Lay Education - Elders

The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
Serving Suffolk Communities

Lay Elders	Lay Education home
Lay Elders are chosen by the local church with PCC approval, and commissioned by the Diocesan Bishop or his representative, to lead worship and share in pastoral care. Lay Elders are commissioned initially for 5 years maximum and may then be recommissioned for further periods of 5 years. Anyone who is baptised and confirmed and a regular church member may be considered for Elder ministry. There are well over 400 Elders in the Diocese, ranging from people in their early 20s to people over 80. To download a leaflet about the duties, appointment and training of Lay Elders, click here. If you are considering becoming a lay elder and want to know if it's for you, click here For Diocesan Bishop's' Regulations concerning Lay Elders, click here

Useful Resources for Elders

Click on the title below to download the the form or document you require:

Request for Commissioning or Recommisssioning a Lay Elder Form
Individual Forms to be signed by Incumbent, PCC and potential Elder giving notice of intention to Commission or Recommission a Lay Elder

Arrangements for Commissioning or Recommissioning Lay Elders
Two separate Forms are attached for downloading in PDF format.
1. To notify Lay Elders' Secretary about a forthcoming Click here to download the Commissioning of a Lay Elder form or
2. Click here to download the Request to Recommission a Lay Elder Form can be downloaded in PDF format.

Service of Commissioning/Recommissioning of Lay Elders
Service sheet (A4 folded to A5) with short Form of Service to be incorporated in parish worship

Training Materials relevant to Elders:

Leaflets series

Brief, clear, user friendly series of A5 leaflets for parish training and general information. To download an order form click here.

Contact Elizabeth Moore elizabeth@stedmundsbury.anglican.org for other inquiries about Lay Elders.