Lay ministries cover a huge variety of different forms of Christian service and there are a range of lay ministry roles available across the diocese.
There are thousands of lay ministers using their gifts in a wide variety of different roles, serving alongside ordained ministers. Youth and children’s ministers, churchwardens, authorised lay ministers, authorised local leaders, licensed lay ministers, and many chaplains, evangelists, missionaries and pioneers are lay people, who are not ordained.
Opportunities to develop and support Lay Ministry in your Parish
Authorised Local Leadership
An Authorised Local Leader is a key contact person, who can appropriately action or delegate action when information from the Diocese and also from the local neighbourhood community is communicated to them.
Authorised Lay Minsters
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.
Licensed Lay Minsters
Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs) are lay people who come from all walks of life; they are licensed by their bishop to a teaching and preaching ministry, both within church and outside its traditional boundaries. Called by God and trained in theology, they bring their life experience, skills and knowledge to their Christian service. LLMs often have a role in equipping other Christians to grow as disciples in their places of daily living.
Children, young people and families
We actively seek to support all our parish and church colleagues (both paid and unpaid) working with children or young people & their families and we'd love you to let us know if you do. You can also visit our Children and Youth section of the website for information on the support, resources and training opportunities available for working with children and young people.
Anna Chaplaincy
Anna Chaplaincy ministry is an ecumenical, community-based, chaplaincy network promoting the spiritual welfare of older people, for people of strong, little or no faith at all. Anna Chaplains support older people and their carers wherever they may be – in residential care, in congregations, in their own homes and in the community.
School Chaplaincy
School chaplains support the whole school community, from the pupils, to the staff, to parents and carers and to the wider community. This may include leading assemblies and opportunities for collective worship, preparing activities for reflection or offering space for prayer. It might mean offering pastoral support to pupils or staff at difficult times. Training to be an Authorised Chaplaincy Assistant (ACA) provides a basis for the development of School Chaplaincy in the Diocese of Ely.