All baptised Christians are called to be partners in the ministry of the Church. Some are ordained for this purpose, but most are not. Ministry for lay people (those who are not ordained as clergy) can take many different forms. Some of these forms of ministry require training and some do not.
Two of the formal roles available to lay people in the Diocese of Perth are “Lay Pastoral Minister” (LPM) and “Liturgical Assistant” (LA). Those taking on these roles assist ordained ministers in their pastoral and liturgical work. LPMs are licensed in their roles by the Archbishop. Both roles require some training, some of which takes place at Wollaston Theological College and some of which takes place in parishes. If you think that God may be calling you to one of these roles you should have a conversation with the clergy in your parish as a first step, and they will advise you how to proceed.
There are many further roles that lay people may take on – instead of, or in addition to, serving as LPMs or LAs. Lay people represent the members of their parish on Parish Councils or represent their parish at Diocesan Synod. Others have ministries of hospitality, or social justice, music, craft or prayer (just to name a few).
Wollaston offers opportunities for theological education for all lay people (see more information about our latest programs here) – not just those who are considering ordination, or a formal role as LPM or LA. Additionally, much of the training for people taking on those roles, or other specialised roles such as warden or treasurer, happens here at Wollaston. You can see details of the training that is coming up on the website of the Diocese of Perth.
