage them to carry out their responsibilities as an honor (in God’s service) and not just a necessary duty. Council members must begin to see their duties and work in a new light: that although they are answerable to the parish assembly and the Diocesan Council, moreso, they are answerable to God, and function in the Church as His servants in their various capacities. This naturally ties in with the reality that each church member has a specific function in the Body of Christ.

Heading in this direction, all other church organizations must be seen in a new light which will lead to the transformation of the congregation. Let us use and incorporate the structure we have already in the Armenian Church as the basis of the Lay Ministry program. For example, the Ladies Societies of the various churches can also engage in spiritual outreach and comfort to the sick and home bound by way of visitations. As the pastor of three different Armenian Churches, I have sadly received complaints from elderly women, many of them widowed, who have said that they do not receive visits from other women in the church. Many Ladies Societies are preoccupied with cooking projects and special events such as fashion shows. They are to be commended for their hard work in raising funds for the church. However, the Society members must be instructed from their priests that it is one of their prime duties to be active in the spiritual work of the church. They must be taught and educated in the significance of being Chrismated: that they have been endowed with spiritual graces and power to serve God through the Church- the great significance of their incorporation into the Church by Baptism and Chrismation. By visiting sick Society members and other elderly, they will be a blessing to both those who receive the visitation, and also to the priest, who is overloaded with visitation requests. The same may be said of the other organizations such as the A.C.Y.O., the Men’s Club, and so on. "Congregational transformation is essential, but it will only occur when leaders commit to personal transformation. Personal transformation has a very real cost, but so does failure to change ... A question for all leaders to ponder, 'If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting. Can you live with that?'" (Herrington, Jim et al. Leading Congregational Change. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, xiii)

Although it should be obvious and is oftentimes assumed, we nevertheless need to remind those who aspire to be ordained to the Minor ranks, that they are to serve as ordained servants of God, not only on the altar, but in various ways. Naturally, the ordination of priests and minor orders in the Armenian Apostolic Church reflect the Biblical standards. For all ordinations, from that of acolyte to that of Catholicos, the two outstanding questions are: is the candidate PREPARED and is he WORTHY? Too often we concentrate on the candidate’s preparation, but not his worthiness for the privilege of that title and position. This is a grave mistake. And another big mistake is to ordain small boys and young teenagers as acolytes because they look cute on the altar, or it seems impressive for a church to have many altar servers. We need to concentrate on the original meaning and purpose of these various ranks and inspire more mature young men to ordination. Our Church desperately needs those who are prepared as well as worthy. The following question will illustrate very dramatically the point trying to be made: Is there any acolyte teenager in the Western Armenian Church Diocese, or the Eastern Diocese, or in the entire world for that matter, who is able to function as an Exorcist?

Another practical way to foster and develop a Lay Ministry in our Armenian Churches is what I am developing for my own parish. I call it THE BIG BROTHER, BIG SISTER PROGRAM. I am encouraging this program especially as a means to develop future church leaders from the very large immigrant population in my community. We have thousands of Armenian immigrants from the former Soviet Armenia, and these people for the most part have no concept of voting church membership and leadership. Basically, this program involves the priest identifying those among the immigrants who have potential spiritual and leadership qualities, who can be trained as future leaders. The means to do so will be for established and experienced church members to “adopt” an immigrant chosen by the priest, and keep regular contact with him or her in order to befriend them, make them feel welcomed into the church life, and especially, to instruct them as to how a church is maintained and supported in the United States.

Before suggesting some practical ways and means as the foundation of a lay ministry program for our Armenian Churches, I want to mention one other essential consideration, which is the importance and necessity for the local parish to have a SPECIALIZED VISION. Certainly the Universal Church has been given and entrusted with the primary and basic mission of the Church as outlined by our Lord in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), which cannot and will not change. However, each local parish must identify its specialized visions and goals for renewal which will assure future growth and relevance in the life of the member. Good vision or the lack of it will mean the difference between a dynamic church life, or stagnancy and eventual demise of the local parish.

The following is an example of what I refer to as “speciallized vision”. The past several decades have produced conditions in the Middle East and in Armenia which has resulted in the influx of tens of thousands of Armenian immigrants into the United States, and especially the Western Diocese. This in turn, has made the necessity of some parishes to reevaluate their local church vision. For example, the Sacramento parish dealt only with mostly English speaking Americanized parishioners until the time of Armenia’s independence. Since that day, thousands of non-English speaking Armenians from Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan have settled into the area. The localized vision changed from dealing with the American Armenians to the needs and problems of the newly arrived Armenians - how to incorporate them into the local parish and how to acclimate them to church membership in the United States.

