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In order that laymen may meet the demands, which God and the church impose
upon them, they must organize themselves into meaningful, purposeful groups.
These groups must have a firm foundation, purpose and a clear direction
in formulating objectives. Dr. Jesse Jai McNeil describes the purpose
of the Laymen’s Movement best in his book, “Men In The Local Church”
The purposes may be stated as follows:
1. To
enlist and coordinate the manpower of the local congregation for an effective
performance of essential Christian activities.
2. To
cultivate the Christian life of laymen through study, worship, fellowship
and service.
3. To
enlist unchurched men for fellowship in and service through the church
and to bring unsaved men into vital relations with God in Christ through
personal commitment to Him.
4. To
inspire men to support the total program of the Church in the local congregation,
the community, the denomination and the world.
The objectives of the Laymen’s Movement are suggested by its purposes.
They are long and short ranged objectives and should be prioritized and
carried out in conformance with each particular Movement’s needs. Each
objective is progressive and as each Movement plans activities and programs
designed to meet each objective they will find that the fulfillment of
the task of service to God will be a lifelong task.
The objectives are as follows:
1. To
provide an organization through which a vital and meaningful fellowship
among men of the local congregation may be prompted.
2. To
provide an organized medium through which men of the local congregation
may serve its purpose most efficiently and become a more vital part of
its life.
3. To
enlist all the men in active Christian service to the Church through the
local congregation.
4. To
promote among men a more definite and intelligent understanding of the
Christian faith and life and the meaning of the Church.
5. To
keep men aware of their duty and obligations as members of the Church
through the local congregation
6. To
foster in men an intelligent loyalty and devotion to the Church through
the local congregation.
7. To
cooperate with the pastor, officers and other organizations in developing
and stimulating the work of the Church in the local congregation.
8. To
promote Church attendance and the study of Christian literature, published
and endorsed by our National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
9. To
inspire men to support the financial program of the Church, both locally
and denominationally.
10. To promote boys work in the
local congregation.
11. To reach unsaved men with
the Gospel and to win them to God in Christ through a personal commitment
to Him.
12. To persuade unchurched men
to renew their fellowship to the church through the local congregation
and to strengthen their faith in its message and program.
13. To foster in Baptist men a
vital and active concern in community welfare and betterment and to promote
Christian race relations.
14. To inspire men to enter the
fields of business, politics and the Foreign Service as a Christian vocation.
15. To promote the establishment
of Christian homes and to guide the family toward fuller Christian development
and cooperation.
16. To guide men in intelligent,
effective Christian social action.
Many of these objectives may be broken down
into even more specific ones. The committees working within the areas,
in which they fall, should assume this responsibility for a more effective
execution of their local Movement’s particular needs.
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