2026 Laity Session: Serving joyfully as beloved children of God
At this year’s Dakotas Annual Conference Laity Session, attendees were invited into a time of reflection, discernment, and renewal led by Bryan Tener, Director of Contextual Evangelism, Community Engagement, and Church Planting for United Methodist Discipleship Ministries. Tener challenged laity to lean into reflective practices that help us surrender to how God might be calling us and might want to work in our lives.
Identity Before Activity
Tener shared personal stories of spiritual growth, including a transformative pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. During that journey, he wrestled with what it truly means to be loved by God, to have your heart “strangely warmed,” as John Wesley described.
“I was like, ‘How do you get a heart strangely warm?’" he recalled. “Every Bible study I've been in, it's just like, 'I gotta hurry up and get three chapters read.'”
In a powerful moment of prayer, he sensed God speaking a single word: "Surrender."
That experience led him to a deeper realization that continues to shape his ministry today: before God asks us to do anything, God reminds us who we are.
Drawing from Jesus' baptism, Tener explained, “Before Jesus preached, before Jesus healed, before Jesus called his disciples at his baptism, God said, ‘You're my beloved son.’ It’s identity before activity, belonging before doing. That's important.”
For Christians, the deepest identity is not found in a job title, church position, or life role. Beneath all the identities we carry—parent, teacher, farmer, retiree, pastor, grandparent—is the foundational truth that we are beloved children of God.
When ministry is rooted in that identity, service becomes an expression of gratitude rather than an attempt to earn God's approval.
Discovering Purpose
Tener encouraged participants to think beyond the tasks they perform and instead consider the deeper purpose that guides their lives.
Modeled after the concept of Lectio Divina, Tener invited participants to engage in a practice of Experience Divina. Through this interactive exercise, attendees reflected on three levels of identity: the tasks they do, the skills and gifts they possess, and finally, the purpose that lies beneath both.
He shared his own purpose statement: "I create space so that others and myself have the opportunity to learn and grow."
The goal, Tener explained, is not to find a perfect statement but to begin noticing the unique way God has wired each person to serve.
Some people help others flourish. Some create belonging. Some bring healing. Some encourage hope. Whatever form it takes, purpose becomes a lens through which we see opportunities to participate in God's work.
While jobs, titles, and responsibilities may change over time, purpose remains remarkably consistent.
"Everything can change," Tener noted, "But your purpose…you can live that out no matter what change happens."
Paying Attention to God's Presence
Throughout the session, Tener emphasized the importance of spiritual practices that help disciples slow down and notice God's activity.
One exercise invited participants to reflect on an ordinary conversation from the previous week and prayerfully consider where God may have been present in that interaction. Working in small groups, they helped one another discern possible invitations from God and the next faithful steps.
The practice highlighted an important truth: God often speaks through ordinary encounters.
A conversation at a coffee shop. A neighbor's concern. A chance meeting at the grocery store. A smile exchanged with a stranger.
The challenge is not that God is absent. The challenge is that we are often too busy to notice.
Tener encouraged laity to cultivate simple rhythms of attentiveness through prayer walks, journaling, Scripture reflection, and conversations with trusted faith friends who can help discern God's leading.
“John Wesley didn't begin by asking people what committee they would serve on. He asked, ‘How is it with your soul? How's your soul doing?' And then he created a space where people could pay attention to God's activity in their lives. And he helped develop habits of grace,” explained Tener.
Notice. Listen. Respond. Repeat.
As a practical framework for daily discipleship, Tener offered four simple steps:
- Notice what is happening around you.
- Listen for God's invitation.
- Respond with faithful action.
- Repeat the process as a way of life.
Over time, these practices help disciples become more attentive to both God and neighbor. They also help congregations move beyond just watching or consuming toward active participation in God's mission.
Tener referenced author John Mark Comer’s term for disciple – apprentice – as one that resonates with him. Apprentices aren’t people who simply follow. They are people learning to do the things Jesus did and live as Jesus lived.
"When Jesus is feet, what kind of posture would an apprentice take?" he challenged participants to wonder.
The Church's Future Is Already Here
As the session concluded, Tener reminded participants that the future of the church is not dependent on programs, positions, or institutions alone.
“The future of the church isn’t out there. The future is sitting right here, right now. It's all of you here,” he said, referring to the laity gathered in the room.
God continues to call ordinary people to extraordinary faithfulness. The question is not whether God is calling, but whether we are paying attention.
For those who were unable to attend the Laity Session, Tener's message offered an encouraging reminder: You do not need a title, committee assignment, or special position to serve joyfully. God has already claimed you as a beloved child, gifted you for ministry, and placed you in this space at this time.
As Dakotas United Methodists continue living into the conference theme, Created to Serve Joyfully, perhaps the next faithful step begins with a simple question: How is God inviting me to live out my purpose today?
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Resource links shared as part of Tener's presentation:
