North Texas Conference Lay Speakers

Lay Speaking Ministries in the United Methodist Church

Lay Speaking Ministries – Overview

Lay speakers are active church members who are eager to enhance their current skills and to develop new skills to help them in their church work.  They volunteer their time for church work and they are willing to speak out about their faith in discussions. 

The main emphasis of the Lay Speaking Ministries is to provide training to help lay speakers and other laity become more effective in ministry and to provide an opportunity for these people to meet and join in discussions with others who share these interests.

Two Levels of Lay Speakers

The Book of Discipline provides for two levels of lay speakers: Local Church and Certified. While Local Church Lay Speakers serve only their own church, Certified Lay Speakers may serve anywhere.

People who wish to become Local Church Lay Speakers request approval from their pastor and the local church council (or equivalent) or charge conference. They can either submit a letter or complete an annual conference report. They must also complete the lay speaker Basic course—a 10-hour course that is taught on a regular basis in most districts.

            Certified Lay Speakers must complete an advanced course in addition to meeting the requirements for becoming a Local Church Lay Speaker.

            Both Local Church and Certified Lay Speakers must complete an annual report to be approved at their charge conferences annually to maintain their standing as lay speakers. Local Church Lay Speakers must also complete a basic refresher course every three years to maintain their status.  Similarly, Certified Lay Speakers must complete an advanced course or other approved training every three years and have their annual reports approved by their annual charge conferences to maintain status as Certified Lay Speakers.  Those who do not meet these requirements will not be recognized as lay speakers.

Please note:  In districts with many small churches, Certified Lay Speakers are sometimes called upon to hold regular Sunday church services in the smaller churches.  In the North Texas Conference, these opportunities vary significantly, depending on the district.   Those who live close to the center of Dallas may get a call to hold a regular Sunday service, but the requests are infrequent.

The training and ministry opportunities of Lay Speaking are helpful to those who seek to grow in Christian service.  Ordination is not a goal of Lay Speaker training, but many ordained clergy started their search with Lay Speaker training.

Lay Speakers at Work*

In their home churches, lay speakers…

• 64% teach Sunday School, Bible Study or V.B.S.
• 44% led some form of worship, including children’s sermons.
• 40% delivered the message in a regular church service.
• 85% chair or serve on a church committee in their home church or at the district or conference level.
• 50% provide one-on-one caring in a care-giving institution, visitation, or evangelism.
• 38% volunteer with a community agency or care-giving institution

Other Frequently Listed Activities:

• Delivered devotional messages
• Evangelism
• Mission trips and local outreach
• Youth groups

*Based on a 2007 survey of lay speakers’ annual reports within the North Texas Conference