What are Authorised Lay Ministers (ALMs)?
Authorised Lay Ministers (ALMs) are trained lay people, active in church life, who have a particular vocation, special interest, or skill that can be an integral part of their church’s ministry. They are highly valued in the Diocese of Ely and have a crucial part in the success of the Diocesan Strategy.
ALMs are nominated by their incumbent and Parochial Church Council (PCC) to be trained and equipped in preparation for being ‘commissioned’ by the Bishop. After this service, they will carry out an agreed ministry role within their local parish context. In the Diocese of Ely, there are people of all ages and churchmanship who have trained to become ALMs in their own churches. Most are now in active ministry, playing their part in the day-to-day life of their parish.
Support for our ALMs
Your Incumbent will be able to support you in your ALM pathway. The Lay Ministry Team will also be able to advise you on anything particular you might need.
Our ALM - Parish Handbook explains the ALM pathway processes in more detail. This handbook is designed to provide ALM candidates, Incumbents (and Rural Deans), and Parish Safeguarding Officers with all the information required in the discernment, training and support of Authorised Lay Ministry within the parish.
Review and agreement
It is expected that ALMs receive appropriate support and regular supervision throughout both their training and ministry. This should include an initial agreement and an annual review, as part of good pastoral and safeguarding practice.
Incumbents are responsible for ensuring that the role description and working agreement are clear, up to date, and shared with the Parish Safeguarding Officer, to enable the appropriate DBS check to be determined.
Sample documentation, including an Initial Parish Ministry Agreement and an Annual Parish Review and Agreement, is available below and may be adapted as needed. Responsibilities should be agreed, reviewed regularly, and clearly defined to reflect the ALM’s area(s) of ministry and safeguarding requirements.
- Template for Initial parish ministry agreement (2025)
- Annual parish review and agreement (2025)
- An example Parish ministry agreement, for reference only.
If, for whatever reason, an ALM steps back from ministry before their reauthorisation is due, it would be helpful if you could email Sophie (Lay Ministry Team Administrator) on sophie.smith@elydiocese.org, so that we can update our records.
Training and Development
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All ALMs need to undertake the following training every three years:
- Leadership
- Raising awareness of domestic abuse
They will also need an updated DBS check.
Becoming an ALM
After talking to your incumbent and PCC about your interest in training as an ALM;
- Contact the Mission and Ministry Team on missionandministry@elydiocese.org
- You will undertake specialist training requirements according to your chosen specialism pathway
- You will also undertake project work that is relevant to both your specialism and parish.
- More about the Safeguarding Training requirements for ALMs.