What’s Inside?
More than a catalog, the 2020 Lay Servant Ministries Course Descriptions and Equipping Resources is a resource itself. Check out pages 4–9 for an overview of the lay servant program and valuable information about the three certifications for laity in The United Methodist Church.
The resources are designed to equip laity for their roles in ministry as disciples of Jesus Christ. The “Introduction to Lay Ministry: The BASIC Course” is the foundational course for Lay Servant Ministries. This course can also be used as part of a discipleship plan for other laity in the church to acquaint them with their gifts, calling, and responsibilities as followers of Christ. Consider using the BASIC course as part of your Christian education program. It can easily be divided into five 2-hour or ten 1-hour sessions. Or consider hosting a lay academy in your local church, offering both the BASIC and an advanced course.
With the exception of online courses taken through BeADisciple.com, all courses are designed as 10-hour trainings. Courses include a required text for participants and leaders, as well as a leader’s guide for the facilitator of the course. Most texts and/or PDFs are available through Bookstore.UpperRoom.org or are noted otherwise.
What’s New?
In 2020 four new courses join the robust curriculum for Lay Servant Ministries: Connectional Living and Connectional Giving: Lay Servants Interpret Connectional Giving in The United Methodist Church by Roger Curless and Ken Sloane; Opening Ourselves to Grace: Basic Christian Practices (leader guide by Derrek Belase); Campus Ministry: Empowering Congregations to Support Students at Colleges and Universities by Colleen Hallagan Preuninger; and Discipleship Begins with Relationship: Creating a Spiritual Growth Plan to See All the People.
What’s Coming?
New courses are coming! New courses are coming! Proposed titles include: Can persons who forget God know God? In Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia Through a Spiritual Lens, Bishop Kenneth L. Carder reminds us that those with dementia maintain their identity and worth as beloved children of God. Confronting the deep personal and theological questions created by loving people with dementia, Carder equips us with practical ways to nurture and incorporate them into the church’s life and ministry. Other new courses include Lay Servants Communicate Effectively, Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts, Teaching Biblical Faith: Leading Small Group Bible Studies, a sacraments course on By Water and the Spirit and This Holy Mystery, and a Spanish translation course for Transforming Evangelism by Henry H. Knight III & F. Douglas Powe, Jr.
PDF-only texts are available at Bookstore.UpperRoom.org. No discounts or refunds.