The Laity as Participants in the Mission of the Church

The Church is made up of both the clergy and the laity and for it to properly fulfill the mission for which it was instituted by Christ, all its members, each according to his or her God-giving gift, must contribute both to the up building of the Church and to its mission. On the part of the laity, their active participation in the general mission of the Church ad intra and ad extra has been a great challenge in the life and practice of the Church throughout its history. The Second Vatican Council in its spirit of aggiornamento makes some positive difference. This work focuses on the situation of the Church in Southeast Nigeria, which to a large extent, is laden with a faulty understanding of the Church as the affairs of the clergy and the consequent unsatisfactory participation of the laity in the general mission of the Church. This situation has generated some arguments that cast blame on: first, the poor timing of the period of evangelisation which coincided with that of colonialism; secondly, the prevailing ecclesiology of the time which was too hierarchical; and thirdly, the missionary evangelisation strategy which, in most cases, has no regard for the culture of the people being evangelised. Though I did not overlook these facts, much attention has been concentrated on understanding the reality on the ground with the frame of mind that the Church in Southeast Nigeria, being a growing Church, is in need of an ecclesiological pattern that can guide it to maturity. Thus, I saw the need to search for solutions that may perhaps contribute to the making of not only a mature Church, but also an active lay participation in the general mission of the Church. In order to achieve this, I used two approaches. Firstly, I engaged in a critical description and analysis of the situation of the Church in Southeast Nigeria. The research and its result constitute the first chapter. Secondly, I investigated the Roman Catholic theology of the laity, both official and non-official. In my theological reflection on the laity especially as it pertains to their mission in the Church, I was able to delineate three phases, which could be clearly seen within the framework of the pre-Vatican, Vatican and post-Vatican II periods. Each of these succeeding moments tries to improve on what was prevalent before it. These three moments are very important in the search for the identity and role of the laity in the mission of the Church. My research in pre-Vatican II theology and the situation of the laity during this period constitutes chapter two. Chapter three concentrates on the essential documents of the Second Vatican Council that deal with the laity. Chapter four and five investigate the third phase, which is the post-conciliar period, with specific attention on the development of the Council's teaching both in the official Catholic Church's documents and contemporary theology respectively. In these sections of my work, important discoveries were made. The last chapter highlights the possible solutions to the problems of the Church in Southeast Nigeria. My study of the contextual situation of the Church in Southeast Nigeria revealed that though the Church has been experiencing a steady growth, there is an urgent need to bridge the gap between faith and praxis. This situation is necessitated by the fact that the majority of the lay faithful are still to a reasonable degree ignorant of the basic Roman Catholic ecclesiology. The results of my research into the situation and theology of the laity before Vatican II indicate that, in the early Church, the members of the Christian community, both ordained and non-ordained, regarded themselves as participating in the ministry of Christ. They were conscious of their common baptism and individual gifts, despite the presence of specific ministries for the organisation and leadership of the Christian community. The entire community was designated either people of God, disciples, or `body' of Christ. The term “laity” did not exist in the New Testament and the classification among the people of God into clergy and laity did not begin in the apostolic times. The emergence of the term “laity” and their eventual marginalisation in the Church were products of history in the life of the Church. Shortly before Vatican II (1962-1965), a number of theologians sought to develop a renewed theology of the laity. Vatican II partially accepted some of their views, but paved way for lay ministries. The ecclesiology of mystery, communion and mission developed by Vatican II emphasises the common dignity of all Christians, though having different roles. The difference in roles, here, is necessitated by the essential difference between the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood. Thus, the ecclesiology of Vatican II succeeds in establishing the right of the laity to participate actively in the entire mission of the Church though with some shortcomings. My research into the post-conciliar period indicates that what we are witnessing is the interpretation and development of the Council's teaching - both by the official Church and the contemporary theologians. The contribution of the contemporary theologians addresses the problem inherent in the Council's designation of the secular character as the special character of the laity, and location of the primary function of the laity to the World. They also deal with the apparent reluctance of the Council to use the word `ministry' to address the work done by the laity in the Church and in society. Within this context of development in post-conciliar ecclesiology, the community of Christ's faithful is no more understood in terms of classes or groups that are in opposition to one another. Rather the whole people of God are seen as one having different gifts, which are given by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of rendering service to the one mission of the Church. Basing on the results of the previous chapters, the last chapter of the work offers some propositions that may address the stated problems of the Church in Southeast Nigeria and, above all, promote an active lay participation in the mission of the Church. Some of these propositions include: an authentic practice of inculturation; understanding Jesus Christ as the paradigm for lay participation in the mission of the Church, an on-going religious, catechetical and theological formation; attitudinal changes on the part of the clergy; and an adoption of an integral ecclesiology.