by Demi Prentiss

Those who know me have heard me quote the statistic that 99.2 percent of the church are laity. That is true across denominations in the U.S., and that means that all the clergy comprise less than one percent of the church.  Laity – just like the ordained – are called to exercise their ministry 24/7/365. And if we laity leave “being church” up to the clergy, we’ll kill the ordained with too much work and too many expectations, while leaving the work of the Body of Christ largely unrealized.

A recent blog posted by Michael Piazza is titled “From Theology to Biography.” It is a powerful reminder of the work God has called all of us Christians – through our baptisms – to do as our everyday response to God’s claim on our lives:

“What does it mean for our theology to become biography? It can’t happen only when you are at church. It also must happen when you are fishing or filing. Ninety-nine percent of the ministry of the church takes place Monday through Friday in shops and offices and factories. The deep purpose of our lives must extend to every area of life, and our purpose also must extend beyond the boundary of our own lives. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

“You ask why are we here, and I will tell you. We are here to serve. Success is not defined by the number of servants you have, but by how many people you serve.

“According to a parable Jesus told, only a fool thinks the purpose of life is gaining more and more. The most certain formula for misery is to have as your only purpose for rising in the morning and working through the day to be what you can accumulate for yourself.

“If you can summarize the purpose of your life with the words “me” and “mine” then you have succeeded in sentencing your soul to hell. Oh, not the hell of eternal fire, but the hell of a shallow, vain, and meaningless existence. Look at the great lives that have made this a better planet:

• What if Beethoven had been only an organist?
• What if Edison had been only a mechanic?
• What if Rosa Parks had been only a seamstress?
• What if Desmond Tutu had been only a priest?
• What if Mother Theresa had been only a nun?

“Great people are those who have most enriched the lives of others. Isn’t it time for us to rise up to become great people?”