Ministries
Metropolitan has an excellent and varied number of ministries that educate, inspire and elevate it’s membership in Christian living. The ministries are welcoming of all family members and allow all to participate and serve. They are Sunday School, Bible Study, Christian Education, Lay Council, Acolytes, Women Home & Overseas Missionary Society (WH&OMS) which consist of the Parent Body, Young Adults (YAMS), Youth, and The Buds of Promise; the Couples’, Men’s and Women’s Ministry.
Class Leaders
Class Leaders are appointed annually by the Pastor and confirmed at the Quarterly Conference. The entire congregation of the church is divided into small groups called classes over which a leader is placed. In the A.M.E. Zion Church, Class Leaders are an integral part of keeping members connected to the church. Each Class Leader is responsible for the spiritual needs of the church’s membership. “They provide advice, reprove, comfort, or exhort as occasion may require” (AME Zion Discipline, 113).
Connection Lay Council
The Connectional Lay Council was created with the specific purpose of deepening the spiritual life of the Laity, to disseminate information, to cultivate denominational loyalty, to expand the denomination through education and evangelism, and to promote and other interest of the Kingdom of God.
Acolyte Ministry
The word ‘acolyte’ is taken from an ancient Greek word that meant ‘companion’ ‘attendant’ or ‘helper.’ The Acolytes are therefore chosen and set apart to symbolically bring the presence of God into the sanctuary by lighting candles and assisting in the celebration of worship. As they light the candle lighter again before extinguishing the candles and process out with the flame of the candle lighter, they remind people that when we scatter out into the world, we take the Lord (Jesus) with us.
Children and Youth Ministry
We regard children and youth as not only the future of our church, but also the present of our church. Consequently, we have an aggressive children and youth ministry. We have children and youth choirs, Sunday School classes, youth group, and catechism class for our children. In addition, they receive leadership training alongside the current leaders of the church.
