A lay leader is a member of the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...

in any congregation who has been chosen as a leader either by their peers or the leadership of the congregation.Hillel Names Lay Leadership Exemplars of Excellence
/ref> In most denominations, lay leadership is not an

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

al office, and the lay leader's responsibilities vary according to the particular tradition of the congregation. Some organizations do not allow the lay leader to give sacraments for example, but do allow them to perform most other portions of the service that are normally the responsibility of the clergy (e.g. giving sermons when the regular clergy are on vacation).

By denomination

The Assemblies of God official position paper on Ordination states, "When necessary, the laity can perform all of the functions of ministry except those for which the State requires an ordained minister." In the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

the lay leader refers to the principal layperson in a local church, district or Annual Conference who represents and leads the laity in ministry. It is an elected position, and the lay leader will serve on most church committees. Various titles are used for lay leaders in different religious organizations, including

lay preacher A lay preacher is a preacher who is not ordained (i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Overview Some denominations specifically disco ...

;

lay reader In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain Church service, services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral ...

(in Episcopal churches); lay speaker (in the United Methodist Church, USA); local preacher (in the UK

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and the Uniting Church in Australia); Reader (in the Anglican Church); and

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

, though this last title can also refer to an ordained ministry. The Unitarian & Free Christian Churches of Great Britain have Accredited Lay Preachers who take services including rites of passage.

Responsibilities

The following list gives examples of things lay leaders may be responsible for: * acting as ushers * acting as

liturgist Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

s * making announcements * reading scripture * offering

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s * conducting a complete service * serving or chairing church committees * congregational advocate and liaison

References

{{reflist Local Christian church officials Religious leadership roles

By denomination

Responsibilities

See also

References