Office for Ministry Development

www.episcopalchurch.org

Lay Ministry within the Church

The Bishop of a diocese may issue licenses to lay persons to serve as Pastoral Leader, Worship Leader, Preacher, Eucharistic Minister, Eucharistic Visitor or Catechist. Requirements and guidelines for the selection, training, continuing education, and deployment of such persons and the duration of licenses are established by the Bishop in consultation with the Commission on Ministry.

A wide range of challenging opportunities exist for professional ministry in the church --for musicians, educators, youth coordinators, etc. There are professional associations for each specialized ministry. The National Network of Lay Professionals (NNLP) begun in 1984, is one organization developing a national support system for lay people employed in ministry of the Episcopal Church.

NNLP defines lay professionals as

people employed in the mission and ministry of the Episcopal church who:

regard their work as vocation, as their response to God’s call in their lives;

have acquired appropriate preparation and training for their work;

are committed to continuing their education to improve skills and enhance performance;

and who hold themselves accountable to the particular institutional structure within which they work, and to the wider community of the faithful, all for the love of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the greater glory of God.”

	The National Network of Lay Professionals (NNLP)
	Ministry Canons Note: Revisions to the Canons made in 2006 are not yet published in final form. You can review the resolutions that relate to these changes on the web. Formal information about ordination as a deacon or a priest in the Episcopal Church is found in the Constitutions and Canons 2003, in Title III on Ministry, specifically Canons 2-3 and 5-9. Clergy already ordained in another Christian denomination who are considering tranferring into the Episocpal Church will also find information about this process in the Constitutions and Canons in Title III, specifically Canons 10, 11 and 12.
	Lay Professional Positions Descriptions This comprehensive list developed by the National Network of Lay Professionals is a good place to start if you want to explore possibilities for ministry within the Episcopal Church.
	The Colloquium of Episcopal Professional and Vocational Associations (CEPVA) The Colloquium Of Episcopal Professional and Vocational Associations (CEPVA) is an umbrella organization representing the varied groups called to vocational ministry in the Episcopal Church: deacons, musicians, educators, priests, executive secretaries, bishops, communicators, and others who collaborate on matters of common concern.
	Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies The Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies is responsible for the pastoral and ecclesiastical support of chaplains who serve in the Armed Services, VA Medical Centers, and Federal Correctional institutions, as well as in local hospital, prison, port/maritime and emergency responder situations.

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