Lay Servant
What is Lay Servant Ministries?
The 2012 General Conference of the UMC adopted several resolutions that formally changed the name of this lay ministry to Lay Servant Ministries from the previous Lay Speaking Ministries. Lay servant ministry remains a United Methodist system for lay leadership development. The basic and advanced courses are designed to help persons develop their skills in leadership, communication, and care-giving. Participating in this training as it is offered helps you build relationships with other lay leaders. In this way you increase opportunity for yourself and for your congregation to be in ministry with others, your credibility as a leader is enhanced.
According to the Discipline, a lay servant is a professing member of a local church or charge conference who is "ready and desirous to serve the Church and who is well informed on and committed to the Scriptures and the doctrine, heritage, organization and life of The United Methodist Church." A lay servant "has received specific training to develop skills in witnessing to the Christian faith through spoken communication, church and community leadership, and care-giving ministries." Lay servants, both local church and certified, must submit an annual report to their charge conference and be reapproved annually.
New "Lay Speaker" Position
The 2012 General Conference also adopted a new position of Lay Speaker within the Lay Servant Ministries program. Your NYAC Conference Committee on LSM has established guidelines to assure uniformity in the adoption process throughout the Conference. The District Committees will begin to accept candidates for recommendation of approval to the Annual Conference begriming with the 2014 session. Please keep in mind that the opportunities to serve as gust speakers will not be restricted to persons approved as Lay Speakers. However, the position of Lay Speaker will signify that those individuals have indicated that they have a deeper commitment to serve in a preaching capacity, perhaps for extended periods of time, have completed an extensive required course of study and met with their District Committee on LSM to be evaluated and recommended to the Conference Committee on LSM for approval. It is anticipated that each District will have a relatively short list of Lay Speakers, with a much broader base of Local Church and Certified Lay Servants. Please refer to the Book of Discipline for the specific guidelines for this position and to the Application for Lay Speaker form available on this web-site. This application is separate and apart from your Lay Servant Annual Report. Interested candidates are first recommended to meet with their pastors to discuss their desire to pursue this position. It is also recommended that you meet with you District Committee early on in the process to insure that you fully understand the requirements and have taken the proper courses to meet this designation. Once approved, Lay Speakers must continue to submit the Annual Lay Servant Report and meet the continuing education requirements of a Certified Lay Servant.
Video
Sandy Jackson, Director of Lay Ministry, explains the different expressions of lay ministry in The United Methodist Church. Click the image to the right to view the video produced by the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church.
Events
Click here to view Lay Servant classes and events in the New York Annual Conference >>
Annual Report
Download the Lay Servant Annual Report for 2013. PDF file. Word file.
Download the Lay Speaker Application Form for 2013. PDF file. Word file.
Please visit the GBOD site for more information on lay servants.
District Directors of Lay Servant Ministry
| Catskill Hudson | Margaret Howe | (845) 943-8962 | |
| Eugene Knoth | (845) 688-5901 | Knothheat@yahoo.com | |
| Connecticut | Mary Brevigleiri | (860) 307-4611 | mbrevigleiri@perrytechnology.com |
| Long Island East | Susan Johns Greenfield | (516) 659-3402 | |
| Rev. Gertude Nation | (631) 261-1303 | geedezz1@aol.com | |
| Long Island West | Marie A. Davis | (917) 439-7387 | roses4him7777@yahoo.com |
| Metropolitan | Kim Owens | (914) 699-2686 | kimal81@aol.com |
| Metropolitan | Joy Rhodes | (718) 324-3507 | rhodesj@nyp.org |
| New York/Connecticut | Frank Adkins | fhlatk@warwick.net | |
| Conference Director | Peter O’Neill | poppao@optonline.net | |
| Conference Lay Leader | Renata Smith | (914) 664-2622 | Renata10553@yahoo.com |
| Assistant Conference Lay Leader | Mitch Underwood | (860) 747-9829 | mitch@underwoods.org |
| Conference Director of Connectional Ministries |
Ann Pearson | (914) 615-2230 | apearson@NYAC.com |