Enon UMC Lay Leader/Member

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!” — Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

Photo of Kathy Ranft

Kathy Ranft is our Lay Leader. What, you might ask, does a Lay Leader/Lay Member do? The formal description and listed responsibilities for a Lay Leader come from the United Methodist Book of Discipline, paragraph 251.1.  However,  these responsibilities are lived out with a great deal of variation among local churches.  

In a nutshell, an effective Lay Leader functions as the primary representative of, and role model for, Christian discipleship and faith lived out in the church and in daily life for the people of a congregation.  The Lay Leader works with the Pastor to fulfill the mission and vision of the congregation.  The Lay Leader serves on the Leadership Team of Enon UMC’s simplified administrative board model (launched in January 2024). The Lay Leader also keeps the laity informed of training opportunities within our Western Lakes District and West Ohio Conference and is encouraged to become a Certified Lay Servant. 

Kathy is also our Lay Member to Annual Conference. The duties of this role are listed in paragraph 251.2 of the Book of Discipline. In short, the Lay Leader links the local church and community. The Lay Member to Annual Conference, along with the Pastor, interprets the actions of each annual conference session and reports that information back to the local church. These two leadership positions, whether combined or kept separate, are elected annually at the local church conference.

Message from Our Lay Leader/
Lay Member to Annual Conference

Hello friends,

Hello friends,

God calls us to a life of servanthood as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  The theme of this year’s West Ohio Annual Conference was God Is Able, drawing inspiration from Ephesians 3:20-21.  

In the Laity Address, Mitchell Harper, Co-Conference Lay Leader, reminded us “that in this time of transition, change can be overwhelming and de-stabilizing.  We like what we know.  Sometimes with change, we want to resist or see how things are going to shake out before we get involved.”

Last year’s West Ohio Annual Conference theme reminded us to stay Committed to God; Committed to One Another; and in Community with all of God’s children.  God is able to help us do just that!

Let’s continue to move in confidence with what God has given us.  Let’s keep trusting Him to take us through all the transitions that come our way as we look forward to the possibilities that can become future realities for Enon UMC and beyond.  Amen!

Yours in service,

Kathy

Join us for Worship

Back to Fanning the Flame
Enon UMC is part of the Western Lakes District of the West Ohio Conference of the UMC
Page current as of 10/3/2024