Most people in the church are ordinary people. A very small number are ordained clergy. We call those who are not clergy 'lay people'. If you are one of those ordinary people, this page is for you.
Of course, growing in faith and discipleship happens in your church or parish. Perhaps you are part of a small group in your parish or wider local area. However, we sometimes want to go a bit further
Across the Diocese of Leeds there are plenty of exciting opportunities to grow in faith as well as to develop your skills and gifts in order to serve God and all God's people within and beyond the Church. These range from one-off events to more sustained courses. Our events and courses are for everyone in our diocese, whatever your background and interests. Sometimes people worry about whether they will 'fit in' or be able to manage on a course. We want to let you know that we can support your learning needs. Education and training haven't always been good experiences for people and, even when they have, school might feel a long time ago. This really is different. We know that you have lots of valuable experience, and that's where we begin. We want you to feel supported and encouraged in your ongoing journey of faith. Please do be in contact if you have specific concerns.
The Lay Training team offers a variety of opportunities to help you on your faith journey. Some of these are short, online courses that you can find out about on our Digital Learning Platform. We also offer longer courses that are linked to commissioned roles in our diocese: Eco Mission Enabler, Lay Worship Leader, Lay Pastoral Minister and Occasional Preacher. These are called Lay Ministry Pathways. Find more information here.
Members of the Diocesan Lay Training Team will be pleased to provide further details, even if your enquiry is tentative. Their contact details are below:
Lay Training Officers |
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Revd Helen Collings Lay Training Team Leader (Widening Participation) |
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Dr Mandy Aspland Lay Training Officer (Lay Ministry Pathways) mandy.aspland@leeds.anglican.org |
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Anne Payne Lay Training Administrator anne.payne@leeds.anglican.org |
Leeds School of Ministry
Leeds School of Ministry provides two training hubs for Licensed Lay Ministry (previously known as Readers) through Common Awards (Durham University) at Bingley in The Trinity Centre and in Mirfield, at The Mirfield Centre.
To find out more please visit our School of Ministry page or contact one of our Common Awards Officers below.
Common Awards Officers |
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Steve Proudlove |
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Shuna Hartley School of Ministry Administrator shuna.hartley@leeds.anglican.org |
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Revd Dr Jo Logan (Seconded from St Hild College) |
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Revd Dr Erik Peeters Training Officer and |
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Revd Lesley Mattacks Acting Formational Lead and Bingley Hub Host lesley.mattacks@leeds.anglican.org |