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New Training Resources Available for Certified Lay Ministers

Julia Kuhn Wallace (right) and Sandy Zeigler (left) consult on the new CLM Resource now available from the GBOD.

The resources, developed by The General Board of Discipleship in partnership with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, are a response to action by the church's 2004 General Conference authorizing a new form of church leadership, said Sandy Zeigler, director of GBOD's lay leadership development.

A Certified Lay Minister is typically assigned by a district superintendent to serve a small church under the supervision of a clergyperson. He or she also may serve as part of a pastoral team in the church where he or she regularly worships.

"These training modules ensure that people seeking to become Certified Lay Ministers receive the training, support, supervision, and accountability to enable them to provide excellent leadership in churches where traditional clergy appointments are not viable," Zeigler, GBOD staffer who was instrumental in their development, said.

Available only as downloadable Adobe Acrobat® PDF documents, each module covers a different aspect of training and is recommended for study with church leaders as part of a mutual ministry team. The modules are available from the Discipleship Resources online bookstore. Each module is priced at $25.

Module One: Call and Covenant for Ministry examines United Methodist theology and ordering of ministry, along with the role of the Certified Lay Minister and other leadership concerns.

Module Two: The Practice of Ministry explores basic skills needed by the Certified Lay Minister, including leading worship, preaching and sharing faith, forming discipleship ministries, and providing congregational care.

Module Three: Organization for Ministry covers basics of leadership, administration, and congregational development, and how to maximize leadership, organization, and resources in various kinds of congregations.

Module Four: Connection for Ministry reviews United Methodist history, doctrine and polity, and the connection between various levels of the denomination. It also includes proposed plans for ongoing education and a commitment service.

The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the General Board of Discipleship, said, "Discipleship Resources is pleased to offer these resources in a readily accessible and affordable form. We believe that they are an exciting new step toward fully developing a new form of leadership in the United Methodist Church."

Further information about theCertified Lay Ministers program is available from the General Board of Discipleship website at www.gbod.org/laity.

This article was written by Jeanette Pinkston, Media Relations Director for the General Board of Discipleship.