Over the past several months there has been some turmoil within the Stephen Ministry program at Resurrection. Part of the hope for the future is to have an active lay ministry program that functions effectively within the Pastorates – which is model of care at Resurrection that “has been designed to encourage every person in our church family to identify with a specific “primary care pastor” to help ensure that great pastoral care is received.” For a PDF file about the Pastorates, click here.
As a pastor of Congregational Care, I have been involved in the ongoing conversations about Stephen Ministry and the future of care at Resurrection. While I have been thinking about what might be the most effective way of providing care for the congregation, I have encountered the Certified Lay Minister. Certified Lay Ministers are a new lay position introduced by General Conference in 2004 – Book of Discipline, par 272. More information…
- Certified Lay Ministry Information
- “The Certified Lay Minister shall preach the Word, provide a care ministry to the congregation, assist in program leadership, and be a witness in the community for the growth, missional, and connectional thrust of The United Methodist Church.”
- Frequently Asked Questions about Certified Lay Ministry
- Certified Lay Ministry Training Modules
- Kansas Area work around Certified Lay Ministry
What do you think?
- Do you have any experience with Certified Lay Ministry?
- What are your thoughts about the potential for this type of position?
- How could this position be utilized in your current setting?
Rev. Andrew Conard 
6 replies on “Certified Lay Minister”
Thank you.
Your welcome, my friend.
Coming from a congregation with 70 on Sundays, I had never really thought about how a megachurch like COR might handle pastoral care within the traditional UMC framework. But the institution of Lay Minister, long neglected by our connection (or at least I’ve never met one), sounds like it has a lot to offer.
John – Thank you for your response. I have experienced an ongoing conversation about how to provide the best possible care for the congregation at Resurrection. I think that the beauty of the certified lay minister position is that may have the potential to be implemented in almost any size setting with effectiveness. This may not be the direction in which Resurrection goes, but I do find it intriguing.
As one of the ministry developers for Certified Lay Ministry (CLM) through the General Conference 2004, I appreciate conversations on mutual forms of ministry. This leadership models the early church style of doing the work of God through the spiritual gifts of people. The learning modules are intended to be used in a congregation with a mutual ministry team because theological education can take place anywhere there is a reflective faith community.
How can a large church like COR use CLM?
Julia – Thanks for your comments and added insight. I think that large churches could utilize Certified Lay Ministry to empower members of the congregation to provide care for others in ways that may not be possible otherwise. It may be possible to develop care teams for grief support, hospital visits, follow up care and many other areas. Implementation of CLM would allow for individuals to live into an identity and be empowered for ministry.