Laity

Definition and Meaning

The term pyeongsindo (平信徒, "laity" or "lay believers") refers to church members who are not ordained ministers entrusted with pastoral work. The English word "laity" derives from the Greek laos, meaning "people." In Korean Protestantism the term is used to distinguish members from ministers such as pastors and evangelists. Officers such as elders, kwonsa (exhorters), and deacons are also usually classified as laity. Protestants generally understand the distinction between clergy and laity not as a difference in rank but as a difference in the duties entrusted to each. Some, however, argue that the word pyeongsindo suggests a hierarchy and prefer the term saints instead.

Biblical and Historical Background

On the basis of the phrase "a royal priesthood" in 1 Peter 2:9, Protestants hold that every believer may come directly before God without an intermediary. The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, emphasized by Martin Luther during the Reformation, is the classic expression of this understanding. John Wesley is known for expanding the Methodist movement by appointing lay preachers.

In Korea the laity played a major role from the earliest days of the mission. Notable examples include colporteurs (gwonseo, who evangelized while selling Bibles) and yeongsu (lay leaders who led churches that had no pastor). The principles of the Nevius Mission Plan, which aimed for churches to be self-supporting and self-propagating, also encouraged lay-centered evangelism and church administration.

Practice in Korean Churches

The way laypeople take part in church administration varies according to each denomination's church polity.

• Presbyterian: Elders elected by the congregation govern the church together with the pastor, forming the session. The pastor is sometimes called the "teaching elder" and the elder the "ruling elder." Pastors and elders also attend the presbytery and the General Assembly together as commissioners (delegates).
• Methodist and Holiness: These churches have the offices of elder, kwonsa, and deacon, and lay representatives take part in bodies such as the Methodist annual conference and the Holiness district conference.
• Baptist: Many Baptist churches follow congregational polity, in which the entire membership decides church matters. Church offices center on pastors and deacons.
• Anglican Church of Korea: Lay representatives take part in the diocesan synod alongside priests.

Laypeople are also active in lay organizations such as men's and women's mission societies, as small-group leaders such as district (cell) leaders, and as Sunday school teachers. The discipleship training movement, led by figures such as Ok Han-heum, did much to spread throughout the Korean church the aim of establishing laypeople as the principal agents of church ministry.