A BRIEF HISTORY
OF THE
A.M.E. CHURCH LAY ORGANIZATION
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The "Organized
Lay Movement" started at the General Conference in Kansas
City, Missouri, in 1912.
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It was
known as the "Laymen's Missionary Movement.
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This
Organization was short-lived and at the 1916 General
Conference, not being satisfied with the "Laymen Missionary
Movement," the "Connectional Lay College" was organized.
This Organization met only once in four years at the seat of
the General Conference and only delegates to that meeting
were members.
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It was
discovered early in the history of the "Lay College" that an
organization that met every four years, and composed of a
constantly changing membership or personnel, could not do a
good job of mobilizing the laity for effective service in
the church, and so the laymen in Little Rock, Arkansas, in
1946, abolished the old "Lay College" which met every four
years at the seat of the General Conference, and organized
the Connectional Lay Organization on the Episcopal District
Level down through the Conferences to the local units and
churches.
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The
Connectional Lay Organization meets biennially and has a
permanent membership that reaches down to the grass roots
level of the laity.
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The
Organization today is the culmination of a long and gigantic
struggle which had been waged by a large number of
courageous laypersons over the years.
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This is a
quote from the official pronouncement of the Bench of
Bishops in the official statement to the General Conference
in 1946"
"It is
natural that the activity of the laymen should be resented
by some well-intentioned, but misinformed individuals.
One of the hopeful signs of our church is the discontent
among some of the laity. African Methodism,
revolutionary by nature, should stir and not quiet this
discontent, for an inactive and unintelligent laity can do
great damage to the church. A passive laity is always
dangerous, for it produces priest craft; by priest craft, we
mean selfish practices of any ministerial group.
Corruption is inevitably the result when the laity of any
group remains inactive, unintelligent, or docile.
African Methodism needs a vigorous, healthy, and
well-informed laity. This will produce a productive,
and dynamic church. We must emphasize the teaching
functions of our ministry, otherwise our laity, untutored
and uninterested, will become a passive group and our
ministry will degenerate into a disputed craft, managing
things by themselves. We believe that the Laymen of
today are seeking respectable participation, rather than the
mere right of rejection or consent to the actions of their
ministerial brother. This is a natural result of the
democratic process.
The
Pressures of democracy are felt in every phase of our modern
life. Naturally, they are felt in our church
government. The laymen, in reality, are the governors
of the church, for the African Methodist Episcopal Church
may be numbered among the free churches with relation to the
activity of its lay constituent. The participation of
the laymen in the government of the church extends from the
Local Congregation to the General Conference. This
participation diffuses a responsibility which is healthy.
During the last quadrennium the Laymen's Organization
has functioned magnificently. Its leaders have sought
to give proper direction and have been instrumental in creating a feeling of
trust and interdependence throughout
the church. They have removed the fear that many
entertain with regard to the so-called lay
movement. The district and national gatherings of the
laymen have been helpful and inspiring and earnest
efforts have been made to be helpful, rather than
abusive; and constructive, rather than
destructive. In other words, the lay movement
enhances the full program of the church and helps to
usher in a period of high expectancy."
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The
Baltimore Conference Lay Organization had its inception
in the year of 1956 during the tenure of Bishop D. Ward
Nichols. Bishop Nichols appointed Mrs. Clara E.
Harris as president. Therefore, Mrs. Harris was
the first official president of the Baltimore Conference
Lay Organization. Under her leadership, Lay
Organizations were established at Bethel-Baltimore,
Payne, Waters, St. John, Shiloh, Hemingway Temple. Mt.
Calvary, Mt. Zion-Longreen, and Trinity.
Note: The
organization referred to its membership as Laymen until the
1979 Biennial Meeting when the term "Laymen" was replaced by
"Lay." Lay and/or Laymen is used interchangeably
throughout the history.
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