Lay Ministries

A Note from the Bishop

My Beloved Siblings in Christ
Our Diocese has a blessed legacy of Lay involvement and ministry in our Church.
In past time, which some of us still remember, when all of Newfoundland was one Diocese, a dedicated group of people, known as Licensed Lay Readers were vital to the ongoing life of each parish. In those days Churches, and their leaders were at the center of pretty much every community service such as education,health care,legal work, and so on. Churches built schools ,hired teachers and ran them throughout the year. In Anglican Schools,teachers were expected to "hold Church",baptise infants,do all Confirmation preparation,conduct burials,and any other duty assigned to them by the Wardens of a parish or the Bishop. Lay readers were provided with firm guidelines for ministry and for holding Church. part of their duty would be to report to the clergy about finances and Church life,and to make sure that the clergy were informed about community,school, and those who were waiting to be married. This was incredibly important at a time when parishes were large and widespread,and the clergy could only visit "when they could",and Bishops maybe once every few years.

We thank God for the ministries of our forebears!

Today:
Today, Lay Ministry in the Church has and continues to grow in scope and understanding. As a Diocese we regularly offer courses to explore how,and in partnership with Queen's College, have a host of resources to offer our lay people. We understand that ordination begins with the "Order of the Baptized" . Bu that we mean that every Christian is called by God,and given giftes for the whole Community of Faith. It is an exciting time as our Diocese has become very intentional about Making Disciples,and creating pathway for your Vocation.
More and more, we are being led by the Spirit of Jesus to support, enable and provide resources for Lay Ministry.

In our Diocese, we no longer use the Cultural term “Lay Reader”, but refer to all Baptized Christians as “Minister of Jesus“.
In the case of liturgical and pastoral ministries that is licensed by the Bishop we joyfully use the title Licensed Lay Minister.

We are intentional about Discernment, Formation and Equipping. We expect that in every congregation there must be process for whatever ministry our people feel called to which prayerfully agrees upon and acknowledges the call or Vocation. Once a calling is recognized and affirmed, it becomes vital for that person, and their ministry to be built up, supported, tested and affirmed by the Local Church and parish in which they serve.

It's an exciting time for the Church!

We thank God for anyone who is offering himself or herself to any ministry. We expect that person, and all clergy to invest in formation, training and relationship. The privilege of leading God’s people in Sunday worship as licensed by a Bishop, is both a gift and an awesome responsibility. We want to enable our laity to engage and offer their ministries with confidence and dignity. This can only come through training experience and formation.

As Bishop of our beloved Diocese, I offer thanks to those who are licensed in any way, clergy and laity alike, and call you to deep and prayerful commitment and thought as we discover fresh resources, clearer pathways and the blessing of our Saviour upon our offering of ourselves. Look to this webpage as a source for news and online resources as they become available.

I remain, yours in the faith of Christ,

The Right Reverend John E. Watton
Bishop of The Diocese of Central Newfoundland