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Lay Ministries and Licensing

There are six recognized lay leadership ministries in the Episcopal Church. More detailed information including requirements and who can be licensed can be found by clicking on the license type or by following the link at the bottom of the page. The lay leadership ministries available for licensing are:

Eucharistic Minister
A Eucharistic Minister is a lay person authorized to administer the Consecrated Elements at a Celebration of Holy Eucharist.

Eucharistic Visitor
A Eucharistic Visitor is a lay person authorized to take the Consecrated Elements in a timely manner following a Celebration of Holy Eucharist to members of the congregation who, by reason of illness or infirmity, were unable to be present at the Celebration

Catechist
A Catechist is a lay person authorized to prepare persons for Baptism, Confirmation, Reception, and the Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows.

Renewal of Licenses 

Renewal of the license shall be determined on the basis of the acceptable performance of the ministry by the licenses and upon the endorsement of the Member of the Clergy in charge of the Congregation in which the person is serving.

A reminder to renew licenses will be sent out on regional listservs, and requests should be filed by way of the On-line License Request Form. License renewals will be processed by Regions, as follows, to aid in the efficient distribution of the administrative work:

Region One Parishes will renew their lay licenses in January
Region Two Parishes will renew their lay licenses in March
   (St. Albans' Parish and Close schools expire in September)
Region Three Parishes will renew their lay licenses in May
Region Four Parishes will renew their lay licenses in July
Region Five Parishes will renew their lay licenses in September
Region Six Parishes will renew their lay licenses in November

More information on requirements, process, and licenses can be found here.