Authorised Lay Ministers offer a variety of ministries in their local parish or benefice including Pastoral Care Ministry, Community Ministry, Evangelism and Outreach Ministry, Adult Education Ministry, Lay Pioneer Ministry and Youth and Children Ministry.
Please note: We no longer offer training for Authorised Lay Ministers. We would encourage people who are exploring lay ministry to apply for the Chad Foundations programme.
On this page you can find the following information for ALMs who were authorised before 2019:
- Length of Lay Ministry Authorisations
- Renewing a Lay Ministry Authorisation
- Requirements for a Lay Ministry Authorisation
- DBS and Safeguarding Training Requirements
- Transferring a Lay Ministry Authorisation
- Lay Ministry Reviews
Length of Lay Ministry Authorisations
- ALMs are authorised by the diocese for 5 years, until the age of 70, or until the next diocesan renewal date.
- All ALM authorisations are renewed at the quinquennial renewal on 01 May in the first and sixth years of each decade.
- As authorised lay ministers are required to have valid DBS clearance and safeguarding training, their authorisation will only remain valid if these are kept up to date.
- At the age of 70, Authorised Lay Ministers transfer to local commissioning and continue their ministry as Locally Commissioned Lay Minsters.
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Renewing a Lay Ministry Authorisation
- When a Lay Ministry authorisation is due to be renewed, an ALM will be invited to renew their authorisation. They will need to complete an Authorised Lay Minister renewal form.
- When a Lay Ministry authorisation is due to end (01 May after turning 70), the ALM will be invited to transfer to local commissioning.
- If you wish to apply to reinstate a dormant Lay Ministry authorisation please contact Cath Hughes.
- Before renewing or reinstating a Lay Ministry authorisation the necessary requirements must be met.
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Requirements for a Lay Ministry Authorisation
The requirements for holding a Bishop's Authorisation for Lay Ministry are:
- support of the incumbent and PCC in each parish to which the Lay Minister is authorised.
- valid DBS clearance
- valid safeguarding training
- Lay Ministry review and role descriptor
- Continuing Ministerial Development (CMD): the equivalent of 1 day per year. Details of training courses can be found here.
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DBS and Safeguarding Training Requirements
DBS Requirements for Authorised Lay Ministers
- Enhanced clearance appropriate to the role in the parish.
- DBS certificates are valid for 3 years.
Information about DBS checks can be found here.
Safeguarding Training Requirements for Authorised Lay Ministers
- Basic Awareness
- Foundation
- Leadership
- Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse
Information about Safeguarding training can be found here.
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Transferring a Lay Ministry Authorisation
If you already hold a lay ministry authorisation in the diocese but wish to transfer to a different parish or benefice within the diocese, you can apply to do this once you have settled into your new parish for a period of six months.
To apply to transfer your authorisation you will need to:
- meet the requirements for a Lay Ministry authorisation.
- complete the Lay Ministry Authorisation transfer form.
- send your transfer form and most recent authorisation to: Cath Hughes, Vocations and Training Co-ordinator, St Mary's House, The Close, Lichfield. WS13 7LD. Email: Cath Hughes.
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Authorised Lay Ministry Reviews
Incumbents are asked to carry out a review of each Authorised Lay Minister's ministry. The purpose of the review is to focus on the ministry the ALM offers and to explore what this means for them in the coming months and years.
Authorised Lay Ministers are required to have a full review with their incumbent once every five years and to review their role descriptor annually.
The full review includes:
- getting feedback from other people about their ministry via the 180 degree questionnaire. The questionnaires are passed to 4-6 people who have experience of their ministry and are completed anonymously and returned to the incumbent before the review.
- completing the review form and sending it to the incumbent before the review.
- having a review with their incumbent, during which a role descriptor/working agreement is agreed. A role descriptor template and a guide to drawing up a written role descriptor are available to use if needed.
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