Every local parish is unique, with its particular character and in need of its personalized vision. The following questions must be asked and carefully taken into consideration by the local parish: (1) How will the present system (way of doing things) serve this parish 20 years from now? (2) What changes must take place now to assure the future of the parish? (Is a new location needed? bigger facilities? an Armenian day school needed? etc.) (3) How will we reach and keep the various Armenian immigrant groups before well-organized non-Armenian Church groups and cult organizations rapture them? (4) What type of lay, as well as professional assistants for the priest are needed to carry out the work and mission of the church?

FOUR IMPORTANT AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN SELECTING VOLUNTEERS FOR MINISTRY

A. Spiritual Maturity. A person may be gifted in certain qualities, such as the ability to teach or manage people, but undesirable character and obvious spiritual weakness will not produce the desired spiritual results, and can even be counterproductive to the ministry of the church. All aspects of the church ministry are spiritual in nature and God has provided spiritual gifts and abilities through the Holy Spirit to His Church, to His Faithful so that the work of our Lord may be carried out as specified in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). In many instances, even well thought out strategies and professionally laid out ministerial goals do not succeed for the specific reason that those who carry out the program, do not understand nor regard the spiritual nature of church ministry. Just because certain people have good management skills in the secular corporate world, or even high educational degrees, will not necessarily assure success in church related work. Case in point: the tragedy in the Roman Catholic Church with clergy who have been accused of sexual misconduct. Because certain unworthy men, although with high qualifications, became clergy, certain Roman Catholic Dioceses went bankrupt, and as a result, some parochial schools and churches closed down. Countless church members suffered.

B. Leadership Skills: The right people must be put in the right spots, in the right leadership position for which the person has the ability, or can develop. A clergyman must be able to detect leadership skills or potential in a person, and train him or her. Trained teachers, ministers, etc., make the church effective and to grow. It would be a very good idea to have our Armenian Church priests have the opportunity to continue their education in this area and be more readily able to detect potential leaders.

C. Learning Potential: There are many fine people in the church with good intentions, but are not meant to be leaders. They may hold important positions in the church, but serious lack of leadership skills which can produce negative results. Potential leaders are those people who have organizational skill and who see the importance of the right priorities and goals. They have the willingness and humility to be trained for church leadership, and deal with all types of people.

D. Cooperative Attitude: Oftentimes the churches are just happy to have someone fill an empty slot, without any determination to see whether or not that person can fulfill the need. Before a person is allowed to volunteer for a position, or before a person is asked to “fill an empty slot”, STANDARDS MUST BE SET for that particular position. This has to do with common sense because this will aid greatly in determining whether or not someone can meet the need. Importantly, this will also help prevent regret later. It is easier to accept someone for a position, than to relieve one of a position, especially in a church setting.

The Diocese must organize teaching and training programs in the various regions for the purpose of training lay ministers and developing leadership skills. The Sunday School workshops and the Sanahin Institute are two of the fine programs we already have, but unfortunately, not enough people attend these programs and therefore cannot benefit from these programs which teach Biblical and Armenian Church related content, and also help train teachers in religious education.

As far as what has been mentioned so far, specifically the need for spiritual renewal and the massive spiritual education of our people, as well as looking at the activities and organizations of the church in a new light and adapting new methods for the propagation of the mission - this will take much time and these are long term goals. Nevertheless, there is something which can be incorporated in our church life rather quickly and practically. That is the expansion of the role of properly motivated and prepared deacons as special assistants to their parish priests. For those who will assist the local pastors in ministry to the sick and home visitations, they can accompany the pastor in visitations and thereby get training. For large Armenian communities such as Los Angeles, where the sick number in the thousands, the local pastor and Deacon, or even lay assistant (male and female) can come up with a list of names and homes which can be visited. This can be organized in such a manner so as to eliminate duplication visits and the pastor can have specific knowledge as to those who are receiving prayers and spiritual visitations under his supervision and in the name of the local church. The PRAYER BOOK published by the Western Diocese under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, will be the most helpful tool for these visits.

FOR PRACTICAL EDUCATION of lay ministers, which can be accomplished in one’s home and spare time a short list of books must be provided and made mandatory reading, after which, a standard test may be administered by the Diocese to anyone aspiring to participate in lay ministry. (Attending Diocesan workshops has not proved very productive as far as involving large numbers of people due to time constraints, and especially because of the difficulty of traveling great distances to attend). The following list has been selected as a list of easy to read books for those who know very little about the Armenian Church Faith and history.

The purpose of this suggested list is: 1. Practicality - the average working person does not have time to read too many books, or texts which are too technical. 2. These books will give a practical and somewhat broad knowledge to the lay person concerning fundamentals of the Armenian Church and Her Faith, and also provide the tools for spiritual visitations to homes and to the sick, in addition for those who are teachers:

ASPECTS OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH - published by the Western Diocese

This book provides many important and interesting facts about the Armenian Church. The answers to many common questions asked by people are contained in this book.

PRAYER BOOK - published by the Western Diocese

Being written in both English and Armenian, and containing prayers for all occasions and purposes, this is a most valuable book for visitations to homes and to the sick.

