Lay Ministry Licenses shall be issued for a period of three years unless otherwise specified or revoked by the Bishop or the Member of the Clergy requesting the license.

Please be advised that all persons applying for lay licensing as Eucharistic Visitor, Lay Pastoral Leader, or Catechist will need a current certificate of completion of Specialized Safe Church Training. Please consult the Safe Church page of this website for information on the training.

In the discharge of the duties of the office(s) in the Church, Eucharistic Ministers and Visitors, Worship Leaders, and Clergy are required to observe the provisions of ECUSA Title III, Canon 4, and the Diocesan Guidelines contained in the Clergy Manual. Please note that Lectors are trained in the reading of the Word and appointed by the clergy to read lessons or lead the Prayers of the People and do not need to be licensed by the bishop.

Additionally, Pastoral Leaders, Preachers, and Catechists are to be licensed. The criteria for these functions are spelled out in the canons of the Episcopal Church (Title III, Canon 4, Sec. 3, 5 & 8). Clergy, or senior wardens of vacant parishes, should request licensing for these three functions with a letter to the bishop. The letter should clearly state that the canonical criteria have been met and the person is adequately trained.

Lay Ministry License Form
(This is a fillable PDF file. In order to fill it out on your computer, you must SAVE the form on your computer, then open and complete it.)