Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQ)
What does it mean to be a lay leader?
Any local church member who is not clergy is a layperson. Lay leaders are those who serve a leadership role in the church. This might be the Sunday School Superintendent, a youth leader, or the person who deposits the offering each week.
While these roles may not seem like a “big deal,” the lay leaders keep the local church operating from day to day and year to year. Clergy in the United Methodist Church are appointed to a local church or charge by the Bishop and Cabinet. This itinerant system provides new pastoral leadership every few years. The lay leaders of the church provide community and continuity to the local church.
What are the benefits of being a lay leader?
Serving as a leader is a great way to respond to the call Christ has on our lives.
Better Together. We are “better together” when we serve our community and church as a team with the pastor and our brother and sister laity.
Being a lay leader means that I commit to doing more than sitting in the pew each Sunday morning.
Being a lay leader means living out our membership vows: To uphold the local congregation with one's prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
How do I become a lay leader?
You probably already are a lay leader in your local church.
To become a Certified Lay Leader, you must complete the Basic Lay Leader class and one advanced lay leader class.
Classes are usually offered at a Lay Academy in your district at least once each spring and fall. You may take classes at ANY district Lay Academy.
What are the levels of training available to laity?
Certified Lay Servant
Certified Lay Speaker
Certified Lay Minister
Who can I contact to learn more?
Contact your District Director of Lay Ministry or your Conference District Superintendent.
What does the Book of Discipline say about lay servant leadership?
The Ministry of the Laity - BOD ¶ 127 “The ministry of the laity flows from a commitment to Christ’s outreaching love. Lay members of The United Methodist Church are, by history and calling, active advocates of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every layperson is called to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20); every layperson is called to be missional. The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of their own faith experiences of the gospel, is the primary evangelistic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ and The United Methodist Church will fulfill its mission.”
Visit General Board of Discipleship for more information on Lay Servant Ministries.