Overview
A course for lay people who are unable to commit to becoming Licensed Lay Ministers but still feel called to a preaching ministry on an occasional basis.
Preaching is an influential part of the Church’s ministry and a privilege not to be undertaken lightly. For this reason, the canons of the Church require a lay person to have the permission of the bishop to preach, either directly or through diocesan arrangements agreed by the bishop.
The course will consider different aspects of preaching and teaching, as well as practical elements of delivering homilies.
Course Structure
All Lay Training Ministry Pathways courses are delivered in two stages:
Formational Journey Stage 1: Introduction to Theology
Delivered as either 4 in person study days or over 8 evenings online.
This can be undertaken as a stand-alone course or as Stage 1 in a journey leading to a commissioned role.
You do not need the approval of your Vicar & PCC to undertake Stage 1.
Formational Journey Stage 2: Commissioned Route (choose from Lay Worship Leader, Lay Pastoral Minister or Occasional Preacher)
Delivered over 10 evenings online with one or two in-person gatherings on a Saturday.
These courses form Stage 2 of a journey. You must have already completed Stage 1: Introduction to Theology.
You must have the approval of your Vicar and PCC before starting Stage 2.
If you are interested in attending this course, please complete the Lay Ministry Pathways Application Form. We will then be in touch about next steps.
Commissioning as an Occasional Preacher
Commissioning takes place in the participant's parish following successful completion of the Stage 2 course. You will need to discuss your role with your incumbent and develop a working agreement together. You should also check with your Parish Safeguarding Officer if your specific role would make you eligible for a DBS Check.
You will need to provide an up-to-date completion certificate for the Basic Awareness safeguarding course before the course starts, and for the Domestic Abuse Awareness and Foundations in Safeguarding courses by the end of the course. These courses can all be completed on the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Portal.
Upcoming Courses
In the 2026-27 academic year, we aim to run the Occasional Preachers course twice. Each iteration will begin with an in-person day (9:30am-4pm) at Church House in Leeds (17-19 York Place, Leeds LS1 2EX). Mid-week sessions will be delivered online via Zoom (6:30pm-9pm). The course will end with an in-person Homily Day, which will be held at a church or churches, depending on the number of participants. We select the location(s) for the Homily Day, insofar as is possible, near to where course participants are based.
Autumn 2026
Saturday 26 September - in-person
Monday 5 October - online
Monday 12 October - online
Monday 19 October - online
Monday 2 November - online
Monday 9 November - online
Monday 16 November - online
Monday 23 November - online
Monday 30 November - online
Saturday 12 December - in-person