THE CHURCH OF ARMENIA - by Malachia Ormanian

For anyone who wants to and needs to learn about the Armenian Church history and Her teachings, this book is excellent.

SAINTS AND SACRAMENTS - by Archbishop Shnork Kalustian

Archbishop Kalustian has done quit a good service to for the people of all ages by writing and easy to understand book about the sacraments and many of the illustrious saints of the Armenian Church.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN CHURCHES - by Hagop Nersoyan

Many people, both Armenian Church members and those of other church memberships, oftentimes ask about the teachings of the Armenian Church in comparison to the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches. This booklet is easy to read and understand and can be read in a short time, and yet, provides much valuable and useful information.

A CATECHISM OF CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION ACCORDING TO THE DOCTRINE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH - by Archbishop Khoren Narbey

This catechism book provides a wide spectrum of information - Biblical and Armenian Church related, which is prepared in a very easy to use format and is well suited for young people as well as adults.

THE SACRAMENTS - THE SYMBOLS OF OUR FAITH - by Rev. Fr. Garabed Kockakian

This is another very well written book which explains the seven sacraments recognized by the Armenian Church. As in the case of the books mentioned above, it was prepared for those who do not have a background in this area, but is easy to read and understand.

CHALLENGE TO RENEWAL: Essays by His Holiness Karekin I

This reflective book by the late Catholicos of blessed memory, Karekin I, in addition to being inspirational, presents to the reader a good background of the Armenian Church culture and Her place in the world, past and present and in the various circumstances such as the Armenian Church in America and in the Middle East. He also presents exhortations to all the members of the Armenian Church, from church leaders to the laity.

The various books of spiritual messages by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian: A set of sermons and spiritually inspirational messages has been published by the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church which will be beneficial for personal reflection and spiritual inspiration, and also serve as a source of ready sermons for those who are called upon to deliver messages.

The modern translation of the ARMENIAN CHURCH BADARAK by Rev. Fr. Arshen Aivazian: Yet to be published, this book will be very useful for any home or church library. In addition to providing the English and Armenian modern translations of the Badarak, there will be contained in this book other valuable information and instructions.

Naturally, this list is not complete, but just a suggestion, or a practical starting point for a foundation of basic knowledge for the Armenian Church Lay Ministerial Program.

Upon the successful completion of a test administered by the Diocese to those approved by the local pastor and the Primate, those who will be officially recognized as Lay ministers should sign a statement of promise and obedience. The following is simply a suggestion:

STATEMENT OF CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT FOR LAY MINISTRY:

1. I confirm the significance of my Baptism and I believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as the source of my salvation and as the Head of the Universal Church.

2. I believe in and accept the Niocean Creed, the doctrines of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the seven sacraments.

3. I desire to obey the Will and Word of God and to live to the best of my ability according to the Christian teachings of morality.

4. I will carry out my lay ministerial responsibilities under the direction and spiritual guidance of my parish priest. I understand that any willful disobedience to the Primate or my pastor’s direction, in my activities as a Lay Minister of my parish, may be used as grounds for my dismissal from this position (rank).

5. I recognize the authority of the By-Laws of the Western Diocese.

Click the form above for printable size

The late and very beloved Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, who has left quite a legacy as a gifted educator and intellectual, and whose soul is still with the Armenian Church Youth Organization and the St. Nersess Theological Seminary, wrote a poem entitled “Who” which is so heart-touching and which very eloquently summarizes the great concern for the future of the Armenian Church and the need for faithful members ranging from clergy to the laity.

WHO - by Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan

WHO is going to fill the ranks of our clergy, when our growing flock is being left unattended because of the lack of trained, devout and competent priests?

WHO is going to fill the ranks of our church school teachers, when our children are being starved of the knowledge and inspiration of our Faith?

WHO is going to fill the ranks of workers with and for our young people in the community, when they are drifting away from the fold into the confused, aimless and sinful world of self-defeating pleasure-hunters, bigoted hate-mongers and ignorant soul-wreckers?

WHO is going to come forward and speak and write words of wisdom, charity, integrity, honesty, decency, hope and courage inspired by the Word of God and imbued with His saving grace?

WHO is going to make our Armenian-Christian cultural heritage of past achievements live and flourish in this age, so that it can enrich the impoverished life of our Church and Community?

WHO is going to see visions of a bright future for our people and for our country and for mankind and devote his efforts and even his life with youthful vigor to the pursuit of goals that would be signposts on the path to our destiny?

WHO is going to enlist in the army of fighters for God and His kingdom in our Community, in America and in the world?

YOU, the youth of the Church.

So wake up from your slumber and get going forward and upward.

And the Lord Christ be with you.

 FOOTNOTES

1. Challenge to Renewal, p.88

2. p 44 , (same)

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