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.

We are excited that you are considering Lay Licensed Ministry and Lay Micro-Certification. There are many ministries in the church, and there are many ways to serve within our congregations.

What is your calling?

The Church is following the movement of God’s Spirit, and it is leading us to more lay led, clergy supported congregations. To support this vision, we are seeking ways to empower and equip lay leadership within the church. One way we can do this is through enhancing and improving our licensing and certification of lay leadership.

In the Episcopal Church, all the baptized are ministers who work 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.

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Whatever career or job you currently have outside of the church, you are a minister.

“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 – in your thinking, speaking, and actions – you are a minister of Christ (Col. 3:17).

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AND…whatever professional or job-related skills 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.

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.

So, as you begin or continue to discern with your Rector, Vicar, or Head of Congregation about your ministry options as a lay leader, we hope that this page will help you explore all of your options. There are several Licensed Ministry options as well as some Lay Micro-Certification options.

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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.

Please note that all Licensed Ministries and Lay Micro-Certifications require Safeguarding qualification aligned with the specific role you are pursuing. This requirement is due to the elevated nature of leadership and pastoral engagement that comes with each of these roles because ALL Licensed Ministries and Lay Micro-Certifications are elevated roles of service, leadership, and pastoral care within our congregations.