Editing Laity (section)

{{short description|Members of a religious organization who are not part of the clergy}}
{{redirect|Layman|the community|Layman, Ohio|the surname|Layman (surname)|the butterfly|Amauris albimaculata{{!}}''Amauris albimaculata''}}
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In [[religious organization]]s, the '''laity''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|eɪ|ə|t|i}}) — individually a '''layperson''', '''layman''' or '''laywoman''' — consists of all [[Church membership|members]] who are not part of the [[clergy]], usually including any non-[[Ordination|ordained]] members of [[religious order]]s, e.g. a [[nun]] or a [[lay brother]].<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08748a.htm Laity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013192903/https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08748a.htm |date=2020-10-13 }} at the Catholic Encyclopedia</ref><ref name="free">{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lay+person |title=lay person&nbsp;— definition of lay person by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia |publisher=Thefreedictionary.com |access-date=2014-06-24 |archive-date=2019-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101025948/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lay+person |url-status=live }}</ref> 

In [[secular]] usage, by extension, a layperson is a person who is not qualified in a given profession or is not an expert in a particular field.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of LAYPERSON|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layperson|access-date=2020-09-30|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015033027/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layperson|url-status=live}}</ref> The phrase "[[layman's terms]]" is used to refer to plain language that is understandable to the everyday person, as opposed to specialised terminology understood only by a professional.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baum|first1=Caroline|title=A Layman's Guide to the President's Jobs Speech: Caroline Baum|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-09-08/a-layman-s-guide-to-the-president-s-jobs-speech-caroline-baum|access-date=3 April 2015|publisher=Bloomberg|date=8 September 2011|archive-date=20 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520015030/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-09-08/a-layman-s-guide-to-the-president-s-jobs-speech-caroline-baum|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Murphy |first1=Martin |title=Theological Terms in Layman Language |date=February 2013 |publisher=Martin Murphy |isbn=978-0-9856181-5-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJpVgtwMNl0C |language=en |quote=...simple words like faith or not so simple words like aseity are explained in plain language.}}</ref>

Terms such as ''lay priest'', ''lay clergy'' and ''lay nun'' were once used in certain [[Buddhist]] cultures, especially Japanese, to indicate ordained persons who continued to live in the wider community instead of retiring to a [[monastery]]. Some Christian churches utilise [[lay preacher]]s, who [[sermon|preach]] but are not clergy. The [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] uses the term ''lay priesthood'' to emphasise that its local congregational leaders are unpaid.<ref>{{cite web |title=How do Mormon congregations work? |url=https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/lay-priesthood |website=news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org |access-date=16 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref>