User:Vejlefjord/LaityDraft

Anglicanism
In Anglicanism, the term "laity" refers to anyone who is not a bishop, priest, or deacon in the Church. In the Anglican tradition, all baptized persons are expected to minister in Christ's name. The orders of ministry are thus lay persons, deacons, priests, and bishops.

The ministry of the laity is "to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church". Much of the ministry of the laity thus takes place outside official church structures in homes, workplaces, schools, and elsewhere. It is “through their continuous participation in political, economic, educational, and kinship institutions” that the laity “powerfully influence the character of these instututions.”

The laity also play important roles in the structures of the church. There are elected lay representatives on the various governing bodies of churches in the Anglican communion. In the Church of England, these governing bodies range from a local Parochial Church Council, through Deanery Synods and Diocesan Synods. At the topmost level, the General Synod includes a house of Laity. Likewise, in the Episcopal Church in the USA, the General Convention includes four laymen from each diocese in the House of Deputies, and each diocesan convention includes lay delegates from the parishes. On the local parish level, laymen are elected to a church council called a vestry which manages church finances and elects the parish rector.