I’m Lawson Bryan, and I invite you to join me in exploring a fresh vision of the local church as a laboratory of Christian discipleship, drawing especially on the insights of Respite Ministry.

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Laboratories have been an important part of my life: my childhood chemistry set, the high school lab courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, and my college years working in a cancer research lab. My seminary experience consisted not only of classroom lectures but also contextual education placements in “laboratory settings,” such as serving as a chaplain in a hospital for children with profound disabilities and involvement in a ministry to migrant farm workers. I learned as much in these laboratories as in the classroom.

Is it any wonder, then, that my pastoral ministry has been shaped by a vision of the local church as a laboratory of Christian discipleship? For fifty years, as a pastor and now bishop, my goal has been to invite others to embrace the local church as a well-equipped lab where we are all encouraged to explore the riches of the Christian faith: ask questions, seek insight, collaborate with others and draw on the accumulated wisdom of the saints of all ages.

My involvement in Respite Ministry has taught me that this laboratory approach to Christianity can be dramatically effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

This laboratory understanding of discipleship can be seen in St. Paul’s description of God’s purpose (to unite all things in Jesus Christ) in Ephesians 1:9-10 and his description of the church (where God’s purpose is visibly worked out by removing dividing walls of hostility and creating one new humanity) in Ephesians 2:11-22. From this perspective, the church is God’s laboratory to demonstrate how God’s purpose can be realized on earth.

Since 2012, I have witnessed this in a more focused way through my involvement in what is known as Respite Ministry. At the time I was serving as senior minister of First United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, the congregation launched a Respite Ministry to support the families of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

The original intent of the ministry was to give care partners a break while their loved ones were enjoying enrichment and fellowship activities in a community filled with trained, loving volunteers.

As the ministry grew, I could not only see the impact this ministry was having on care partners and participants, but also the impact it was having in the lives of volunteers serving as the hands and feet of Christ. At the same time, I could see the vitality this ministry was bringing to a church where members were actively engaged in hands-on ministry.

Today, I serve as Bishop-In-Residence with the Respite for All Foundation, whose mission is to spread the concepts of respite ministry across the country.

My particular focus is on Respite Ministry as both a disciple-making process and an engine of vitality in the local church. I invite you to learn more about this by going to the Research section of this website for a full description of a research project and the data that resulted from it.

This website is an invitation to deepen our understanding & practice of Christian discipleship through the insights of Respite Ministry.

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Visit Respite for All Foundation