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LOCAL PREACHERS
LPs—Role & Training
Preacher Development
LOCAL PREACHERS |
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Local preachers are lay men and women who are trained and authorised to lead public worship and preach in Methodist churches. On any Sunday, most of the services in Methodist churches are led by local preachers. In the Leeds District there are more than 300 of them, though some of them are now elderly and unable to preach.
For a fuller description of the nature of their work and
training,
click here.
District Local Preachers' Secretary & Tutor: |
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The District Local Preachers' Newsletter, issued twice a year, reports on matters of interest to local preachers, and includes notice of training events, photos and obituaries. Click these links to see the most recent editions:
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Local Preacher Training Support
The following documents (in Microsoft Word format) can be downloaded from this site by clicking on them:
For preachers On Trial, mentors, tutors, LP secretaries and superintendents:
A 4-page outline of the LP training regulations, setting out briefly what of each of the partners needs to do at each stage of the process:
LP Training Outline (A4 format)
For all members of the Local Preachers' Meeting:
A 2-page summary of the LP training scheme, with particular focus on the contribution to be made by the LP meeting:
Role of the LP Meeting in LP Training
How to Report on a Trainee Local Preacher
For Superintendents and LP Meeting Secretaries:
Guidance notes and a proforma for applying for an extension when a preacher in training is nearing the 5-year limit:
LWPTLeaders of Worship & Preachers Trust
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Leeds District LWPT Secretary & Treasurer: Mr John E. Witt |
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LWPT website: |
Local Preachers—Their Role and Training
Why 'local' and 'preachers'?
From the earliest days of Methodism lay men and women have been permitted to lead worship and preach. In the time of John Wesley, the ordained ministers were rarely allowed to remain for more than a year or so in one place, and even today their appointment in each pastorate is only temporary, so they have traditionally been known as 'itinerant preachers'. Lay preachers, by contrast, are 'local' in that they perform their ministry where they live.
Methodist ministers are first trained as local preachers. However, local preaching is not just a step in the training process for ordained ministers: it is a ministry in its own right. Local preachers are not substitutes for ordained ministers: their vocation and role is a different and complementary one. As lay people who come from all walks of life, usually earning their living in secular employment, they can use their secular experience to earth and enrich their theology. Conversely, as people with a better than average theological training, often they are well equipped to be informal chaplains, pastors, teachers or evangelists among their working colleagues. Local preachers do not normally conduct special services such as baptisms, weddings and funerals, though there are some exceptions, and they may not preside at holy communion except by special permission in circumstances where a minister is not available.
What LPs do
Local preachers are appointed to the circuit in which they have their membership. A circuit may consist of any number of churches from one to a couple of dozen, and of various sizes. Every quarter the circuit plan is drawn up, on which every Sunday service in every church is allocated a preacher, either an ordained minister or a local preacher. A local preacher will typically be given one or two of these services per month, and more where preachers are in short supply. The preacher is then responsible for organising and leading that act of worship in all its aspects, including the choice of hymns, readings and prayers, and the composition and delivery of the sermon. There may be others involved too—worship leaders, readers, actors, musicians—but the preacher is the co-ordinator. Local preachers may preach in other circuits by invitation, and many take services in churches of other denominations too.
Because of their position of leadership and knowledge of the churches of the circuit, local preachers are usually members of such decision-making bodies as the church council and the circuit meeting. Often they have other leadership roles, as stewards, pastoral visitors, housegroup leaders, etc, and many are asked to address midweek meetings and fellowships of various sorts.
Training
To equip them for their work, the training scheme for local preachers is thorough and demanding. Once a person begins to feel a sense of calling to this work, (s)he is given permission to accompany a mentor, an experienced local preacher, to assist in leading worship, learning the practical skills of preparation and public delivery. They also begin formal study of worship and of the Bible under a tutor. This 'On Note' stage usually lasts for about six months until they are able to write sermons and ready to take responsibility alone. There follows a period of up to five years when they are 'On Trial', during which they continue with a course of study in theology, Bible studies and worship and preaching, producing assignments which are assessed both by their local tutor and by connexional assessors of the Methodist Church, for they must meet fairly stringent national standards. They continue to lead worship and preach, and reports of their services are discussed with them and at the quarterly local preachers' meeting, which also interviews them at different stages of their progress. When all hurdles have been surmounted, the Church recognises them as fully accredited local preachers in a public service of commissioning. Their appointment is for life, and their status is carried with them when they move to a different circuit.
Preacher Development
The Leeds North East Circuit has a website to support Continued Local Preacher Development (CLPD) — for ministers as well as local preachers.
http://www.preacherdevelopment.uk7.net/
