Obiorah, Mary Jerome2020-10-152020-10-152020-08-17Obiorah, M.J., 2020, ‘The challenges of full participation of laity in the mission of the church’, HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 76(4), a6000. https://DOI.org/10.4102/hts.v76i4.6000.0259-9422 (print)2072-8050 (online)10.4102/hts.v76i4.6000http://hdl.handle.net/2263/76486Mary J. Obiorah is participating in the research project ‘Socio-cultural Readings’, directed by Prof. Dr Ernest van Eck, Department of New Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.The church shares in Christ’s mission of bringing all to the knowledge of God and to salvation. All its members are called to this intrinsic mission bequeathed to the entire church. The lay faithful form the greatest number of the members and their functions are important in this mission. However, they are beset by numerous setbacks that constitute untold challenges for the church. This article, written from a sub-Saharan African and Catholic background, examines the nature of this mission as a requisite prelude to discussion on various challenges experienced by the laity in participating fully in the mission. It also recommends ways of enhancing their contributions. CONTRIBUTION : The primary contribution of this article is its specific focus on the challenges the laity encounter in carrying out their mission in the world. It is a theological study based on scriptural foundations of the laity in the church. As members, laypersons share fully in the church’s received mission mandate.en© 2020. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.LaityMissionChristiansMunera ChristiChallengesTheology articles SDG-04SDG-04: Quality educationTheology articles SDG-05SDG-05: Gender equalityTheology articles SDG-10SDG-10: Reduced inequalitiesTheology articles SDG-16SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutionsArticle