By Byeong
The reasons churches adopt the PACE (Lay Pastors Ministry) vary from country to country. Although the ministry is built on the same biblical principles, it meets different needs depending on each nation’s church history, culture, and stage of development.
In the United States, many churches were growing rapidly when Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron developed the Lay Pastors Ministry. Some congregations numbered more than 2,000 members. While large churches were successful in evangelism, providing personal care for every member had become nearly impossible through the traditional pastoral system. PACE offered a practical solution by equipping trained laypeople to share the responsibility of pastoral care.
For more than three decades, many American churches had concentrated primarily on evangelism. As new believers entered the church, however, they also needed ongoing care, encouragement, and spiritual nurture to become mature disciples. PACE helped fill this important gap by ensuring that every member could receive personal attention and care.
At the same time, the parachurch movement was flourishing across the United States. Many independent ministries emerged to serve and strengthen local churches. Dr. Steinbron’s Lay Pastors Ministry was one of these ministries. Rather than competing with the church, it came alongside churches as a practical support system. It also encouraged pastors to recognize the biblical role of laypeople in ministry, contributing to the broader lay ministry movement that was developing during that period.
Korea presented a different situation. By the time PACE was introduced, Korean Protestantism had a history of nearly one hundred years. During that century, churches had experienced remarkable growth and had invested heavily in evangelism, church planting, education, and missions. Yet many church leaders began asking, “What is the next step?” Numerical growth was slowing, and many churches sensed that something was missing.
When Korean pastors and laypeople experienced PACE, many immediately recognized its value. They saw that it was not simply another church program but a new way of caring for people while developing every believer for ministry. During the 1990s, as church growth began to plateau and even decline in many places, PACE provided a fresh vision for strengthening the church from within through relationships, discipleship, and pastoral care.
Korean laypeople were also ready for a greater role in ministry. Many had already grown spiritually and faithfully served their churches, yet they desired a deeper sense of purpose and responsibility. PACE gave them the opportunity to develop their gifts more fully, minister to others, and participate in the pastoral care of the congregation. As a result, many found renewed joy, satisfaction, and spiritual maturity through serving as Lay Pastors.
This comparison shows that while the biblical foundation of PACE remains the same, the reasons for embracing it differ from nation to nation. In the United States, the primary need was caring for large congregations and involving laypeople in pastoral ministry. In Korea, the need was to move beyond a century of church growth into a deeper model of disciple-making, pastoral care, and lay leadership. In both countries, however, PACE has demonstrated that when ordinary believers are equipped for ministry, the entire church becomes healthier and more effective.