Licensed Lay Ministries Training

As outlined in the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, certain ministries are lifted up by an official licensing and training process - allowing those who are licensed an even greater scope and authority in their work. According to the Canons, each diocese defines its own requirements and guidelines for selecting, training, licensing, and deployment of lay persons in these ministries.  

The ministries eligible to be licensed are: Eucharistic Minister, Eucharistic Visitor, Preacher, Evangelist, Catechist, Pastoral Leader, or Worship Leader.  In addition, our diocese will train and license two types of chaplains:  Parish Chaplain and Diocesan Chaplain.  Bloy House has designed courses to meet the competencies and requirements defined by the diocese.  Please note: for the 23-24 program year, we will focus on offering courses for Preacher, Worship Leader, and Pastoral Leader, as well as Anti-Racism and Episcopal Identity. Based on requests for the other courses we will add them to our schedule.

 The Instituto de Liderazgo provides instruction in Spanish to meet the diocesan licensing requirements.  For more information on the Instituto, click here.

For more information about lay licensing in the Diocese of Los Angeles, click here.

Lay Licensing courses are usually held on Zoom, with an occasional in person workshop, and cost $25-$50 per class. Details for individual courses can be found when a class is scheduled and open for registration.

Click here for a list of all lay licensing classes with class descriptions.

Frequently Asked Questions: click here.

Current Class Offerings

Episcopal Identity

Thursday Nights, June 6, 13, 20, & 27

7-8:30 pm, via Zoom

Click here to register.

How would you describe the modern Episcopal Church - its theology, its worship and community, its history, its organization, and what you love about it - to a friend who has never experienced it? A deeper dive than a confirmation class, even cradle Episcopalians will learn something new about our church. For those in lay ministry, it provides the foundation for all ministry, where we live out our baptismal vows and represent the values of the Episcopal Church. Facilitated by Gary Hall, President of Bloy House, and Linda Allport, Dean. This class is required for all licensed lay ministries, except Eucharistic Minister, where it is recommended.

Anti-Racism for Lay Licensing

Saturday, June 8

9:00 am - 4 pm, in person at Bloy House

Lunch provided

Click here to register.

Anti-racism was made a requirement for lay licensing by our diocese in response to an effort by the national church to encourage these discussions in local settings for those in lay leadership. In whatever kind of lay ministry we do, we are representing our church and our diocese, interacting with others in many ways, and this class is integral to demonstrating that we "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being"

The purpose of this class, based on the nationally recognized My Work To Do program, is to help participants learn how to talk about issues of systemic racism. The course provides material to reflect upon and allows plenty of time for participants to respond with curiosity and honesty. Even if we find we disagree with the material presented or each other, we will learn how to engage in disagreement, and gain a vocabulary for talking about racism and its effects.

This might be different from other workshops/classes. While the intent is not to cause discomfort, the reality is that this work can be uncomfortable at times, and we must intentionally not shy away from those feelings. We sit with the discomfort as it comes, accepting it as an important part of the process.

Our instructor, Suzanne-Edwards Acton, is the founder of My Work To Do, and was made a Canon in our diocese for this important work. This class, or equivalent anti-racism training, is required for all licensed lay ministries.

 

Lay Licensing Training Requirements

Required for all Ministries:

  • Anti-Racism

  • Episcopal Identity (Note: for Eucharistic Minister and Eucharistic Visitor, Episcopal Identity is recommended only)

  • Completion of Safe Church training – not currently offered by Bloy House

For all zoom classes, except Anti-Racism, the Zoom sessions will be recorded. A person who misses one class can view the recording and send a brief summary to the instructor. We expect that you will attend at least three of a four-session class in person, and ALL the sessions of the Anti-Racism classes. If you must miss more than one session of a course, or cannot attend all sessions of Anti-Racism, you are encouraged to take it at another more convenient time.

 

Specific Ministry Training:

 Parish Chaplain and Diocesan Chaplain

Worship Leader

  • The Book of Common Prayer for Lay Licensing with Practicum

Recommended/Continuing Ed.:

  • Introduction to Bible for Lay Licensing

Pastoral Leader

  • Introduction to the Bible for Lay Licensing

  • Beginning Preaching for Lay Licening with Practicum

  • The Book of Common Prayer for Lay Worship Leaders with Practicum

  • Pastoral Care for Lay Licensing Leaders

Recommended/Continuing Ed.:

  • Multicultural Awareness for Lay Licensing

  • Leading Adult Formation

  • Storytelling for Lay Licensing

Eucharistic Minister and Eucharistic Visitor

  • Local parish training

Preacher

  • Introduction to the Bible for Lay Licensing

  • Beginning Preaching for Lay Licensing with Practicum

Recommended/Continuing Ed.:

  • Story Telling for Lay Evangelists

  • Advanced Preaching for Lay Licensing with Practicum

Evangelist

  • Introduction to the Bible for Lay Licensing

  • Multicultural Awareness for Lay Licensing

  • Storytelling for Lay Licensing

Catechist

  • Leading Adult Formation

  • Detailed Episcopal Catechism

Recommended/Continuing Ed.:

  • Introduction to the Bible for Lay Licensing

  • Multicultural Awareness for Lay Licensing

  • Storytelling for Lay Licensing