East District 2019 Winter Lay Servant Academy

Two Types of Lay Servants

1. Certified Lay Servants

The Certified Lay Servant is a professing member of a United Methodist congregation whose service and witness inspire others to fall more deeply in love with God. This is a person who has received specific training to share the Christian faith, to lead within a church and community, and to provide caring ministry.
To be recognized as a Certified Lay Servant, you must:

Be recommended by your pastor, Church Council, and Charge Conference, and...
Complete the Lay Servant Ministries BASIC Course as well as one Advanced Course.

2. Certified Lay Speakers

These are advanced Lay Servants who have the authority to preach in their home congregation and around the Annual Conference. In addition to the BASIC course, they must complete courses in six required areas:

Discovering Spiritual Gifts
Leading Worship
Leading Prayer
Preaching
United Methodist Heritage
United Methodist Polity

Certified Lay Speakers are also asked to complete an interview with the District Committee on Lay Servant Ministries.

These classes are open to anyone!
However, you must be a member of a United Methodist congregation to become certified.
For Spring classes, you must attend all sessions, in full, to receive credit for the class. Ten hours of total instruction is required for completion. Your pastor and family are invited to join us for a closing worship on 2/17 at 5:00pm, when you will receive a certificate in recognition of your hard work!

To maintain certification status, a Lay Servant Annual Report must be turned in yearly and a Lay Servant Academy course must be completed at least once every three years.

Courses Offered:

BASIC Lay Servant Ministries

This course is the foundation for all the other learning and leading courses. In this course you are encouraged to discover and employ the personal spiritual gifts God has given you. Participants explore the importance of exercising servant leadership, developing future leaders, remaining rooted in spiritual practices, and finding accountability from others in the hard work of discipleship. You will also learn a few best practices as a church leader for mission and ministry in the community - and in your daily life. Expect to have fun along the way!

Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts

This course is designed for those who have not completed formal preaching training, for pastors seeking a basic refresher course, and for others who are called upon to preach in a pastor's absence.

You can Preach!

This Course helps participants understand spiritual gifts and how the church can use them to fulfill its mission and ministry. Participants will also learn what it means to be a spiritual leader and will be equipped to lead others in exploring and using their spiritual gifts.

Cost: $30.00 per class, and covers your course materials and an on-site lunch

Payment Information: Visa and MasterCard accepted

Please print a copy of your registration for your receipt.

Check payments must be mailed within 7 days of registration. Please include a copy of your invoice with your check.

Make checks payable to INUMC

Mail to:
INUMC
Attn: Lisa Timmerman
301 Pennsylvania Parkway, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46280

Registration deadline: January 21, 2019 at 11:59 pm

Cancellation policy: cancellations must be received via email to lisa.timmerman@inumc.org by 11:59 pm on January 21, 2019 to be eligible for a refund less processing fee.

Please be sure to register early, so that materials can be mailed to you. We ask that you be prepared to discuss the first chapter of your book during the first session.

A minimum of three students is required per class in order to run the class.