Equipping, empowering, and releasing ____ to serve as ministry partners is part of the denomination's core values.

• A. lay leaders
• B. deacons
• C. elders
• D. volunteers

Answer: (A)

Equipping, empowering, and releasing lay leaders to serve as ministry partners embodies mobilizing the entire church to participate in ministry, not just the clergy. Lay leaders are non-ordained members trusted with leadership across various ministries, working alongside ordained ministers to expand the church’s reach and impact. The other options describe roles with more formal or limited scope—deacons and elders are specific ordained offices, while volunteers are helpers who may not hold ongoing leadership responsibilities. So, lay leaders best fit the idea of equipping and releasing people as true ministry partners.