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A lay preacher is a
CLM FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Certified Lay Ministry
United Methodist Church (May 25, 2014). Lay ecclesial ministry is a similar practice in the Catholic Church. Lay ecclesial ministers serve the church in many ways, assisting priests, but are not ordained.
A lay preacher is a preacher
A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
who is not 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 ...
(i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects.
Overview
Some denominations specifically discourage or disallow lay ministers or lay preachers from assuming certain titles. For example, the Unitarian Universalist Association reserves the title of "the reverend
The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
" for ordained ministers.
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 ...
authorized the role of "certified lay minister" (CLM) at its 2004 General Conference as a non-clergy leadership role, stating that CLMs should not use the title of "pastor"; be addressed as "reverend"; or wear clerical garb (''i.e.'', the robe, stole or collar).United Methodist Church (May 25, 2014). Lay ecclesial ministry is a similar practice in the Catholic Church. Lay ecclesial ministers serve the church in many ways, assisting priests, but are not ordained.
Examples of lay preachership
Specific groups of lay preachers, and other groups that encourage lay preachership, include: * Awakening (Lutheran movement; especially see Hans Nielsen Hauge, Paavo Ruotsalainen, and lay preachers organized by Lars Levi Laestadius) * Methodist local preachers (Great Britain) *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 ...
s, also called licensed lay ministers (Anglicanism)
* Lay speakers (United Methodist Church)
* Plymouth Brethren
* United Reformed Church preachers (Great Britain)
* Unitarian and Free Christian accredited preachers (Great Britain)
See also
* Lay presidency, celebrating the Lord's Supper while unordained * Lay brother (lay sister) * Lay leader * Practicing without a license *Priesthood of all believers
The priesthood of all believers is the common Priest, priesthood of all Christians (a concept broadly accepted by all churches), while the term can also refer to a specific Protestantism, Protestant understanding that this universal priesthood pre ...
* Universal priesthood
References
Religious occupations Religious terminology Christian religious leaders {{Christian-terminology-stub