Welcome and thank you for exploring Lifelong Christian Formation’s new Pathways of Vocation Initiative that engages clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in the process of discernment and discipleship for the purpose of capacity building within our congregations by equipping and empowering lay leaders to become skillful practitioners of our Christian faith.

Together, we are bridging the gap between being knowledgeable “about” our faith and becoming skillful faith practitioners.

What is your calling?

In the Episcopal Church, all the baptized are called to express their ministry of spreading God’s love by working together to co-create a new reality on earth that is characterized by peace and harmony among all Creation. This is the “dream of God,” as Verna Dozier once wrote.

We are all Christian practitioners of the good news, and our churches are communities of practice where we all attempt to live and learn into the shape of Jesus’s life and teachings together. We are Living and Learning Communities of faith practice, which we express both inside and outside of the church walls.

---

Your ministry to spread God’s love can be expressed through whatever roles you have outside of the church.

“But I’m an architect,” someone might say. “I’m a minister as an architect?” Another person might say, “But I bag groceries at HEB. I’m a minister as a grocery bagger?” And the answer is YES! In all that you do, God calls us to serve as Christ served – in your thinking, speaking, and actions (Col. 3:17).

---

AND…whatever skills or expertise you have developed, these can be used for ministry both inside and outside of the church. Whatever gifts, passions, hobbies, or talents you possess, these can be creatively re-imagined for ministry. And in all of these ways, we contribute to the ministry of the church.

We also bring all of our gifts, talents, and various skills with us when we pursue some of the more specific ministries within the church that many of us often feel called to…sometimes for the short term and sometimes for the long term.

Discovering these callings is the process of discernment, and discernment is a deeply formative process where we listen carefully to the call of God in our lives through prayer, seeking the wisdom of trusted friends and family, and exploring our call through the counsel and advice of our community.

Discernment is a process for the purpose of making a careful decision for our life and for the life of our community. So, listen carefully, and be open to the spiritual imagination.

As we see, then, there are many ministries inside and outside of the church, and there are many ways to serve our congregations and our communities.

To assist you on your discernment journey, this page offers some options for those seeking more specific lay ministries within the church. Please continue to listen carefully to the calling of God in your life as you consider these different ministry roles.

One way to support some of our specific ministry roles within the church is through enhancing and improving our licensing and certification of lay leadership. So, as you continue to discern your ministry options, we hope that this page will help you explore Licensed Ministries and Lay Micro-Certifications in the Diocese of Texas.

---

Whatever you decide – whether to become a Licensed Minister or to receive a Lay Micro-Certification in a specified ministry – you have many options as a lay minister who is seeking ways to serve the church in your local congregation.