Exploring lay ministries | The Church of England

Lay ministers play a vital role in the life, worship, and mission of the Church of England. They serve alongside clergy, using their gifts to help local churches grow, flourish, and share the love of Christ in their communities.

What Is Lay Ministry?

Lay ministry is the work of people who are not ordained but are trained, authorised, or commissioned to serve in specific roles within the church. These ministries help build up the life of the local church—through teaching, leading worship, offering pastoral care, supporting mission and outreach, and enabling others to live out their faith.

Different Types of Lay Ministers

Lay ministry can look different from one parish or diocese to another. Explore a selection of different types below.

Spotlight on Children’s, Youth, and Family Ministers

Children’s, Youth, and Family Ministers nurture faith in younger generations by walking alongside children, teenagers, and families—creating welcoming spaces, offering age‑appropriate worship and teaching, and helping them grow in confidence, curiosity, and lifelong discipleship. The Church of England aims to raise up 30,000 new children and youth ministers (both voluntary and employed) by 2030.

In addition, dioceses across the Church offer young people the opportunity to experience different forms of ministry to support them as their discern God's call on their lives.

Licensed Lay Ministers

Readers (also called Licensed Lay Ministers) have a leadership role serving alongside clergy to support people in faith and enable mission.

Churchwardens and parish officers

Churchwardens and other parish officers are leaders in the life and mission of their church community.

Evangelists

An evangelist helps share the good news of Jesus, encouraging faith and supporting others to explore and grow in their relationship with God.

Chaplains

Chaplains can be both lay or ordained and often serve in the community.

Training and Support

Each diocese provides training, formation, and ongoing support for lay ministers. This may include theological learning, practical ministry skills, safeguarding, pastoral training, and spiritual development. This will depend on the type of lay ministry which broadly fall into these three categories:

Locally Recognised

Recognised ministries happen in the local parish, benefice, chaplaincy or fresh expression. Examples of recognised ministry include leading a home group, pastoral care, assisting with children and youth ministry, offering prayer and listening, acting as a chaplaincy assistant or exploring growing church locally.

Selection, recognition and training is usually local, led by the minister in the parish or deanery. Some local ministry roles will have diocesan training too, for example safeguarding courses.

Authorised - In the Community

Authorised ministers represent the church in the wider community. Their authorisation (which might be called Commissioning) is from the bishop, and it may be time limited or reviewed regularly. Examples of authorised ministry includes pastoral assistants, worship leaders, preachers, and assistant youth and children’s ministers.

Selection may be local or diocesan, while training is usually through a diocesan programme.

In Leadership - Licensed

Licensed lay ministries represent the church in a public, representative or leadership role. Examples of licensed lay ministers include Readers, licensed lay ministers, Church Army evangelists, lay workers and some lay pioneers.

Licensed lay ministers may be involved in evangelism, mission enabling, teaching, preaching, leading of worship, taking funerals, leading a Fresh Expression and community outreach.

Licenses are issued by the diocesan bishop as required by Canon and are nationally recognised.

Selection is carried out by dioceses, following national guidelines. Training is carried out by the diocese or on behalf of the diocese and there is provision for ongoing ministerial development.

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