Lay preacher
Preacher who is not a member of the clergy
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.
01Overview
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" for ordained ministers.
The United Methodist Church 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).
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.
02Examples 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 readers, 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)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Lay preacher”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- A Tidemand-Haugianerne.jpg by Adolph Tidemand, Public domain
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