Lay Ministers’ Gathering 2026
Lay Minsters from all over the diocese in their many roles and with their varied gifts, came together in worship, fellowship and shared learning, bringing their questions and offering support and encouragement to one another.
Around 50 lay ministers gathered on Saturday 7 March at St Martins House in Leicester for a packed programme.
The day began with discipleship, as Jude Taylor reminded those gathered of the rich soil for faith to grow- attending to devotional habits to build our inner life with God, the importance of relationships with other Christians to nurture faith and that this enables us to live this faith more fruitfully in the world.
This led them to consider how we enable others to grow in faith and create communities of mutual discipleship in our churches. They reflected on the most important factors that had enabled their own faith to grow and these mirrored closely what Jude shared with them.
In the afternoon, Jude also hosted a table conversation sharing his experience of the ‘Being with’ course as a means of helping people deepen faith in community.
Shayne Ardron, Chair of the Lay Ministry Council, spoke of the importance of allowing God to reveal our ‘why’, the heart of who we are, who he has made us to be as the foundation of what we are called to do.
Bishop Saju then joined the gathering to thank and encourage lay ministers in the diocese and share conversation over lunch.
In the afternoon additional table conversations centred on a range of topics. Rachel Elliott helped people to think through how local churches can engage with new housing developments, while Jo DeGraaf led a conversation around outdoor spirituality.
Mary Briant and Dawn Daly discussed their experience as Focal Ministers, which raised an interesting discussion around the support and training for focal ministry and how information might be better disseminated to parishes.
You can find more information on the diocesan website about Focal Ministry.
Stuart Burns, Director of Parish Transition and Ministry Development, hosted a table where people could raise their questions about Minster Communities and the particular implications for lay ministers. The discussion centred around lay ministry support and well-being, how lay ministry roles may change and what guidance will be given on what lay ministers may or may not offer as well as the implications for lay ministers in parishes not wishing to join.
Tracey Manns, Deputy Director of the Diocesan Board of Education, encouraged those present in how to engage with our local schools. Although schools are busy and pressured environments, they are often wanting the support of local churches to pray for them, show an interest in them and serve them in simple practical ways. She reminded people of the principles of Growing Faith to place children and families at the heart of the mission of the local church. Tracey also drew attention to the wide range of resources on hand to help be involved in the life of schools and is available for advice and support by emailing her at tracey.manns@leicesterdbe.org
- These links lead to a wide range of excellent schools ministry resources.
https://www.churchofengland.org/about/education-and-schools/growing-faith-foundation
https://www.leicesterdbe.org/growing-faith/
https://prayerspacesinschools.org/
The final session brought people up-to-date with the developments in lay ministry support introduced in response to the findings of the lay ministers’ survey.
These include a programme of Continuing Ministry Development (CMD), resources for an annual Ministry Development Review (MDR) and Pastoral Reflection Groups.
Those who had been part of the diocesan pilot for Pastoral Reflection Groups spoke of how these groups provided the supportive space to reflect on ministry and find new perspectives, inspiration and wisdom.
To make these groups available for all lay ministers we are looking to recruit and train a group of facilitators. If you have some experience in this area and would like to be part of this training cohort get in touch with liz.rawlings@leicestercofe.org.
The event finished in prayer, as it began, and with some dates for the diary.
- 25 April: Calling for Everyone vocations event - Leicester Forest East
- 16 May: Calling for Everyone vocations event - Kibworth
- 23 May: Called Together Service, 3pm - Leicester Cathedral
- 6 June: Calling for Everyone vocations event - TBC
- 24 October: Bishops/Lay Minister conversation - TBC
Feedback from the gathering was positive, with thanks expressed to those who organised it and in praise of the “excellent” and “encouraging” input from contributers.
Speaking about the day, Shayne Ardron said: "It was good to be able to share our journeys of faith, what helps our faith to deepen and what we discover about ourselves in the process. There was a board where people posted how their faith grows and deepens, it was a delight to read. From this place of being rooted in God we are able to carry our ministries which grow and develop over time.”
She added: “We explored what helps our faith to grow and deepen, both as individuals but also together. We recognised our need to support each other in our roles and heard from some who are doing just that. We also recognised our context is often changing and how Minister Communities is also affecting that.”
In celebration of our many and gifted lay ministers around the diocese, Liz Rawlings, Parish Transition and Ministry Development Enabler (Vocations and Discipleship), said: “I continue to be inspired, humbled and thankful when lay ministers gather, as I hear the breadth and depth of impact they have in our communities and churches. They are such a source of hope and beacons of God’s presence and activity in the visible and, frequently hidden, places in our diocese.”
