Welcome to all who lead worship
You will find here information and resources about leading worship, becoming a Lay preacher, opportunities for developing gifts and skills, courses available as well as links to other relevant websites.
The Assembly Advocate for Leadership in Worship is a member of the Ministries Committee and works closely with the Synod Lay Preaching Commissioners (or their equivalent) to support and encourage all members of the URC involved in leading worship.
In 2021 there has been a change in the training being offered to potential Lay Preachers. For people who are offering themselves to lead worship, the URC now has two training pathways: Lay Preachers can be recognised by their Synod as Locally Recognised Worship Leaders through attending Synod based training course or through completing Stepwise Faith Filled Life and Faith Filled Worship and some other specific tasks; or can access training through one of the Resource Centres for Learning (currently Northern College) to become an Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher.
Follow the links below for training outline and processes and the Marks of Ministry as agreed at Mission Council March 2021 and General Assembly July 2021.
- Paper D/H2: Locally Recognised Worship Leaders and Assembly Accredited Lay Preachers (PDF)
- Paper D/H1: Marks of Ministry of a Worship Leader and Lay Preacher (PDF)
- Paper D-H1: The process for becoming a Locally Recognised Worship Leader or an Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher (PDF)
The Education & Learning Committee is pleased to offer grants to Assembly Accredited Lay Preachers to support them in further training. Please discuss with your synod lay training officer, and you may download an Application Form.
Upcoming events and courses
There is a selection of the events being offered in the next few months. You will find details if you use the links to colleges above.
