Lay Ministers of Holy Communion

Lay Ministers of Holy Communion are people authorised by the Bishop both to help distribute Holy Communion in the Church and to take Holy Communion (which has been consecrated at a Eucharist in Church) to members of the parish who are sick and unable to come to Church. Canon B12 indicates that lay people may only 'distribute the sacrament of the Lord's Supper' 'authorised to do so by the Bishop'.

The Bishops in our diocese require all lay people who are to be authorised to exercise this ministry to participate in a short diocesan course organised by each deanery according to that deanery's particular need. Parish clergy also need to prepare them for the practicalities of exercising this ministry in the parish.

The training course is designed to be run in deaneries and consists of 2 sessions: one session taught in the deanery and one session with the incumbent in the parish.

The course is ideally for use with groups of about 12 people for more than one parish so that there is a variety of tradition and practice represented with each course. Courses for a single parish are not normally possible. Each deanery, therefore, should have at least two tutors, one lay and one ordained, who should come from different traditions if at all possible. Please click on the links opposite for the list of LMC Trained Tutors and for full guidelines to running a deanery course. If you have any further queries, please contact Samantha Alsop.

If you are interested in Reader Ministry or Authorized Lay Ministry please follow these links: