photo credit: L-R Revd Dr Elizabeth Wild, John Winter, Revd Luci Morriss
A few weeks ago, St Mary’s Church, Cusop, Herefordshire which is part of Abbeydore Deanery marked a first with the commissioning of Local Minister, John Winter. The celebration service is the first in the diocese following the launch of the new local ministry roles.
During the service, John a local resident of Cusop was commissioned to his role in the deanery team. As a Local Minister, John will undertake a variety of tasks working alongside ordained colleagues and others as part of the wider ministry team.
He explains: “I completed a one year course in theology and ministry which has given me a greater capacity to continue in a role I had already taken on. I see the role as a commission to and from my local church.
“As a Local Minister, I feel the role gives me a structured approach to preparing and leading services as well as a framework for planning pastoral visits.
“It is a privilege to serve people locally. Walking with them as they deepen their sense of spirituality is a great joy. I particularly enjoy wellbeing walks and seeing how a visit can lift a person’s spirits.
“The rural church can only survive if people step up into these types of roles and lead and I encourage others to look closely at what the diocese offers.”
Revd Dr Elizabeth Wild, explains: “We are delighted to welcome John into his role as Local Minister in Abbeydore deanery.
“Lay leadership is core to helping the rural church across our diocese grow. It is one of the greatest joys of ministry to see people’s lives transformed and this can only be achieved through personal relationships and in walking alongside one another encouraging faith to grow.”
“I am thrilled that there are now a growing number of people who have come forward to explore the variety of lay ministry roles on offer in many parishes.”
A number of lay roles include:
- Reader or Licensed Lay Ministers
- Licensed Lay Worker (Pioneer)
- Local Minister
- Local Worship Leader
- Local Pastoral Visitor
- Local Missioner
To learn more about the variety of roles and to discuss training, please contact Revd Dr Elizabeth Wild.