Lay Leadership

Who gets to do God’s work? In Lay Leadership: For the Care of Souls, Aaron Perry empowers pastors to empower laity in leadership. This book is a helpful guide to getting others involved in ministry. In a world that promotes professionalism and ladder-climbing, it champions an organic church of servant-leaders.

Perry presents three theological convictions: (1) God the Father has only one begotten Son, Jesus Christ, (2) ministry is the work of all the people of God, and (3) pastors are given so that the people of God may confess the lordship of Christ and be equipped to serve Him.

The Blessings of Lay Leadership

With these in place, Perry helps us realize that Jesus is the only true Pastor and our Great Shepherd. While the pastor is often visibly seen on screens, there is also work that must be done behind the scenes. Additionally, pastors should promote a culture where ministry through lay leaders can run wild in the church, spread wide in the world, and grow deep in the believer. Perry makes a powerful case for the blessings of lay leadership.

I was most interested in reading how pastors can cast vision to lead their people in faith. This primarily involves helping others see the risen Christ—and then leads to seeing how they can serve Him. I want to do more of this as a preacher, inspiring others to join the work of the ministry.

Inspiring and Encouraging

Perry gives practical considerations when it comes to leaders asking for lay leaders: ask fast, ask again, ask personally, ask different people, ask selectively. Leadership should be relational, and Perry does not lose sight of the fact that pastors set the pace. As a lay leader myself, I found it most helpful to remember that ministry training is spiritual formation. I often feel at odds with growing in my abilities as well as in my relationship with God, and Perry reminds me that they can coincide.

I found this book to be both inspiring and encouraging. It concludes with a two-fold call to both track and manage your people, as well as thank them for their work. I think this is a healthy balance. While we are tasked with serving the King here on earth, I look forward to the day when we can all rest with Him in our heavenly home.

I received a media copy of Lay Leadership and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.